iLOUD


http://www.ikmultimedia.com/landing/iloud/?gclid=CMz3lK-glb8CFXNo7AodGhAA3g

Donny, it's only 40-watts peak power - not good for anything larger than a livingroom.

Gary

This looks like an option for someone who wants to busk without a power supply.

40W isn't a lot of power.

I think that it's important to buy a good sound system, even for small rooms to 1) capture as much as possible the whole dynamic range of an arranger keyboard, 2) avoid ear fatigue from inferior speakers.

I use 2 FBT Maxx 2A's. If it's a small gig, I only bring in one speaker. But I'm carrying something like 600W of power with me all the time. I probably play louder than other musicians, but almost no one ever complains. Why? Because it sounds great. No one talks about my sound system. They only talk about my performance. Probably a good sign.

I bought these speakers because it had great specs for bass response for a 10", and it won handily in a blind testing shootout with other 10" speakers.

I don't get on the floor much to hear my sound system, but I have heard the Bose L1s and Bose compact, and I'm very impressed. If I were to start over, I would consider the Bose.

Larry so you would switch to TWO Bose copmpacts ?

Personally I wouldn't use the iLOUD although I would like to hear it anyway...and for some really small room gigs 40watts is more then enough...heck many times I have used only my S950 on occasion in the right situation with success .....don't let the numbers fool you.

My well proven choice is:
- for very small gigs: Bose Sounddock portable or Bose Lifestyle Roommate or both (they sound identical) - just 4 pounds and very powerful
- for medium small gigs: FBT Jolly 5 BA or the new FBT J5 BA:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/fbt_j5a_j_serie.htm
absolutely great, powerful, small speakers
- medium gigs: either HK Lucas Nano or JBL Eon 510.

40-watts peak from a single speaker ain't much, and the numbers don't lie. I see this kind of tiny, battery powered PA around all the time, and most are not worth the powder to blow them to Hell. Like Larry, I want my audiences to hear the best I can offer, the full sound spectrum, nothing less. And, that's if the audience is just a dozen people in a living-room, or a couple hundred on a dance-floor. I use the same system for everyone. And, despite the fact that I'm really old and infirmed, I can still easily lift that 23-pound Bose L1 Compact with one hand.

Cheers,

Gary

For what it gives, it's too much money.

It has AC also...just sayin,

It does have the AC, and on paper, it has a very decent frequency response. I'd have to hear it.

But I'd be weary. I remember that when I was playing with JBL Eon10s, a very reputable speaker, I would get more loudness complaints than I do now with my FBTs playing at the same volume.

BTW, I don't think the Bose have to be stereo to sound great. I have a buddy who sings to backing tracks, and we were both booked 15 minutes apart at the same community. He had the standard Bose L1, and he sounded INCREDIBLE during the 10 minutes I was able to listen.

I think the speaker quality is super important, however. Your audience won't consciously hear frequency response, signal to noise ratio, total harmonic distortion, but they will respond emotionally if things sound just perfect or not quite right.

I quit discussion on the benefits of Stereo vs Mono on gigs...
let's leave it at that....

enjoy what you use


I just wanted to give a heads up to a new portable powered speaker,...amazing how many put it down with out ever hearing one or using one.

40 WATTS - PEAK-POWER! Nothing controversial about that. Just like the stupid little Roland practice amps - they sounded like crap. Fran raved about them, I tried them out and A/B'd them against the Barbetta Sona 32SC - not even remotely close. Most of these small, USB connection amps I've heard sound like CRAP! The only one I heard that sounded decent was the Bose, but I wouldn't use that in anything larger than a living room party.

As for being too expensive, Donny, you're the person on this forum that always claims your gear pays for itself, yet when I pointed out that in reality, it does not, you vehemently disagreed. Over the past 55 years I've owned more than a dozen sound systems. I hate to use the word NEVER, but I sincerely believe I will NEVER go back to a conventional sound system, and I will NEVER likely own anything other than what I currently use. In the long run, this will save me thousands of dollars over the years, and that's puts more money in my pocket for supporting my sailing and drinking habits. In the time that I've known you, Donny, you have purchased at least a dozen sound systems, and apparently, none of them have been satisfactory, or you would still have the first one, which back then was the Barbetta Sona 32SC, which I modified for you by installing cooling fans. Wow! That was a long time ago. During the same period, the only system I've owned was the Bose L1 PAS, and more recently, the Bose L1 Compact. Why switch when you have a winner.

Cheers,

Gary

Well, thank you for giving a heads up! After reading the specifications, I am still sceptical, but I feel somewhat tempted to test it against the Bose Sounddock portable, which is similar in size, but noticeably "heavier", although it is still so lightweight with 4 pounds.

If you try it please keep us posted... ....

Donny, I still use the "Lil Green Monster" 100 watts. More than enough for any nursing home I work. I love it.

I just don't get why anyone would consider what is basically a consumer home preoduct, which is also very expensive, when there are so many other units made specifically for live music. More rugged and powerful.

I'm not banging the Carvin drum again but really wouldn't this be a better choice
http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/PM10A
If you want a step up look at the Yamaha DXR line. One 8" DXR would do a great job.

Perhaps because the systems are not marketed entirely correctly?
I used the Logitech 2200 system with great satisfaction on quite a few occasions. extremely light weight, great sound, very inexpensive.
Also, most arrangers are marketed for home use!
Never hurts to experiment.

I have an iLOUD, but I could not imagine using it for gigs. I do use it for small, mostly-acoustic jam sessions. I bring a battery-powered keybaord (Roland VR-09) and the iLOUD, and it works great for a little jam session. Also makes a good clear sounding Bluetooth speaker.

But for my smallest gigs, I bring either one EV ZX1A or my StagePAS 500 system if I want a bit more sound. For bigger gigs, I bring two FBT MAXX 40As which have tons of power (and very good sound quality even at louder volumes).

So, the iLOUD is a nice little speaker for some things, but not for gigs (for me) ...

FYI, I paid ~$220 for my iLoud. And the 40W is "RMS", not peak. It does get surpisingly loud, and still stays clear - but again, I'd never consider it for a gig. Great for "little" uses, but need more power (and bass) even for a small gig, than the iLOUD could produce.

-Jim

Jim, I couldn't find the voltage/amperage specs on the manufacturer's page for Iloud, but looking at the back of the amp I could clearly see the input power required, which calculated to 35-watts total (14VDC X 2.5 amps). And, all the sites, with the exception of one, said Total Power, which is usually peak power - not RMS. Even if I'm wrong, 40 watts is not nearly enough for my smallest NH job.

Cheers,

Gary

Gary I have played many very small NH rooms with 10-15 pp with just the S950 it more then enough power for music and vocals at 3/4 volume...as the room itself becomes an acoustical amplifier conductor also.

Amplifiers 15 W x 2
Speakers 13 cm + 2.5 cm dome tweeter (x 2)

Donny, my smallest NH job usually has 45 to 75 pp in the audience, and I did one Monday night with 120 in the audience. The smallest room I perform in measures approximately 25 X 90 feet, which wouldn't cut it for 40 watts - even RMS.

Once in a while I do a living room party, a private party with a dozen or so people in attendance, and for those I use just the onboard sound system, which is fantastic sounding.

Gary

To Gary - I'd have to search to see for sure; I thought i remembered seeing it as "RMS" … but that aside, I agreed in my note that the iLOUD would not be sufficient at all for gigs (at least the ones I play), even the smallest location.

Re: power ratings on equipment … I've been surprised for years to see power requirements specs right on equipment, that do not seem to match up with the power the amp or amplified speaker is 'spec'd' or documented to put out.

I'll have to do a check this weekend on a few items - I'll bet I can find more than one that have an input power rating that is less than what the RMS outputs power spec is. I never understood this; I'd think that a 200W RMS amp (for example) would have an input power higher than 200W (since it would never be 100% (perfect) efficiency.

Jim

I just read some interesting reviews about the iLoud. A professional review by a magazine (in German only) states that the 40 watts are RMS. Regarding the clarity and neutrality of the sound, they rate it highly.
In several reviews I read that the maximum sound pressure is really high in relation to the size, but not without distortion at high volumes. A user compared it directly to the Bose Sounddock portable, he says they have a comparable SPL, the Bose being a bit less dynamic at very high volumes, but having better bass frequencies and no distortion, whereas the iLoud obviously has no limiter that would prevent distortion.
In Thomann reviews I read that some units are faulty and distort at medium volumes when playing piano sounds (someone exchanged it with a replacement unit and didn't have the distortion then).

On the topic of "input power" vs. output power, I've always been surprised by ratings on various products. Often the "input power" or "power consumtion" seems way lower than I'd expect given the output specs. I guess they do some "average" or "not-running-full-tilt" numbers for input power. Some examples I found:

EV ZxA1 800W Powered Speaker:
Mains Requirements:
100V: 80V–110V, 0.7A4, 50–60Hz
120V: 95V–132V, 0.6A4, 50–60Hz

FBT Maxx 40a powered speaker:
Bi amplified: 500w RMS LF & 150w RMS (650W total)
Rating (back of speaker): 550VA

Yamaha DXR series:
Output power: Dynamic:1100W (LF: 950W HF: 150W) / Continuous: 700W (LF: 600W HF: 100W)
Power consumption: 90W

Some weeks ago I found a fantastic explanation about this on the internet. This is the link:

http://www.jands.com.au/solutions/educat...lained_-_part_1

The summarizing statement for your question is: Amplifier output power and mains consumption (input power) specifications are based on completely different measurement methods. Don’t assume they directly relate to the same conditions.

Don't forget - to be twice as loud as a 40 watt amp, you need FOUR HUNDRED watts. You need to multiply by 10 to double your power. 40 watts can be loads of power with the right input signal. Do the math:
80 watts - 10% louder
120 watts - 20% louder ...

Uncle Dave is absolutely correct. The volume increases logarithmically. A guitar player came to one of my gigs with his 15 watt Fender Hot Rod Jr. tube amp. I can tell you this little amp is awesome. It worked very well with our 5 piece band. I couldn't believe the sound. Watt ratings are not everything.