Karaoke Forums

Hi everyone. After reading a lot of posts here and getting great advice on brands, quality and costs of karaoke gear, i can't completely decide if i should go with the Yamaha EMX5014c powered mixer for my oddysey rack or go with a Yamaha mg166cx and a QSC Amp for 3rd system- which will become the main one soon.

I am completely mobile 5 days a week and do have stairs to climb. I believe the weight on either setup is roughly the same, and the costs are nearly the same, (i budgeted $1200 total) but am wondering what are the benefits of having an all in one versus a separate amp and mixer, or vice versa.

What would YOU do and Why? Appreciate all the advice and opinions. Thank You!

I love either of the options. I own the MG166CX, and wish I owned a 5014c. (I like that a lot better than the box mixers.

The 5014c will probably be lighter. But depending on the amp you choose, it will be less power. That mixer puts out 350w/channel at 8 ohms, and 500 at 4 ohms. I like the flexibility of having more power, myself, which is why I use the separate amp. But assuming you rack mount the thing, it will be more weight.

If the 5014c and the speakers you choose (EV or Yorkville would be my choice) fit your needs, they are going to be more portable.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Discounting the POWER ratings the powered mixer will be better for a mobile set up
should be lighter as long as all other factors are equal ( power and features)

coin flip really !!

I use the BOX type mixer - VERY LIGHT and no rack needed

Since most powered mixer don't put out enough power to match properly to speakers, i'd opt for the mixer & amp combo - much more flexibility in upgrading down the road if needed.
Which model QSC & speakers are you using? If weight is an issue you may consider replacing the amp depending on your current model. Or maybe even a set of decent powered speakers - would opt for this over a powered mixer, however, in the budget you outlined, probably not an option.

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I'm running separate conponants so all I need to replace or repair is one or the other. Case in point: I had a mixer/amplifier blow on me because I was playing around with home made speaker connections (I'll never do that again - Monster cables with the right connections already there from now on). Luckily I had a powerAmp already in my rack. Had to run home to get my other mixer (which I just replaced) but had the show running again in 5 minutes after I got back (lost a total of 30 minutes of the show).

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Thank you mckyj, i racked my brains with the sales guy at the music store over whether he thinks the 5014c or the more-featured 5016 would be better for karaoke. The cost difference was like $280 less for the 5014c and he suggested i could take the saved money and use it towards other gear. Is a driverack really necessary gear considering the yamahas many features including compression?

Jam, thank you also for your insight on this. i'm leaning towards the powered mixer because of more gear i stuff into the rack case- cdg/dvd player, double cd player to dj with, wireless mic receiver, jb-199 for now, (laptop & compuhost next month) and power conditioner.

For me weight is ultimately the biggest factor without sacrificing too much on power. I will be using both venues unpowered yorkville speakers (don't know model #) as they are mounted to the walls above the dance floor at both places and daisy-chained together. I no longer have to bring my mackie srm450 anymore and my back is happy for that!

I just want this system to be a much better sounding one that folks like you here would want to sing on. The current one is okay, no complaints, but i know there's BETTER out there thanks to you all. Mahalo! J.R.

I don't think you can use a DriveRack with the powered mixer. Especially that one, which I do not believe has power amp inserts.


It is *very important* to know the speaker model and see if the 5014c and/or 5016cf match the speaker. You are looking for a 300-400 watt program power rating.


I love the 5014c. If it matches the speakers, that would be great. Of course I like a monitor speaker, too, but I am picky.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Lonman thank you. Sorry i should've posted more info. I have set aside $2000 for this new system altogether guessing/factoring $1200 for the mixer and amp. I DO have room ($) to invest more on those.

Unfortunately...unless i climb the walls will i know what model yorkvilles they have hanging off the walls.(management doesn't seem to know). I will go today early before the place gets too crowded and see if they have a ladder.

i have in the past been using my mackie 450s but can now leave them home, so i haven't been running an amp. I can't believe how much lighter they are now!

Danny, you make a very good point about equipment failure. If i have the powered mixer fail then i'm screwed altogether. If i bought and extra mg166cx or 124cx then i'd have a backup. If the amp failed then i can lug the srm450's again until i got another amp.

I have thoroughly confused myself lately on what to do. At this point i'm ready to spend the money and be proud of my (YOUR) choices with this equipment. Thank you for your continuing help!

Mckyj i will definately find out the speaker model today and post it in a couple hours. This is the first time ever since doing karaoke (8 years) i've been able to use a venues speakers.

Both places bought their yorkville speakers about 6 months ago for their djs and only recently asked me why i still bring mine. Now is the time to save my back and and let my sprained ankle from tripping down the stairs heal completely!

Well your weight issue is going to be helped once you go to laptop, maybe carry one player for customer discs or even backup purpose. Drop the JB-199, maybe even the dj player, can do that from the laptop as well. If you go with a power amp & weight is an issue, consider the QSC PLX series - ALOT lighter than standard amps at around 21-23 pounds vs most ampst at 40-50 pounds. Crown also makes the XTi series that weigh 17 pounds. No granted they DO cost much more, so again may not be a real option, but the low weight would almost be worth it PLUS the bonus of really good power resulting in fuller/clearer sound overall. As for the mixer the Yamaha MG124CX is a nice board that won't break the bank. With one of the amps above & this mixer, would run about $1200.


Yeah you do want to figure out what they are, you don't want to seriously underpower them possibly pushing distortion through them at higher levels. Why I hate using club speakers, they are still my responsibility if something happens to them. You want to make sure they are properly powered.


Very good point!

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Thanks Lonman. I'm gonna go over there now and find out what model the speakers are.

I was leaning towards the mg166cx instead of the 124cx mainly because it's rack mountable. WEAK excuse but i like my stuff locked down tight and solid in a rack.

perhaps the 166cx usb is a better choice since i'll be running laptop soon..? I plan on buying a new one of those as well. I'll check threads on this site for recommendations.

Thanks again everyone. It's a lot less confusing with your help!

Be careful, because it requires a 12U space. A lot of slantrack cases are only 10U.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

good heads-up mckyj on that rack space issue. thanks.

Okay i just returned from one venue and found the speakers to be Yorkville Elite EF 508 - 500 watts@8 ohms. they're daisy chained together. Owner says they're about 2 years ago and the djs really push these things. The other venue i'm pretty sure have the same exact pair.

They are 'daisy chained'? How many are on one connection, this makes a HUGE difference in the amp selection as it will have to run stable on lower ohms.
These are 8 ohms speakers, program rating 500 watts @ 8 ohms. If two are tied together, that drops the ohms to 4 & the program power combination is 1000 watts so now the amp would need to push 1000 watts into 4 ohms. If there are more speakers this drops the load even further, requiring more strain on the amp - some amps are stable to 2 ohms (very few except HIGH END amps can handle lower) before they go into a thermal shutdown or blow altogether.

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Sorry for not adding enough info. There are only 2 speakers "daisy-chained" together. I plug into one 1/4inch plug that hangs down along the wall.

greatly appreciate the help guys!

I think he said "pair", so I presume 2. They are very nice speakers.


I think it leaves the EMX501x powered mixers out. They really won't push it. But a low-end amp will -- a QSC GX5 on the low end and an RMX1450 on the higher end match those. Or a Crown 602, or a Behringer EP1500.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I didn't see where he said pair, but didn't really go back up to earlier posts.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Sorry Lonman-Only 2 speakers connected together with ONE 1/4 inch plug hanging down the wall i plug into the back of my amp.

Forgive me if i/m using the wrong terminology in my words "daisy-chained".

Mickyj i called the music store and they quoted the QSC GX5 at only $399. That would be sufficient enough in your opinion? They are out-of-stock on the rmx1450.

Mahalo again guys.

It would seem that if there is only access to a single plug then the two speakers are being run in parallel showing the amp a 4 ohm load. That would mean that you would need an amp that can be bridged and I'm afraid the QSC GX series doesn't fall into that category. You would also need an amp that is stable @ 4 ohms bridged so that rules out the P****S series Yamaha's or the XLS Series Crowns. (Even though Yamaha shows a spec for 4 ohm bridged it's not recommended, that comes directly from the Yamaha Tech support people. I do know people that do it and have had no problems.) Crest makes a CC series amp, the 1800 I believe that is stable @ 4 ohms bridged producing 1800 watts, 32 pounds with a 5 year warranty. That should be able to had for 450 or less. The Crown XTI 1000 also gives a 4 ohm bridged spec pushing 1400 watts, good dampening specs also for around 500. The menu on the crown can be a bit intimidating though. The good ole work horse QSC RMX 1450 qualifies for around 500. Of course there is the poor mans RMX which is the EP Series Behringer, I believe the EP1500 comes in around 1400 Watts Bridged @ 4 ohms for around 300 I think. The QSC PLX1802 is a killer amp but also has a price tag to match. There's only about a 10 pound weight difference between the amps so if it gets down to bang for the buck and quality I guess the The QSC RMX1450, Crest CC1800 or the Crown XTI 1000 would be the amps I would be looking at first in your particular situation. I personally might future proof myself and go with a larger amplifier.

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

Thanks LondonLive for some great information. I don't pretend to know much about speakers,lol.

I looked a the few you mentioned and am left wondering why the QSC PLX1804 wasn't recommended by you. It's only 13 pounds, is $100 less than the 1802 and delivers 900w at 4 ohms. I MUST be missing something here......??

The 1802 is 21lbs and sells for $899. the cost doesn't matter much but the weight does.13 lbs vs. 21 lbs.