PA system setup

From my experience if you are going to buy a PA try to buy high quality. I own 2 Alto TS115’s thinking I would go the low cost way. I’m sorry I bought them. I now use them as a back up.

I decided to go with Yamaha DXR12’s and a Yamaha DX15 sub for a total cost of $1800 on sale. The reason I decided on Yamaha is for the 7 year warranty. I’ve had good experience using Yamaha equipment throughout the years playing in bands. Very reliable product.

Look into the new line of DBR Yamaha active speakers. They are reasonably priced and still come with a great warranty. They should be in your price range. Also check out EV active speakers before you make any decisions.

If I was to start over again I would have gone with 2 Yamaha DXR15’s at about $1300-$1500 for the set after taxes. This set up would be reliable and have a good warranty.

Frankly, the general idea is that rental fees are approx. 3-4% of the purchase value. Meaning you need 25-30 times renting before the gear starts to earn you money. Assuming you get the set that you use on MOST gigs (renting the other 10-15% of the time), you should be able to recover your purchase price in about 14-16 month max. I.e., unless you are playing at least 2 times a month, you are spending too much on stuff just sitting in storage (if you have it, otherwise another expense).

Another issue is, by renting in the beginning you get to try different systems (most rental companies carry more brands/quality levels and you can use various rental companies) which will make it much easier to define your wishes and demands by the time you are ready to buy your own kit.

As for the subs. While 15″ tops can provide enough bass for smaller venues, there are a few things that make it inherently difficult for two-way speakers systems to do a good job at the lower end.
* sub-low frequencies will not be played by top end speakers, mainly because of some of the below reasons
* the lower the frequency reproduced, the higher the amp power needed (exponentially)
* the low end driver in a top end speaker has to do the low end (say 55-100Hz) and the low-mid and mid. The latter two carry a LOT of musical information. By freeing up the load (having the sub take over the part below 75-125Hz – depending on brand and model), the top end 15″ now has significantly more power to spend on a significantly smaller frequency range, the power consuming lows being removed.
* the subs can play that lower bit (35-50Hz or so) that the 15″ top ends don’t, providing the “feel it rather than hear it” punch that makes the difference between hearing the music and experiencing the music.

When I do small live sound things, I am perfectly happy not bringing my sub. But for DJ-ing, I have found that the sub really adds to the experience AND makes my top ends shine even better.

Don;t know how long you have had the subs, but the new series was only introduced early last year.

I Picked up the SRM1801 Last year around March-April. I actually just got off the phone with Guitar Center to sort out getting it to the repair shop. Waiting to hear back from a manager about getting a different unit instead since based on reviews I’ve seen on Musician’s Friend etc, the problem is common.