Karaoke Forums

Folks, I would need some advice regarding the addition of a new sub:

I own a pair of Electro-Voice ZX1:
http://electrovoice.com/products/250.html

Powered by this old Canadian hand built amp (W-2003):
http://simaudio.com/simaw2002-w2003.htm

I'm thinking of adding this sub:
http://electrovoice.com/products/199.html

Should I be using this Sima amp in mono for the sub or keep it for the ZX1 and get another amp for the sub? This amp sounds incredible and is a perfect match with the ZX1. Now, of course I plan to get a 2 way crossover from DBX.

For now, I'm only using this in my baseman and backyard (party's) in the summer, but, I do plan to use it in small restaurants down the road...

Thanks for your help!

I have a pair of the Zx1s with a pair of the SB122 subs. I just got the Zx1s and I love them. The system can handle more power than you would think. My Yamaha powered mixer is rated at 500 watts per channel at 4 ohms and I think the subs alone can handle more than that easily. I'm planning on getting a new amp with about 700 watts per channel at 4 ohms like the Behringer EP2500 ($350) which is a knockoff of the QSC RMX 2450 ($700). I'd actually like to get an even more powerful amp, but I doubt it's necessary and a more powerful amp than that gets expensive. This system can really put out some great, crisp, rich sound. If you really want big, thundering bass I suggest a sub with an 18" woofer. I got this system because it's so light weight and portable, but still sounds great. I also have a pair of Sx100+ speakers which are very good too.
Hope this helps.

The amp is a perfect match for either / or (assuming you mean one sub), so I think you can buy another amp and see if you can tell the difference in the two.

I also recommend buying a DriveRack PA that fills crossover, EQ, and enhancement functions. Why blow this great gear on having to deal with EQ all the time. Of course you do have a pretty good ear, I think, so maybe you like your own EQ better. I get compliments all the time when I use the DriveRack, so I am buying yet another one for my working rig.

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

mckyj57,

I should also share what I have:

Mackie 1402 VLZ-Pro mixer, Lexicon MPX 110 reverb, DBX 266XL Comp/Gate, DBX231 EQ and a TubePro mic pre-amp to go with my condenser mic for my studio recording...

This amp is capable of going down to 2 ohms, (I've checked with them) so will it be powerful enough to drive 2 sb122? I see that EV now has the sb122a which is active, perhaps that could be an option?

Thanks!

I'm glad to see that others are pleased with these speakers Keep in mind that your Yamaha mixer specs are in 4 ohms, which means in 8 ohms you get a max of 250 watts. A good amp should double it's power from 8 to 4 ohms BUT not many can do it!

The problem I have with most pro amp is the lack of "damping" most pro amp have the power on paper but what's a lot of power if it doesn't sound good An amp with high damping will have high current, it means it will kick when necessary

There is no spec I can see, but it's an 8-ohm sub, I am sure. Two would be four ohms. I didn't see that your amp spec indicated it can go down to 4 ohms bridged, but even if it could it wouldn't have enough power.

I think active subs make lots of sense, myself. You can add one, or two, and not have to worry about an amp at all.

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

Goto QSCaudio.com where you can select various amp models for your particular speaker model, needs and budget(EV good choice). Good Luck!

Thanks, I followed your advice on the active sub and got a KV2 audio, 500 watts... This baby is simply incredible, deep tight bass and is so well built Are you familiar with this model? The best would probably be to get myself another one so I could use the pole and attach my ZX-1 but is my 225w rms amp ok for my highs??? The ZX-1 are rated 200w rms so I do have a 25w over and this amp only deliver from 125 hz and up, not working very hard

http://www.kxaudio.com/products.asp?ProdID=KX1.2

That amp should be fine. The reason I say that is because I ran my Zx1s on an ancient, very heavy, Radio Shack 2 channel amp that says 250 watts on the front in red letters. On another forum I was told that that amp is 250 watts TOTAL. It was clean and clear and quite loud. Those Zx1s are such good speakers for smaller venues and it seems that they can run on 60-100 watts or 350 watts. Considering how small they are they're quite heavy. Combined with the Sb122 subs they kick butt.

Thanks Stogie! I had in mind to get a pair of the Sb122 but they were passive and would have cost me more to get another amp... So, I got this active sub which has more power than the Sb122. I only wish the sub had an extra amp to drive the top

I often read that we need to get the "program" speaker rated power for the amp, in this case, it would be 400 watts, but, what I don't understand is, if the speakers are rated 200w rms and obviously my amp can deliver that power without distortion, why would I need more than the speakers can't handle A 400 watts rms/ch would be way too strong for these speakers and I would run the risk of damaging them, right

Where I bought the sub, I was told that you need to multiply the speakers rms power by 1.25 to determine the needed amp power, in this case, it would be 250w rms, anything over would be over power which means risky for the speakers and of course extra spending for nothing he said

If you listen to your speakers while they're playing you should be able to hear when they are getting loud to the point where you shouldn't crank them any higher.

The point of getting a more powerful amp than what the speaker is rated at is so there is no chance of clipping.

Clipping CAN damage your speakers. It happens when you push an amp beyond what it's able to perform at and it sends a distorted signal to the speakers. Having an amp that is 50%-100% more than the rated power handling is better than using an amp that is underpowered because you have no chance of sending a clipped signal to your speakers.

A speaker that is rated at 100/200/400 at 8 ohms should have a 300-400 watt per channel amp IMO. Even more is ok too unless you crank up the volume too high and then, YOU CAN damage your speakers by causing overextension, overheating etc.