Karaoke Forums

Does losing the amp outweigh having to run power to each speaker? I guess I am kinda old-school. I know they are much better than they were decades ago, but I just can't wrap my head around powered speakers!

AQUACOP911, I don't believe you ever stated your intended use for the equipment. I originally mentioned a few items trying to keep the cost close to what you were suggesting you were willing to spend. How many Mic channels do you have to have and or like to have? Is this intended to be mobile or a fixed installation? Target budget to stay in? If we knew your intended use we might be able to be a little more specific on our recommendations.

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

Good point Londonlive.

How many people and what size rooms are you doing or expect to do?

Those Zx5 speakers could very well be overkill if you're going to be doing smallish places. Most small to average sized bars and restaurants don't even need a 15". You could blast the place with a good quality pair of 12" speakers.

I do a lot of senior shows in smaller rooms and my dinky, little EV Zx1's can blast them out of there. I get told to turn it down literally EVERY TIME. I've done fairly large rooms with a pair of Zx1s and one Sb122 sub.

That's another systen to consider. A pair of Zx1 speakers and a pair of Sb2a subs. With this setup the subs have a built in amp that powers the tops too so all you need is the 4 speakers and a mixer. I have the passive version and it kicks a$$. It may be all you need. You need to go out and look and listen to several different speakers.

If you're going to play loud in decent sized rooms and want to really impress and dazzle, then the Zx5's will do it especially if you add one sub.

SORRY, I have two gigs a week.. both average 200+ a night. the clubs holds 250 max. i have about 3k set aside for amp,mixer and speakers + or - 500. you'al are doing gr8 so far. Im old and not up-2-date on equipment. with your help it will all be good.

i'm going to bed now! i think i might have had one too many Camino riell margeritasssss.

If you got that much cash, why don't you get a pair of these and forgo the amp all together? This will lighten you load both in the speaker and your rack, and it WILL kick major booty:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/JBL-EON515- ... 1426142.gc

I've got the 315s which are 1 step down, and they kick!

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.c ... D=15665332

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

Do you have a preference between running a mixer/powered speakers or a mixer/ none powered speakers or a separate mixer/speakers and a power amplifier set up? There are advantages and disadvantages to all three.

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

I;m stuck on the seperate amp-mixer-speaker setup for some reason, old school and hard headed i guess.

I can tell you from being an owner that Electro Voice speakers have very clear sound, they are powerful and they will faithfully perform for you day after day for MANY years to come. Definitely professional grade equipment. Not inexpensive to be sure, but there is great value in the quality and sound reproduction.

After a couple of go rounds with some different heavier speakers I came to the conclusion that reduced weight and size are a very high priority to me. I actually use my little Zx1s more now than any of my other speakers and if I need a more full sound I bring along my Sb122 sub(s). I can also use the subs with my EV Sx100+ speakers if the venue is larger or if I'm going to be playing loud which unfortunately I never get to do. I would love to be able to crank it up once in a while, but everywhere I go all I hear is "turn it down".

You should be able to get away without even using a sub most of the time with the Zx5's. Less stuff to carry, that's nice.

I agree about durable. I have a pair of EV speakers that ive had for 20 years , bought them used in high school. they were bare speakers and it took me till 3 years ago to get them into a good pair of cabs but they always sounded good even in junk cabs. now in good cabs they sound amazing. I have abused (ignorance) and beat these speakers in many ways and they always take it. ive played guitar , bass , Home system, band pa, dj, and karaoke through them. best $150 i ever spent on a pr of drivers.

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

I went to see a friend perform last night at the same VFW that I have performed at several times recently. She has the same EV Sx100+ speakers that I have. Her system sounded AMAZING. Crystal clear, crisp and rich sound. I use a laptop and the Yamaha EMX512 powered mixer-she uses CDs, a QSC power amp and a Numark DJ mixer.

I've decided to start using CDs as much as possible and I'll be putting my Yamaha powered mixer up for sale on ebay when I find the right power amp. For now my sound is good enough to get by, but I want it to be better. I didn't believe that using CDs or a certain brand of power amp could make such a difference in the sound quality. I'll be ripping all of my Karaoke discs again at the highest bit rate possible, then all music CDs will be done the same way.

I like those k series 12s. 12s? Yes, 12s. They outperform any powered 15s out there.

I haven't used or even listened to the EV Sx100+ you own, so I can only go by the EV spec sheet. Given that, I would size your power amp to 400 - 800 watts per speaker for maximum volume and appropriate head-room. If you simply don't need that much power, then buy something smaller. I know the VFW crowd may not require turning the knob up to 11; but perhaps you use the speakers in big halls for weddings or play at other clubs. Or maybe your VFW is bigger than those here!

Any of the following six power amps should suit you. All have advantages and disadvantages which I will outline briefly from my own perspective.

QSC GX5 ~$400 500w/channel stereo configuration
QSC RMX 1450 ~$500 1400w 4ohm bridge configuration
Crown XLS 602D ~$500 1680w 4ohm bridge configuration
Crown XTi 1000 ~$500 1400w 4ohm bridge configuration
Crown XTi 2000 ~$700 475w/channel 8ohm stereo or 2000w 4ohm bridge
Behringer EP2500 ~$350 450w/channel 8ohm stereo or 2400w 4ohm bridge

QSC, this seems to be the brand you prefer, and they are reliable. No high-tech features and no bridge configuration on the GX5. The RMX 1450 is a little too small for stereo/parallel use with the size speakers you are using. I am by no means advocating stereo.

The Crown XLS 602D is also a reliable, workhorse amp without bells and whistles.

The Crown XTi 1000 and 2000 would also suit your needs, and have a lot of DSP features that may or may not interest you. I find the XTi 2000 to be really flexible, as it is sufficiently powerful to drive mid-sized loads in parallel. I own three XTi 2000s and use them for everything from 2 ohm pairs of full-range cabinets, to subs, to stage wedges. I don't use any of the DSP features, because you really need to hook them up to a laptop to make edits; but they are there if you want them. Also, the XTi-series amps are almost as light-weight as the uber-expensive QSC "PowerLight" PLX-series, at around 17 pounds each.

Lastly, the Behringer, well, is Behringer. It's heavy, powerful, and supports a range of output loads including 4 ohm bridge and 2-8 ohm parallel. They are not as reliable as QSC or Crown, and Behringer warranty service doesn't really operate at warp speed. If you want something that will last many years, this probably is not the best choice for light-duty touring; but for an installed system, I think they are okay as long as you have a backup handy.

As for the ZX5s i see the couple of versions the ZX5 60 and the ZX5 90 i know the differance is the anglr 60 by 90 and 60 by 60 but what would be the prefered choice to use for karaoke with the occasional full disco ?
got no chance of buying right now but just getting info for the future ,also hoping the behringer EP2500 would be up to running them ,maybe they would have to go in bridge mode ,which at the min i dont fully understand .
Also are there any other speakers that match them for power sound and weight arund the same money or maybe cheaper ?
thanks guys.

A 90 degree horn is better in most instances where there is only going to be one speaker per side. The 60 degree horn is ideal for when you cluster two or three cabinets per side tightly packed. As far as speakers go I'm waiting to see what kind of sound they are squeezing out of the new QSC K series speakers. I think the ZX5's are nice but I find it hard to justify 1,000 dollars for a two way passive speaker set up in a plastic box. I am perfectly happy with my U15P Yorkvilles.

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Quickness of mind will deceive the eye

If you see any reviews anywhere please post a link, or the review, for the rest of us to read. I am a pretty big fan of QSC in general and am keen to see what folks find. I must admit I want an HPR18i sub but the size and weight keep me from committing right now; I don't have space at the venue to store it. I would have enough space for the KSub though...

Ok, a little update. I purchased a bunch of new CDs from amazon.com and ripped them at 320k. A bunch of the audio files I have been using previously were at 128k. BIG, BIG difference in sound quality. Clearer, cleaner sounding at the higher bit rate. I have a couple 500gb hard drives so I don't care if a song is 50mb @320k. From now on everything gets ripped at a high bit rate. As long as I use these higher bit rate files I don't need to go to a CD based show.

As for the amp, I'm waiting for the new line of super light weight Peavey power amps to come out. Either that or I sell off my passive gear and get a pair of the super portable QSC K series speakers and a K series sub or two.

My partner had recently purchased 12" EV's (don't know which model), but quickly returned them for QSC's after a local panel of experts reviewed the selection and found the EV's lacking.

A couple of months later I needed new speakers and my partner decided he wanted 3-way, 15" QSC's instead of the 12's. So, I purchased the 12" QSC's from him. It was then decided by same panel of "experts" that the mid-range left something to be desired on the 15" QSC's, so they were replaced with 2-way 15's.

I purchased a Carvin Sub a couple months back which I really like.

My partner just purchased two QSC's subs that are just dynamite. The two subs along with the 15's provide a sound unequaled by anything I've heard in the same price range

QSC was offering rebates of $100-$150 which was to have ended March 31st! Because of the tremendous response to that offer, they HAVE EXTENDED THE REBATE! So, it is still available.

Two way 15's? Do you mean 'dual' 15"? Great speakers, but how does he get them in the air (over the crowd) where they should be? These a floor speakers & can't be pole mounted.

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All of the QSC HPR series are supposed to be genuine 2 way or 3 way. The 3-way is certainly a floor speaker for the HPR152i has a 35mm socket on the bottom. I looked at them for a mobile rig but to my dismay they weigh in at 100lbs!

dont look like ill beable to afford any of them for a while ,QSC seem a bit more expencive here in the uk ,but just back to the earlier post if i was to get the ZX5 would the behringer ep2500 be up to the job?