# PA suggestion



## metallica86 (Aug 17, 2009)

Hi everyone,
I’m just looking for some opinions. Looking for a pair of PA speakers, I already have a good mixer ( Zoom livetrak8), mainly for vocal and guitar playing through the PA (helix or fm9).
Any good pair of speakers and won’t break the bank with good quality enough? I’m looking for 8 or 10” , 12” might be too big. And budget around 500$/each.
Thanks in advance.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Assuming powered. There'll be tonnes of stuff on yer local kijiji in that price range. Yorkville Elite series is solid and plentiful. Might see some JBL or EV. Just stay away from Pyle, Alto and the like and you'll be fine. Some of the best deals are for older/bigger speakers though.

Just when you see something you like do your research (ebay completed listings for starters) - there's a neat pair of small EV 12" speakers listed for $1200 - ain't worth near that much, but maybe the dude can be talked down a bit.

See also Santon Audio - you're out in East 905 and they're now down an alley in the Beaches, but they'll hook you up for a fair price if they have something your speed - worth a call at least.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I love the Yorkville NX-10C speakers. Powered 10" coaxial speakers (the tweeter is incorporated into the woofer). They work as mains or monitors and can be arrayed for larger venues. A very compact but versatile box with a surprising amount of oomph. Can be had for under $500 used ($650 new, if memory serves) from pretty much any L&M. I got a couple for $250 each, but that was a pretty rare find.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

passive with an amp or powered?
if powered, maybe cordless? or not a big deal to run cables?

if passive with external amp and cables is OK and mostly stays set up in the same place you can keep your eye out for something like an old church system from the '90s with Ramsa mains. there's quite a few around if you keep your eyes open as venues like that upgrade to full range arrays plus you can be fairly sure it hasn't lived its life cranked to the max six nights a week. should be well within your budget with some to spare. most of them are set up to run mono with the mains hung together from the ceiling in a pair right above center stage. there's sometimes a sonic dead spot right down the center of the room where the sound fields from each one either overlap or don't quite meet up so places get rid of them when they can.

but if you're carting them around from place to place that stuff is too heavy. get a set of powered wireless elites and save your shoulders for another day
j


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

If you have patience, a pair of used NX-55P's will show up on the Gearpage or local L&M. 
Always nice to have a bit of headroom when doing PA. Easily used as FOH or great for stage monitors.
Dual channel on the back so you can use 1 for helix 1 for vocals just for home practice.


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## dgreen (Sep 3, 2016)

I bought a pair of Presonus Air 10 powered monitors two year ago at L&M, on sale for $499 each. These are by far the best powered monitors I have ever used in a live setting. I run primarily acoustic and vocals thru them. Also when I do a solo shmooz gig I run my backing tracks thru and great full sound from the low to high frequencies.
Light weight, durable, multiple input cable options, stand mount or floor monitor mount.
The only reason I bought them was because I was so impressed with the presonus studio pro recording software I had purchased. I assumed they likely made a good powered driver as well.














AIR10 | PreSonus







www.presonus.com


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

I have a JBL EON 612 and a 610. I acquired them separately at very good prices, and am very impressed with them. Very light, and very loud if needed. Links below to see the new prices. Beware they do NOT stream Bluetooth music. Apparently many buyers were confused. I use a Bluetooth receiver with an XLR. I've used both speakers at a gig with a line feed off the PA.









JBL EON612 2-Way 1000-Watt 12” Active Loudspeaker | Reverb Canada


Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.




reverb.com













JBL EON610 2-Way 10” Powered Speaker | Reverb Canada


The JBL EON610 is a compact, powerful active loudspeaker suitable for main PA use in small to mid-sized rooms, or as a quality floor wedge.




reverb.com


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

I keep looking at these linear array portable PAs and thinking, 'these cannot possibly sound good or be loud enough.' That said, it would sure save a WHOLE lot of needed space in my music room if they really could replace my old style PA (Yamaha EMX 5014 power mixer, Yorkville Elite E168 passive speakers, Yorkville Elite Power subwoofer).

Yorkville Sound - Excursion Mini 400 Watt Compact PA

Yamaha STAGEPAS 1K Column PA Speaker System | Cosmo Music


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

traynor_garnet said:


> I keep looking at these linear array portable PAs and thinking, 'these cannot possibly sound good or be loud enough.' That said, it would sure save a WHOLE lot of needed space in my music room if they really could replace my old style PA (Yamaha EMX 5014 power mixer, Yorkville Elite E168 passive speakers, Yorkville Elite Power subwoofer).
> 
> Yorkville Sound - Excursion Mini 400 Watt Compact PA
> 
> Yamaha STAGEPAS 1K Column PA Speaker System | Cosmo Music


Clicked on the L&M link and got directed to a spammy "you-have-been-infected" site. (Edit: Just tried again and it was fine.)

The portable line arrays are fantastic for vocals and acoustic instruments; even electric instruments in a small combo, but only in a small space - anything more than fifty people, or so, and I would be looking at something a bit heftier.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

bw66 said:


> The portable line arrays are fantastic for vocals and acoustic instruments; even electric instruments in a small combo, but only in a small space - anything more than fifty people, or so, and I would be looking at something a bit heftier.


99% of the time I play in my music room with e-drums, a couple of mics, unmiced guitar and bass amps. We did play my son's school auditorium once so I fear these line arrays wouldn't cut it in that situation.

TG


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

traynor_garnet said:


> 99% of the time I play in my music room with e-drums, a couple of mics, unmiced guitar and bass amps. We did play my son's school auditorium once so I fear these line arrays wouldn't cut it in that situation.
> 
> TG


It would probably work really well in your music room - and yeah, not so much in a school auditorium. I think the Yorkville ones rent pretty cheap, if you wanted to give it a whirl.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I've started using the Bose L1 Compact two years now. They have a new line now and I"m thinking of getting an L1 Pro 16. But so far even with just the compact, it works for us. 
This is my experience, for a duo, guitar/vox, i find it perfect for small venues. I even use it for our porch shows, usually with 2 except for the last one where L&M didn't have the same one so I ended up using a Yorkville one they recommended which unfortunately didn't work for us as it was broken. (I got a refund and a $15 discount on my next rental).
I am aware a lot of people don't like these Bose line arrays. But for my duo where we have 2 vox, guitar and sax, it works for us even in bars. Best thing, it's very easy to lug around and setup is very quick. 
These days when most gigs are solos/duos and maybe trios, I find it the best solution for me.


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## metallica86 (Aug 17, 2009)

Thanks for all suggestions and inputs!
I rented HK polar 10 in the summer, awesome sound and very clear, however I don’t think its better than traditional 2 separate PA speakers. And yes I’m buying a power PA only.
I have my eye on this:








Yorkville Sound - YXL10P 10 Inch 1000 Watt Powered Loudspeaker


Yorkville Sound - YXL10P 10 Inch 1000 Watt Powered Loudspeaker




www.long-mcquade.com




It has Bluetooth and 10” speaker, I think they just raised the price up to 499$ now…


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## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

Powered: I'd take a look at the Mackie Thump12A
Mackie powered cabs seem to have a smoother sound than some other powered cabs I've heard. In my experience the lightweight amps in many powered cabs can sometimes sound a bit harsh, increasingly so once you drive them past about 2/3 volume. Some might hear that smoothness in a Mackie and think they lack detail though so that's a personal call. I don't think they lack detail at all but that's me.

Passive: Maybe the E-V ELX112
Electro-Voice makes decent cabinets too. They sound crisp and are relatively efficient.

I would encourage you to not be tempted by 8s and 10s. When it comes to live performance sound reinforcement, bigger is always better. It's not just about volume. It's also about good sound, projection and dispersal. 12s are barely adequate IMO.


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