18" Sub Preference (Mackie, EV, or other)
- Thread starter kee
- Start date
I'm working towards lightening my load.
I have found getting older & lugging around overweight large gear is taking it's toll on me. Plus for weddings, a K-Sub is more than enough. Match them up with a EV ZXA1, a QSC K10 or K12 is a great match.
I have found getting older & lugging around overweight large gear is taking it's toll on me. Plus for weddings, a K-Sub is more than enough. Match them up with a EV ZXA1, a QSC K10 or K12 is a great match.
I have the whole line of QSC HPRi series except for the 15" subs. The HPR181i 18 pair rocks well. They ARE heavy but I like them a lot. Also have JBL SRX dual 18" pair and single 18" pair of passives. These are my faves, old school and hit hard with big I-Tech crowns.
Best,
Paul
Best,
Paul
I have NO problems with any of the gear I have but at some point, I've thought about migrating from the Live X series to the Tour X. I've also thought about migrating from the QSC K's to the HPR's. Course, I'm likin' the Mackie HD series too. These are merely thoughts at this point.
Why carry a bunch of oversized, heavy equipment...and pay a roadie?
Not good business sense.
Bigger & heavier doesn't always make it better. A lot of the newer gear is smaller/lighter, no need to lug around refrigerator sized gear these days.
Hmm Bill smaller lighter allows even the least educated client or guest to think hmm there isnt much to a DJ service. We have roadies for most of our premium packages and yet we do use lighter and sometimes smaller gear but visual can denegrate worth as much as anything else.
Bill - the opposite is also true - smaller & lighter doesn't always make it better.
Well I guess if I was only playing for Seniors, Grannies and fuzzy heads at Weddings etc then I won't need heavy duty equipment. However I will have to be a spectator when the big Production Gigs come along that call for 4 JBL SRX 728 subs (Which BTW is relatively new equipment), or when a Band calls me up and asks to rent me and my rig for SR.
To each his own. I can easily do your job but with what you have you won't be able to do mine. So who is loosing out? BTW I am 61 going on 62 and I lift my 150lb JBL Scoops by myself. When I can no longer do this I will either get a permanent helper or retire from the business.
Fixed that fer ya.
So you could have been the guy climbing / rigging the monument?
Loosing out? Sounds more like overcompensating for something.
Most all my DJ gigs are weddings, (50-150 guests) so there is no reason to make that type of an investment (big production type gear) or lug around unnecessary gear.
It would be like the guy who bought a huge 4x4 Heavy duty, raised, off-road truck, and the only off-roading he does is in & out of his driveway when coming home from his office job.
I'll say this:
Last wedding I did was with a pair of HPR122i's only. Everyone was happy. Next wedding I'm doing I'm bringing the same or a pair of EON 315's. The last wedding and my next are small...60-75 people, and in small function rooms. This will be fine. However I've done big weddings for folks involved in the music indusrty and out come the big JBL SRX passives and sub, and the heavy hitter Crown amps. Now we are talkin! I get paid to haul the old-school passive stuff, and paid well for those who desire it. Over the summer I did two large tent weddings of 250+ people. I brought the powered QSC to both..... A pair of HPR181i 18" subs and HPR153i 3 ways. These positively rocked the tent weddings! there's a place for small and light, and a place for BIG passive boom-boom pow! I do my weddings based on what the customer wants and is willing to pay for.
Tell you this.....I like nothing better than the big JBL rig playing an event, even though it's heavy and a pain to move. To this day for me nothing kicks it like a big passive system.
Best,
Paul
Last wedding I did was with a pair of HPR122i's only. Everyone was happy. Next wedding I'm doing I'm bringing the same or a pair of EON 315's. The last wedding and my next are small...60-75 people, and in small function rooms. This will be fine. However I've done big weddings for folks involved in the music indusrty and out come the big JBL SRX passives and sub, and the heavy hitter Crown amps. Now we are talkin! I get paid to haul the old-school passive stuff, and paid well for those who desire it. Over the summer I did two large tent weddings of 250+ people. I brought the powered QSC to both..... A pair of HPR181i 18" subs and HPR153i 3 ways. These positively rocked the tent weddings! there's a place for small and light, and a place for BIG passive boom-boom pow! I do my weddings based on what the customer wants and is willing to pay for.
Tell you this.....I like nothing better than the big JBL rig playing an event, even though it's heavy and a pain to move. To this day for me nothing kicks it like a big passive system.
Best,
Paul
I have used just about every powered 18" sub on the market.
The QSC KW181 outperforms them all. Then I would put the QSC HPR 181.
The Yorkville LS800p I find to be just as good as the QSC's but only a 2 year warranty and they seem to break. I have a broken LS720.
Then I would put the EX Live-X Not as boomy as the QSC or Yorkville, but they are very nice and reasonably priced.
The JBL EON sub is probably next in line, seems to have less volume than the Live-X and it surely is ugly.
I would never buy anything with the mackie name. I had 2 SWA1501's back in the day and both of them blew up 5 or 6 times each.
I have used yamamha in the past and for what ever reason they need more EQ than other speaker on the planet.
The QSC KW181 outperforms them all. Then I would put the QSC HPR 181.
The Yorkville LS800p I find to be just as good as the QSC's but only a 2 year warranty and they seem to break. I have a broken LS720.
Then I would put the EX Live-X Not as boomy as the QSC or Yorkville, but they are very nice and reasonably priced.
The JBL EON sub is probably next in line, seems to have less volume than the Live-X and it surely is ugly.
I would never buy anything with the mackie name. I had 2 SWA1501's back in the day and both of them blew up 5 or 6 times each.
I have used yamamha in the past and for what ever reason they need more EQ than other speaker on the planet.
I don't have any argument with you on that size of crowd. However I never said I always use my complete system for all gigs. I have several sizes of equipment that can all be integrated into one master system. Therefore Weddings are not my only game.
I totally believe you Cam. Here's the description of the QSC KW181:
QSC - Subwoofer
Features: K Series performance in a lightweight - birch design 1000 watt Class D power modules in all models (2 x 500 W continuous) Extensive DSP featuring DEEP and Intrinsic Correction enhances system performance DMT (Directivity Matched Transition) ensures uniform coverage across the entire sound field Rugged - texture-painted birch enclosures Four-position Mic/Line gain (full-range models) Tour-grade 16 gauge steel grilles Comfortable ergonomic handles 35 mm pole sockets with Tilt-Direct on KW122 and KW152 - standard (non-tilt) pole socket on KW153 M10 rigging points for suspended installation (full-range models) KW122 also functions as stage monitor
Why would one need 2x500W amps for 1 speaker? Why does QSC do this? The K12's are the same way. 2x500W amps.
Edit: Sweetwater lists it as (1) class D 1000W amp for the 18" sub and (2) 500W amps for the K12. Why you would ever need 500W for the high end is beyond me - especially considering the low end can only go to 500W. Google search shows the (2) x500W for all models. I believe it to be (1) 1000W amp. Having said that, why the K12 was done like it was is beyond me.
This is why I keep my HPRi series. The amps in these were based on the RMX 2450. Not 'Class D" plate amps. Sure...they lightened the K series, changed the amps, made them lighter. I'm not keen on Class "D" at all.
Best,
Paul