Speaker Hard Cases- Good Idea or Waste of Money?

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Djcarolina

New DJ
Nov 5, 2006
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Here's my scenario. I'm now up to 6 QSC HPR122i's and 4 of the 18" sub counterparts. When we do a show with all 10 pieces, it's quite the setup task. Most challenging is getting all of the equipment from the trailer to the venue. I've come to realize that with the size and amount of gear I'm getting into now, my R12 Rock n Roller isn't a very useful tool since it can't even hold 4 122i's.

After setting up, running and striking a show, it's becoming more and more of a pain in the but to lug the 122s, one by one into the trailer, line them up and strap all of them in. I have all of them covered with slip covers, but I was wondering if it would make more sense to just bite the bullet and buy hard cases for them?

That being said, here's the link to the company I'm looking at getting the cases from. They seem to have a pretty decent following and good reviews. I've ordered cases from Olympic Case Co. before out of Tampa, and while they make AWESOME cases, I can't justify $1900 in cases right now.

http://shop.vendio.com/djkits/item/2012415106/index.html

Total comes to $336 per case shipped.

Has anyone seen a better deal on stuff like this?

I'm planning on keeping my HPRs around for a long enough time where I could see these getting their worth used out of them. What do you guys think?
 
If a person can't load unload and transport speakers without busting or scratching them up from mishandling then I would say he/she should get hard cases for them. But if you know how to load, transport and unload correctly then just a simple bag should be more than enough to protect them!
 
Thunder said:
If a person can't load unload and transport speakers without busting or scratching them up from mishandling then I would say he/she should get hard cases for them. But if you know how to load, transport and unload correctly then just a simple bag should be more than enough to protect them!
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Thunder- with all due respect, I have to be honest with you and tell you that it's starting to aggravate me that almost every post you have ever posted in one of my threads has included some sort of snide remark at me, whether you're needlessly criticizing my mics or suggesting that I may or may not know how to take care of gear- it's getting old.

While I appreciate your contributions and seniority here on ODJT, I would prefer if you would just not respond in my threads from now on.

The original post entertains the idea that the hard cases would make the speakers easier to pack, and my question deals with whether or not the community feels that they would be a good investment or just a waste of money- serving that purpose.
 
Ryan - don't waste your breath; he is who he is.....unfortunately...



$1900.00 for cases is a ton....why use the R12 at all....

The 18i's have casters on the backs....and I presume you have bags. Why not set 2 of the tops on top of the subs and strap them down...It'll make transport easier and keep everything secure.

That's how I transport my 705AS and 310A's...
 
Ryan, why not build casterboards for them? This way you can take 2-4 of them in at a time. Get some 3/4 inch ply and a 4-6 Colson casters per board. That's what we're starting to do with our 10-speaker sound systems. We take all 4 tops in on their casterboard, two mids at a time, then the subs by themselves..... turns from ten separate trips to 5 and makes a HUGE difference in setup time. Just strap them to the casterboard, then strap them into the trailer. If you already have the bags for them you don't need to worry about them getting damaged.
 
I'm a believer in having padded speaker covers for protection from scratchs. I recently purchased covers for my Yorkville 750's and LS801P 18" subwoofer (Tuki Covers, located in Charleston, SC). You might consider them for custom covers.
 
Carolina,

There is nothing snide about any of my remarks that I have made to any of your threads, and certainly not this one, just a statment of fact!

I had a guy working for me at one time who was rough as a cob, it seemed like everytime he went out something came back scratched or broken, I have a girl who has been with me for several years who has yet to come back with anything damaged at all!

It is a matter of how you handle your equipment, and like I said if you need hard case protection then you certainly should get it!

As for my comment (on the thread where you posted the video) about your mic handling I was stating things that were very obvious only in an effort to help you, choking and eating the mic is very common amoung DJs even amoung those who have been at it for 20+ years, so you are in good company there! I have seen some great singers who don't know any better until someone tells them!
Please don't take constructive critique as snide comments!

I believe that it was you who authored this thread with a question... "Speaker Hard Cases- Good Idea or Waste of Money?", and I answered your question honestly, I can't help how you take my answer!
It is true that I don't sugar coat my comments but then I never have, but going back to what I said in my response to your question if you know how to load, transport and unload your equipment and are careful when you do it then you don't need hard cases, if you don't then hard cases might be something that will pay off down the road.

If you are rough with your gear, then you may have taken offense to my statement but there was still nothing snide about it!
 
Thunder, I don't think that the question is about how the gear is handled roughly or anything like that, he said he already has slip covers for them.

The title seems that he's looking for protection, but I am pretty sure he just wants a more efficient way to transport them to and from the trailer.

If you have enough floor space in the trailer, build a couple platforms with sides that you can stand 4 speakers in. One can hold 4 speakers, the other can hold 2 speakers plus a few other items you might need, especially if you put a divider in them. Make the sides about a foot tall to keep everything intact. Leave room for some foam padding to slide the speaker down into.
Put good 4" casters on them or you'll hate yourself for not doing it to begin with. I usually get the blue ones, they have never left a mark on anything. Get 2 locking ones for each cart you make, you'll want them locked down when pulling speakers out or putting them in, plus you can just lock them down in the trailer and go, unless your planning on some offroading or have really bad potholes there.
 
You could easily build a couple boxes to hold 2 or 3 speakers per with casters on the bottom. Add some cut outs to put the straps into and be set to go.

I don't think you need to go full flight case on something as simple as a wooden box to hold an already padded speaker.
 
I'm a big fan of hard cases whenever possible. You are going to be doing this a long time, so the investment is sound...especially if you have a trailer with a ramp. You can use those cases for other speakers you use down the road, lighting...whatever.
 
cclark65 said:
Thunder, I don't think that the question is about how the gear is handled roughly or anything like that, he said he already has slip covers for them.

The title seems that he's looking for protection, but I am pretty sure he just wants a more efficient way to transport them to and from the trailer.

If you have enough floor space in the trailer, build a couple platforms with sides that you can stand 4 speakers in. One can hold 4 speakers, the other can hold 2 speakers plus a few other items you might need, especially if you put a divider in them. Make the sides about a foot tall to keep everything intact. Leave room for some foam padding to slide the speaker down into.
Put good 4" casters on them or you'll hate yourself for not doing it to begin with. I usually get the blue ones, they have never left a mark on anything. Get 2 locking ones for each cart you make, you'll want them locked down when pulling speakers out or putting them in, plus you can just lock them down in the trailer and go, unless your planning on some offroading or have really bad potholes there.
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Clark,

While his post thread title seems to be more about protection I can see where the issue of transport to and from can be seen as well

To me adding bulk to bulk isn't really the answer, a hard case is going to increase the size of each of the transported units by 1/3 again! Just a regular hand truck will easily carry in two of those speakers stacked without any difficulty! When you are dealing with medium to large setups multiple trips are going to be a given! The bags he has should be more than enough protection against scratching (I use furniture blankets), I could see the hard cases if he were using as forklift and pallets to load and unload the gear with.

The platform cart idea is an excellent one, unless you have to deal with uneven surfaces, curbs or a step up or down! But I like it anyway, I use to use them when I ran a large DTH system even then there were times I would have to unload and reload a couple of times just to get them into the venue, and still had to make multiple trips even with a helper!

The system that Carolina is using (at least from the videos he has posted) is not really all that outlandishly large! I use regular Lowes convertible hand trucks and can easily carry 2 SP4s (215s) along with a pair of 12s on top of those with the hand truck in cart configuration! They can handle up to 500 pounds with ease! I have carried two 18" subs along with a pair of Impulse 115s many times in one trip as well! But adding the bulk of a hard case would have eliminated carrying anything more than a pair of 15's at a time!
 
I have a large rack that weighs in around 500 pounds that carries the lights and mic stands. All the lights hang on the rack, the mic stands all lay in the bottom of the rack. It's a beast, but I can get it up the ramp and into the truck fairly easily, and it saves a lot of steps.

While there are many times that I don't get the rack out of the truck, it's a safe place to store them easily. Without that rack it takes about 6 or 7 trips back and forth.

Luckily all my speakers have wheels on the back, so for the times I can't get the rack in the building (stairs, narrow door, whatever) I can take the rack to the door, after unloading all the speakers into the venue, and then stack stuff up on them to push their destination. Even the scaffolding can be stacked on the speakers for easy transport.

I do use a hand cart for the monitors, it takes 3 trips with it for them

So, if nothing else, a platform that you can temporarily stack stuff on and use to haul the equipment. A hand cart will carry 2 or 3 speakers easily, but if you want to cut down on trips, a long 4 wheel rack or cart that you can stack stuff on would be good as long as it'll fit through the doors and you can handle it efficiently.

OR, you could hire a young man with lots of energy to haul stuff back and forth, you just hook it up and run it..that's what I do these days! I found a school kid that wants a little extra cash, and is more than willing to help out for little pay. I do feed him and provide all transportation...I think he eats more than I pay him in cash though!
 
cclark65 said:
I have a large rack that weighs in around 500 pounds that carries the lights and mic stands. All the lights hang on the rack, the mic stands all lay in the bottom of the rack. It's a beast, but I can get it up the ramp and into the truck fairly easily, and it saves a lot of steps.

While there are many times that I don't get the rack out of the truck, it's a safe place to store them easily. Without that rack it takes about 6 or 7 trips back and forth.

Luckily all my speakers have wheels on the back, so for the times I can't get the rack in the building (stairs, narrow door, whatever) I can take the rack to the door, after unloading all the speakers into the venue, and then stack stuff up on them to push their destination. Even the scaffolding can be stacked on the speakers for easy transport.

I used wheels platforms for this when I used a big system, but can certainly see the advantages to having the wheels on the speakers!

I do use a hand cart for the monitors, it takes 3 trips with it for them!

Most gigs I do these days I can get everything in two trips!:sqwink:

So, if nothing else, a platform that you can temporarily stack stuff on and use to haul the equipment. A hand cart will carry 2 or 3 speakers easily, but if you want to cut down on trips, a long 4 wheel rack or cart that you can stack stuff on would be good as long as it'll fit through the doors and you can handle it efficiently.

Agreed!

OR, you could hire a young man with lots of energy to haul stuff back and forth, you just hook it up and run it..that's what I do these days! I found a school kid that wants a little extra cash, and is more than willing to help out for little pay. I do feed him and provide all transportation...I think he eats more than I pay him in cash though!

This was my most perfered method in days gone by!
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I always used a small platform that just set under each speaker and with two people you could put together a little train to move the whole line into some venues, but those with step ups and downs always meant having to reload at each of those points!
 
Thanks for all the suggestions guys-

Unfortunately, I won't be building anything. I'm good at a few things, but carpentry of even the most simple form is not one of them.

I suppose I should address one of the things related to gear handling that does concern me. While I myself am very cautious about the handling of my gear (when you're 19 and have $9,000 of your own hard-earned money wrapped up in speakers alone you tend to care), SCDOT doesn't care. We have crappy roads in SC and I can only imagine the bouncing the speakers do in the trailer (even when strapped in thoroughly with the etrack). I figured having them cased would help.

3 of these cases could be strapped together to roll in as one large case and would make movement of these speakers very efficient. I'm also a pretty tall guy (6'3") so the fewer awkward trips in and out of the trailer the better (we all know how good it feels to whack your face or head on something after a loooong show).

As for stairs- with or without a case- the QSC HPR series isn't really stair friendly. People forget when comparing these to other speakers that each one of them is a 60lb boat weight that starts to wear on you after about speaker number 4. (Wouldn't trade the sound for anything tho). I don't factor stairs into my show design because no matter what, stairs are going to suck (my main equipment rack is a 300lb 16 space monster). I could always take the speakers out of the case and go from there.....for a fee.
 
DJ Ryan,

I think the rolling cases are an excellent idea. The protection can't be beat. I am mainly a one man show and being able to push in 2 speakers at once along with my gig cart would be awesome.

I too will be investing in a rolling case when I get my new speakers also.
 
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