Michael Wright Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Any one using a passive speaker(s) and power amp combination in your keyboard monitor setup in this day and age? . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 Haven't for a long time, but when I did, I made my own wedges. The downside is having to have a rack for the amp and mixer. I still have a passive PA that I use from time to time. Rack has a Presonus digital mixer, Radial 8-ch DI, and Behringer iNuke6000DSP. The amp includes crossover and EQ as part of the DSP and one side drives the tops (1-pr Peavey SP5's) and the other side drives the bottoms (1-pr 18" subs, home made). Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphollis Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I don't think you'll find many affirmative responses these days. That being said, there's a boatload of passive PA gear on my local Craiglist for very short money. Want to make your band better? Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 I don't think you'll find many affirmative responses these days. That being said, there's a boatload of passive PA gear on my local Craiglist for very short money. That's exactly why I hung onto my passive PA and just added a digital mixer and amp....I don't think I would have gotten much selling the speakers, and once you set the EQ/Crossover in the amp, they still sound pretty good. Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barryjam Posted October 31, 2018 Share Posted October 31, 2018 My passive JBL SRX712s are fabulous, but they reflect my PA duties, and I would buy active if looking today. But my first choice is stereo IEMs. Barry Home: Steinway L, Montage 8 Gigs: Yamaha CP88, Crumar Mojo 61, A&H SQ5 mixer, ME1 IEM, MiPro 909 IEMs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Greatest rigs ever. I have my cabs in storage. Dad asked why was paying rent to store that stuff. He is right. Not sure what do with it. You can't give this stuff away.... But sound is thunderous. "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timwat Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Used to, but don't anymore. Used to gig two Acme Low B1s. They sounded great, but were pretty directional, were very inefficient, and the schlep / hassle factor eventually got me to go the powered PA speaker route. My son now uses them - he's a bass player. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowMan Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 For years I used my own small PA rig - a QSC 1450 power amp into a pair of custom built cabinets with horns. Great sound, but very heavy and way too much to transport regularly. Sold the amp/case and gave the bins to a friend for his studio. Now it's a stereo amp/sub, or powered speakers. Much better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB Dave Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Similar story here. For years my setup included two Bag End speakers and a massive Crown Class A power amp. It sounds glorious. Weighed a ton. Haven't gigged with it in years. The convenience of two QSC K10s outweighs their vastly inferior sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Burgess Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Used to use a Tascam 4 track as a mixer, a pair of Yamaha Club 15s and a huge amp. Maybe a Peavey CS1200? This was the 90s, though. Yes, in stereo! Ill play thru whatevers provided these days. Bigger gigs tend to have D&B or Nexo unpowered with big amps. Other stuff is the now ubiquitous QSC Ks, Yammys, or EV powered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Wright Posted November 1, 2018 Author Share Posted November 1, 2018 I am trying to get an inspiring sound on stage, particularly for the piano, without breaking the bank. Played a gig recently with a single powered EV cab, and couldn't get a vibe at all off of it. I was toying with the idea of trying a couple of Yamaha CZR wooden cabs. I can get into them at less than the DZR series albeit without amplification and DSP. I agree with the shlep/convenience factor, but at this point, I just don't want to lay out for another set of plastic boxes that will fall short. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphollis Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 I am trying to get an inspiring sound on stage, particularly for the piano, without breaking the bank. Played a gig recently with a single powered EV cab, and couldn't get a vibe at all off of it. I was toying with the idea of trying a couple of Yamaha CZR wooden cabs. I can get into them at less than the DZR series albeit without amplification and DSP. I agree with the shlep/convenience factor, but at this point, I just don't want to lay out for another set of plastic boxes that will fall short. Not all self-powered PA units are plastic, if that's your concern. Many manufacturers make both plastic and wood designs with built-in amplification and DSPs. Getting an inspiring sound is straightforward. Just bring big piles of money. Want to make your band better? Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Wright Posted November 1, 2018 Author Share Posted November 1, 2018 Not all self-powered PA units are plastic, if that's your concern. Many manufacturers make both plastic and wood designs with built-in amplification and DSPs. Getting an inspiring sound is straightforward. Just bring big piles of money. Ergo my interest in an earlier post re: birch powered cabs. I have no issue with a certain $ figure, but if my means were unlimited, I would be into the RCF tt series. WAF is a definite here. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphollis Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 The least-expensive self-powered PA units that I get inspired playing APs through are the QSC K8.2s. They are plastic, but good plastic. $649 MAP each, considerably less if you find used or b-stock -- or just call around a bit. From there, the price tags go up quickly, sound quality and playing experience less so. For example, a pair of RCF TT08-a units are roughly twice the cost of the QSCs, but nowhere near twice as good. A pair of Fulcrum Acoustic FA-12acs are more than twice the cost of the RCFs, but again not nearly twice as good. The only way I'd be into passive would be if (a) I was looking for really inexpensive used gear, (b) I had plenty of time and patience to mess with it, and © I played more venues where there was enough room for it all. Oh yes, and a big van to haul it all around. Best of luck! Want to make your band better? Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 In my studio I have a CS800 into 4 passive Peavey SP2G's. Loud as hell, not alot of clarity. They also are used for band practice: my Hammond/Leslie, drums, bass amp/cabinet, guitar amp/cabinet are also in the room. 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Beaumont Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 Don't anymore but I used to use an Alesis Line mixer, Carvin 1U stereo amp and 2, 10 in. Mackie monitors. Sometimes I would put the speakers on stands add a sub and DJ with it. Small rack space and easy to setup. But nowhere near the sound clarity of my 2 turbo sound iP1000 or the power and flexibility. I have used them for a lot more than just monitoring my keys. I recently DJ'd a friends outdoor wedding party with about 300-400 people using just those two speakers and an iPad over Bluetooth. I setup the speakers, lights and laid the iPad on the the DJ stand hidden from view. Boards: Kurzweil SP-6, Roland FA-08, VR-09, DeepMind 12 Modules: Korg Radias, Roland D-05, Bk7-m & Sonic Cell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthizen2 Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 I used to haul around two passive Celestion wood cabs (forgot model #) and a Peavey PV-4C 500W stereo amp. Bought them in the mid 90s and they used to be my main stage sound, not just for monitoring. They do kick serious a$$ for sound - crisp and warm. They now are simply used in my music/recording room for sound, and I never take them out anymore. With my little Behringer powered monitor on a pole, and the rest of my sound going to FOH, I have no need to haul all of that sound gear around. If there's a small gig with no ability to go FOH, I might take the amp and one speaker, to use as a "stage amp". Kurzweil PC3, Yamaha MOX8, Alesis Ion, Kawai K3M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 "Used to" seems to be the operative phrase here. Me too. Carver PM800 bridged into a JBL cab with a 15" & horn. Magnificent mono sound, back in the era of "check out how many rack spaces *I* have"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 My home setup is just that: a Crown d-75 amp and a couple Krk "krok" passive speakers. Sounds nice, no noise! Had these since the mid-90s, though they have spent much of that time in various storage... No way for live. I still have nightmares about my late 80s "frat circuit" band where we had an amp rack full of Peavey cs800s...would have made a great weapon for the Hulk to use if he needed to bash a giant monster. That thing, the horrible trusses and racks of heavy lighting, enormous 3-way stacks with 2 big scoops per side (that probably don't sound as good or as loud as a small powered speaker setup today...)...gah. Heck I went with IEMs partly because I didn't even want to bring a relatively light powered speaker! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyguy Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 Believe it or not, I still use a pair of Accugroove Tri-112's with a QSC PLX1804 and Samson line mixer. All racked up on a rolling ATA case. It gets rolled in with all of the PA gear. For small stuff I have a pair of Barbetta's. Been threatening to go the powered speaker route for years. That's the way I would go if I were freelancing with various bands. Jim Wells Tallahassee, FL www.pureplatinumband.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesG Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 Hey, Michael, I see you listed your speakers. I use an NX55P and am pretty happy with the experience. I'm thinking about picking up an NX10C, though.. more flexible mounting, less weight. Unsure re. sound quality. It'll cost me ten bucks to find out... Wes Hammond: L111, M100, M3, BC, CV, Franken CV, A100, D152, C3, B3 Leslie: 710, 760, 51C, 147, 145, 122, 22H, 31H Yamaha: CP4, DGX-620, DX7II-FD-E!, PF85, DX9 Roland: VR-09, RD-800 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Wright Posted November 6, 2018 Author Share Posted November 6, 2018 Hi Wes: Yup I got a deal on them and borrowed a buddy's 1u power amp, but they are just not floatin' me boat! They would be good for a small pa, or stage monitors, but I think the piano sounds like ass!! The quest continues! . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesG Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 I've been really happy with NX55Ps. If you want to audition one....come to the Duke in Belleville on Friday around 9:00pm, play my CP4 through an NX55P, and help me with sound check. (I'm also the sound guy...keys are never mixed right) Wes Hammond: L111, M100, M3, BC, CV, Franken CV, A100, D152, C3, B3 Leslie: 710, 760, 51C, 147, 145, 122, 22H, 31H Yamaha: CP4, DGX-620, DX7II-FD-E!, PF85, DX9 Roland: VR-09, RD-800 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Wright Posted November 6, 2018 Author Share Posted November 6, 2018 Cool Wes I'll try to get down there! . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Verelst Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 It seems to me the distinctions at hand are hard to follow if not fictional. May a plastic enclosure with some digital amps built in are lightweight and easy to set up, but the difference between big proper wooden enclosures with analogue multi-amping for the rest is just speaker wire-length and that the manufacturer "matched" the amping.. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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