Karaoke Forums

I've got a pair of ev 15's that I matched with a pair of klipsh horns out of a smaller klisph system.  It's the first set of speakers I built.  While they sound good I rarely use them anymore because of size and weight.

I've also got a pair ov ev 664 mics, but karaoke drunks don't get to sing through them.

Rick

I have EV speakers, but only because I got them previously owned and for a good price. EV products are great and very high quality, but on the higher priced side. Lots of other good products out there like Peavey, Yamaha and others too. High price doesn't always mean the best, sometimes, not always. 15" Yamaha speakers or Peavey will give you great, full range sound, the speakers will last for years of trouble free use if used properly. JBL even has a resonably priced entry level 15" 2 way speaker. I would go with the Yamaha rather than the JBL, but the best thing to do is to go to a good audio store like Guitar Center or Sam Ash and listen to them-decide for yourself. My 12" EV SX100 sound great and are plenty loud for most small venues, they are also very light and a lot smaller than most 15" cabinets. You have to decide what's most important to you, portability and weight or if that's not a big issue I would go with 15" speakers.

One of the problems with the early EV raw speakers was the weight. The magnets are huge. I have a set of EV 12" that I put in some cabinets, and they sound great but weigh a ton.

I agree on not letting the drunks use the EV mics. I have a Shure wireless that I won't let the drunks touch. I have trouble giving them the Audio Technica...if they are really bad, I pull out the old wired mics.

I have to disagree a little with what you said.

I owned a set of Yamaha passive speakers, and while they sounded good, they couldn't handle much power. One of the problems with a lot of companies, is that they use different ways to spec and describe their products.

Electro Voice, along with many of the other higher end companies, give very clear specifications, along with testing proceedures and they generally test for much harsher conditions than other brands. When they rate a speaker at 300 watts RMS, they are talking about true RMS, and will test the speakers at 3 times that power for extended periods. Very few other brands "torture" test, and the result is that EV's have bullet proof design, one that you would be hard pressed to damage.

The buying decision should include more aspects than just price and sound. I know, when I put together my latest system, I was concerned about spending a lot of money on equipment that wouldn't be durable as well as produce good sound quality.

If you stack Electro Voice up against the actual competitors, of which I don't consider Yamaha or Peavey to be included, you'll find that EV speakers are not only better, they are competitively priced.

As I have stated before, I looked at JBL and Mackie, tested them side by side, and chose EV. I paid the same amount for my EV SXa250's, as I would have for Mackie SM450's. If you look at the specs, there is no comparison.

Part of the problem I have with the logic of going with "cheaper" speakers, is that we will invest thousands of dollars in software, but can't pop a few hundred more for good speakers.

It goes back to the argument that the customers can't tell the difference, so why do it?

I do it, because I want to present the best quality show I can.

BTW, my EV's are 15" speakers, made of wood, and weigh 49 lbs. That's a little more than I would like, but still very manageble.

Most Bands and Many kjs here use Mackies 450s. I've had mine for 5 years and loved the sound and look of them.

THEN i heard my friend's EVs and wished i had gone with them. We daisy-chained them together at an outdoor event and the EVs were more powerful and less "tinty". I still love my srm450s but after hearing a better sounding product, it's hard to get that out of your head.

Sometimes you don't notice things until compared on the spot.
In asking around, it's apparent most dj/kjs/Bands here go for the Mackies because they're more readily available, look professional in every setting, and only weigh 51 lbs. And i've found that most pros here like Mackie Mixers and like to complete the set with subs and speakers that match.

JR,

I totally agree. The one thing that doesn't come out here in the discussion, is that the Mackie 450's are great speakers. I was set on buying them, because I liked the portability, and the sound is good. Not trying to dis Mackie at all. EV doesn't have the name recognition in KJ/DJ circles that Mackie, JBL and others have, so some of us keep putting them out there as an option. Your experience verifies EV.

It's surprising when you get the opportunity to make a real comparision, how there is a big difference. I remember after I bought mine, I brought them home and hooked them up to my system. I ran the equalizer flat, and this fantastic sound came out of these speakers. Since that time, I find that I have to tweak much less, because the speakers have a wider window of good sound than the ones I replaced.

The home test was interesting, because I know what all of the different system changes I've done over the years sounded like, and with the EV's on a flat equalizer, nothing else before came close.

From all the reading and the listen I did, it's obvious that when it comes to sound quality, EV is the leader, no EQ needed, VERY neutral sound, not something JBL & Mackie can compare with for sure.  

Yes, RCF and EV can be compared, these brands are over the average and can be compare for their smooth and rich sound.  But, RCF appear to be the worlds best PA manufacture.  This Italian based company thought Mackie everythink they know about speakers, in fact, they were owned by Mackie for a short period and Mackie invested millions... it's now the worlds most advanced speaker manufacture.

You might want to check this post I started regarding RCF, interesting stuff!
http://www.karaoke-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=12449

Micky,

I went back and looked at that thread.

I may be wrong, but I think the confusion about RCF, EAW and Mackie comes from the fact that EAW used RCF speakers in their speakers, not Mackies. Mackie and EAW have a connection on speaker designs. I'm not sure that Mackie has a direct connection to RCF.

Not sure if you checked this link but it does explain the relation between Mackie & RCF:

http://www.gtaust.com/filter/09/06.shtml

I did so much reading about RCF but I didn't keep everything, I'll see if I can find something more specific...  And no Mackie no longer has any connection with RCF, the Italian bought back the company but, the Mackie RSM450 was built by RCF up to 2004 which is also the year Mackie lost the company.

Got something here:
http://www.rmcaudio.com/rcf/rcf-speakers.htm

Interesting reading.

I was wrong.

Pretty powerful product line. I still can't find anyone in the US that sells them though.

I know, same problem here! I found the Canadian distributor and will ask where I can find them?

Tell me I didn't see the words Guitar Center and Good Audio store in the same sentence.


Once upon a time a long long time ago, I believe this was the original question. To keep it simple, if all you were ever going to do was Karaoke in small to medium rooms, then probably a  good quality, 15/horn would get the job done. If you are planning on doing DJ work also, or even live music situations then you will need to run a sub, it's that simple. Patrons, or perhaps we should refer to them as the people that ultimately pay for your services, don't care if the equipment is expensive, and they sure don't care if it's heavy, all they care about is that it sounds good, and I believe that is a reasonable expectation. Get the best equipment you can afford, and learn how to use it, because if you don't, somebody else will. There are a lot of good brands out there, do your homework, find a place that stocks several good brands (we know who that rules out) and give them a side by side. It is not uncommon for me to spend a couple of months reading and researching before making a major purchase, but reading and listening is still free, where mistakes are usually quite costly.

_________________
Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

London, You don't have to say your speakers are better than anyone's. You simply have the best setup out of anyone here.

Saying you and I are equal. I have different top's than you. I have NX750's. I still have 1 more ls800 to buy also, but will order Monday.

I also still run my passive Turbsound rig for all my karaoke shows.

London - you mean Guitar Center ISN'T a good audio store?? But their advertisements are so pretty!

I'd say I'll be doing 75% karaoke, 25% DJ. I'm definitely going to look at some EV's. I've heard them before at weddings, etc, and liked them. I guess Mackie really does just have that name recognition. And as someone mentioned, I've been looking at a Mackie board and thought getting speakers from them would be a good match.

While I still have a lot of listening to do, I'm leaning towards 12" tops and 15" bottoms.

Thanks for all the great input!!

- Frank

I beg to differ. I am very happy with my Mackie.

Its only drawback is that if you expect too muc from it (too loud, too big a room etc) it will burn out like any speaker. Unless you are running them at top capacity for a long time dont expect any problems, and the sound quality is great.

In the small room I do my shows, the two SRM450s never have been pushed to more than about 10% capacity on a regular basis but they are still plenty loud.

I have 3 rigs and for what you described, that is small-medium venues, I will chose the Mackie setup just because of the compact size and ease of transport.  I don't push them and the sound and volume is so clear. Nothing more than that. I've got other brands - in fact, every rig we have, because we understand sound reproduction, produces great sound, from the small-med rooms to the big gym at the local college. Just a matter of choosing the appropriate setup for what you do. I gues it's the old "Ford versus Chev versus Dodge" discussion again.

Get what you like - there's enough out there.

K