Karaoke Forums

Title Says it all -- Looking for a new set of 15" speakers for 2010 for under $400
Yamaha Club?
Peavey SP5's?
JBL?
Cerwin Vega ?

What do you suggest and Why ?

In the past I've had both the Yamaha Club and the Peavey Sp5 and BOTH were great speakers (Peavey was a tad better I would say with the bottom end) Currently using the Behringer B1520 PRO and they are GOOD also but have a buyer for those and will be looking to replace/upgrade. Most likley going to pair the new speakers with the QSCGX5

Well your title says one thing your post says something else. Are you looking for a pair (set) of speakers for $400 total or speakers for $400 each.

If the latter, check out the Mackie S215's. I think Mackie has recently discontinued them but you can find them for sale in the $399 range. They're designed by EAW and really do a great job. I've got a pair that are my primary PA for Karaoke and couldn't be happier with them. They've got birch cabinets (MUCH better than the poly-plastic crap cabinets on cheaper brands/models), 2" horns that perform quite well and the 15's get a lot lower than advertised without losing clarity. They've got power handling of 350/700/1400 so that should never be an issue.

Otherwise the JBL JRX series are a decent model, a little lower power handling 250RMS/1000Peak. They have MDF cabinets instead of birch which I don't care for as much but still better than the plastic junk.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

I have the Yamaha Club S115-V speakers. Love em. They can really thump and easily handle the stress of constant loading/unloading. They retail for around $369 each. If you wait, you can catch some great deals at Musicians Friend or one of the other mail order houses. Just the other day they had them 20% off...with free shipping.

Oh wait....did you mean a PAIR for under $400? That makes things much tougher for 15's.

$400 EACH
$800 FOR A PAIR

I think the Club Series are about $369 each and the Peavey SP5 are $399 EACH
The speakers I have know ..Behringer B1520 are also in the same range $350 each ....I only paid $250 each NEW awhile back and I thougt that was a good deal.

and get 2 Mackie's. Either the newer ones that were suggested ealier, or a pair of C300 or C300i"s.

even though they are 12" and not 15's, the C300's look great and sound WAY better than any comperable Yamaha or Peavy 15" across the frequency range.

Buying speakers is best done by listening to them, not looking at a spec sheet. Go to a store and LISTEN to them (WITHOUT A SUBWOOFER), then see which one you like. Do A/B comparisons and you will see quickly why that little extra money is worth it. Don't be afraid to listen to 12" and 10"'s, ESPECIALLY if you are using a subwoofer.

I have to go with the Yamaha Clubs (S115V or C115). They sound great, especially if you have the 450W you need to power them well.

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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.

The OP might do well to buy the CM15V wedge-shaped version, which can be mounted in a pole or laid down on a stage to function as a monitor. For a few extra dollars the speaker can do two different jobs if needed.

Don't cheap out and buy the "S" instead of the "C" model. The cost difference is really small, but the S model with carpet covering will smell like a bar in no time. The C units look professional and won't smell bad.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ

Agreed, carpeted speaker/rack surfaces suck. Get something with a pro finish on it.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Can't smoke in bars here in NY, so mine smell just fine. The "C" models do look better though, but the other side of the coin is that they are much easier to ding up unless you baby them.

Watch eBay & Craigslist as well. I got mine off eBay. Typical story...some guys had a band and all chipped in to buy the PA. A few months later, the band breakups and everyone wants their money back, so they auctioned them off. I ended up getting the pair for $450. When I went to pick them up, the guy said "take these too...I don't need them" and threw in a nice pair of stands and two 50 foot, 12 gauge Speakon cables! I was blown away. Speakers looked brand new...still had the stickers on them.

I also just learned that Yamaha has a very nice parts site called "Yamaha24x7" with schematics and replacement parts for just about everything.

http://tinyurl.com/ygzbhns

I agree, but it is fairly easy to touch up texture-coated boxes as compared to replacing a whole piece of carpet that is starting to wear out or smell bad.

The non-smoking bars must be easier on equipment! One day I will give up that habit. I just haven't figured out what vice will replace it.

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Jeff Wheeler, moonlight DJ/KJ