Powered MIXER or Active powered speakers

[Rowleys]

I think I'm carry a lot of gear around

EG

Speakers
2 Amps
&
mixer

looking around i can see i can lose the 2 amps

but what would you have

powered mix
or
powered speakers

please tell me why you would has one & not the other

thanks

[Excalibur]

I think I'm carry a lot of gear around

EG

Speakers
2 Amps
&
mixer

looking around i can see i can lose the 2 amps

but what would you have

powered mix
or
powered speakers

please tell me why you would has one & not the other

thanks
If it's losing the amps you fancy, I'd say active cabs, as the powered mixers tend to be a little unwieldy for DJ's. If you go for a big enough sub, you may even lose one of those.

[Rowleys]

don;t quite get you ..

get bigger subs and lose what ??

thanks

[Excalibur]

don;t quite get you ..

get bigger subs and lose what ??

thanks

As a general rule, the powered subs are very powerful, thus many folk only ever use one, rather than two smaller passives. ;)

[Goodmix]

I'd go with powered speakers -- the components are usually specced to work well together. Plus you'll have more flexibility in your set up.

And, whether representative or not, I've only seen a powered speaker fry once, whereas I've experienced three fried powered mixers.

[Penfold42]

As a general rule, the powered subs are very powerful, thus many folk only ever use one, rather than two smaller passives. ;)

Not so ...I use two...;)

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Powered speakers, but that because pioneer dont have a powered djm, and as has been said, you can often loose one of the subs as they are powerful.

[Rowleys]

hmm so you all thinking i should be looking for 1 powered sub ??

[TLC]

I only ever use one sub with my 450 srm More than enough power for most gigs.

[kjdiscos]

As a general rule, the powered subs are very powerful, thus many folk only ever use one, rather than two smaller passives. ;)

Why do you think that ?. A powered sub is never going to outdo an amp'd one

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Why do you think that ?. A powered sub is never going to outdo an amp'd one

...and todays most stupid post goes to...

You can't possibly generalise like that.

[Excalibur]

Why do you think that ?. A powered sub is never going to outdo an amp'd one


...and todays most stupid post goes to...

You can't possibly generalise like that.

Today? :confused: That's being uncharacteristically polite of you. ;)

At this point I need Steve to find me a Victor Meldrew smiley. (I don't believe it!! )
On the grounds that a detailed reply to that will be offensive and inflammatory, I'll just say I believe that in principle I was correct. Yes one of Tony Scott's earthshakers will be louder than a Peavey Prosub15P, but I stand by what I said. I suspect the RCF active brigade will be along in a minute. ;) :D :D

[kjdiscos]

...and todays most stupid post goes to...

You can't possibly generalise like that.

So your telling me active subs are louder then any amped combination,

Again it always has to be your way solitaire doesnt it

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

So your telling me active subs are louder then any amped combination,

Again it always has to be your way solitaire doesnt it

What are you talking about?

I am saying that you cannot possibly generalise. Read my post.

[kjdiscos]

What are you talking about?

I am saying that you cannot possibly generalise. Read my post.

Of course you can,

By the sheer technology in an active unit, And the size it has to house the amp heat etc etc, A passive system will always be louder,

[Excalibur]

So your telling me active subs are louder then any amped combination,

Again it always has to be your way solitaire doesnt it

Listen dimwit, you're picking a fight with the wrong guy for two reasons, both of which I don't expect you to understand.

Secondly, the post you responded to (mine) states something which I think 90% of members on here believe. I lose count of the active sub users who say "I have two, but I only use one unless it's a huge gig". Actives lend themselves to this, more so than passives, unless you are running bridged, in itself a hot potato.

I'm soon going to get exasperated at this. ;) :( :(


Edit: I've just seen KJ's last post. In my opinion, he's actually demonstrating the exact opposite of his theory. My last word on the subject.

[kjdiscos]

Listen dimwit, you're picking a fight with the wrong guy for two reasons, both of which I don't expect you to understand.

Secondly, the post you responded to (mine) states something which I think 90% of members on here believe. I lose count of the active sub users who say "I have two, but I only use one unless it's a huge gig". Actives lend themselves to this, more so than passives, unless you are running bridged, in itself a hot potato.

I'm soon going to get exasperated at this. ;) :( :(


Edit: I've just seen KJ's last post. In my opinion, he's actually demonstrating the exact opposite of his theory. My last word on the subject.


What im actualy trying to say, Is yeah active are good,

But if you want thunderous bass, To shake the floor and bottles behind the bar etc, Your not going to get it out of an active unit

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

What im actualy trying to say, Is yeah active are good,

But if you want thunderous bass, To shake the floor and bottles behind the bar etc, Your not going to get it out of an active unit

And what is this piece of information based on?

Have you ever listened to RCF, Mackie or EV active subs? Have you compared them side by side?

Have you done side by side comparisons with several hundred passive speakers and amps?

Oh, wait, yes, you are an installer for an undisclosed company, so yes you must have.

[kjdiscos]

And what is this piece of information based on?

Have you ever listened to RCF, Mackie or EV active subs? Have you compared them side by side?

Have you done side by side comparisons with several hundred passive speakers and amps?

Oh, wait, yes, you are an installer for an undisclosed company, so yes you must have.

I have listened to various active units, And they are good, But you guys are saying there better then passive units which is not the case.

They are very good and have there uses, But my point being if you want a v large ammount of spl, Then you could be looking a passive

[A1DL]

But if you want thunderous bass, To shake the floor and bottles behind the bar etc, Your not going to get it out of an active unit

Jake, by "active" I guess you mean "powered". Anyway, your statement is nonsense. Go listen to some F1 or Meyer powered subs, you can break windows with them , whack people in the chest with them and even create brown trousers with them up real close! Whether the amps are in a rack behind the stacks or built in to the boxes make zero difference to the volume.

[Penfold42]

But my point being if you want a v large ammount of spl, Then you could be looking a passive
....and what Daz is saying....


And what is this piece of information based on?

...facts please.

[kjdiscos]

....and what Daz is saying....



...facts please.

Your facts to tony : )


Jake, by "active" I guess you mean "powered". Anyway, your statement is nonsense. Go listen to some F1 or Meyer powered subs, you can break windows with them , whack people in the chest with them and even create brown trousers with them up real close! Whether the amps are in a rack behind the stacks or built in to the boxes make zero difference to the volume.

And who runs those mobile,

Theres always going to be exceptions of course in anything

EDIT - If you wish to report a post please send it to me.
Thanks.

[Penfold42]

Your facts to tony : )

For what....:confused:

[kjdiscos]

Wonder who will admit to the above mail :),

Its not a post, Its a forum member emailing via our site,

[jamesh]

First of all KJDiscos you are talking out of your backside. How you can generalise that passive speakers will always go louder and be bigger and better than powered/active is just BONKERS!

If you really want to generalise you could say that active/powered are actually better as the amp the manufacturers use when building them has been chosen as the best combination for the components installed... Where as if you have passive speakers and amp you could find that not everyone has your expert knowledge in pairing up speakers and amps so you run the risk of not getting the right combination for the cabs...

anyway enough on that topic....lets go on topic again...

Personally i'd go with Powered/active speakers over a powered mixer for the simple fact of what happens if they go wrong...

If your powered mixer goes wrong you potentially loose your whole sound system... Or if your lucky only the one side so you would need a backup powered mixer just in case.

Where as

It's very unlikely for both your powered/active subs (if using subs) and both your powered/active tops will all go wrong at once... If they do i wouldn't want to plug anything else into the power supply anyway as there must be something very wrong!!! So at least if one sub or on top goes down you could still limp through the night as you still have some audio at the event...

Just my 2p worth...

[kjdiscos]

James, That wasn't a hint as to who it is,

What i am saying is for somone to send abuse via a contact form on a website is very silly, I personaly think if a person has an issue pick up a phone and call dont you ?

[Penfold42]

James, That wasn't a hint as to who it is,

What i am saying is for somone to send abuse very a contact form on a website is very silly, I personaly think if a person has an issue pick up a phone and call dont you ?

I've sent you a PM regarding this.

Now ....back on topic.

[Excalibur]

As a general rule, the powered subs are very powerful, thus many folk only ever use one, rather than two smaller passives. ;)
I carefully avoided the word always, thus allowing leeway for the obvious exceptions.


I only ever use one sub with my 450 srm More than enough power for most gigs.
Look at that, just what I said. Thanks.


Why do you think that ?. A powered sub is never going to outdo an amp'd one


Of course you can,

By the sheer technology in an active unit, And the size it has to house the amp heat etc etc, A passive system will always be louder,
Never say never. ;) (And always is pretty dubious as well)


What im actualy trying to say, Is yeah active are good,

But if you want thunderous bass, To shake the floor and bottles behind the bar etc, Your not going to get it out of an active unit


I have listened to various active units, And they are good, But you guys are saying there better then passive units which is not the case.
No we're not. I said "usually more powerful".



They are very good and have there uses, But my point being if you want a v large ammount of spl, Then you could be looking a passive
What's this? Do my old eyes deceive me? A crack in the cast iron certainty? :confused:


Jake, by "active" I guess you mean "powered". Anyway, your statement is nonsense. Go listen to some F1 or Meyer powered subs, you can break windows with them , whack people in the chest with them and even create brown trousers with them up real close! Whether the amps are in a rack behind the stacks or built in to the boxes make zero difference to the volume.
At last the cavalry arrive. :D Thanks Tony, am I glad to see you. ;) :D
FWIW, I was the one who called them "active" I think, so I'll cheerfully cop the flack for that if any should be flying. ;)


Your facts to tony : )
And who runs those mobile,

Theres always going to be exceptions of course in anything


Anybody else hear the sound of the goalposts being dragged across the playing field? :confused: :confused: :confused: "Always going to be exceptions" eh? Sounds suspiciously like " As a general rule" I would have said. Wish I was better at English. :sj: :sj: :sj:
(Don't think I've ever used that smilie before. Feels good though. )

[Rowleys]

this has gone way out of the line

[djsteve10]

Why do you think that ?. A powered sub is never going to outdo an amp'd one

Why do you say that?
Can you back that up?

[Excalibur]

this has gone way out of the line

Well you started it! :p :D :D :D :D :D :D


Actually on reflection, I may have been involved in the divergence from young Dave's intended thread. Sorry.:( :( :( :o :o :o

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

James, That wasn't a hint as to who it is,

What i am saying is for somone to send abuse via a contact form on a website is very silly, I personaly think if a person has an issue pick up a phone and call dont you ?

If you know who the member of this forum that is sending you abuse is, then deal with them. Do not bring me or other members of the forum into it and don't send me PM's saying this will be in the press.

[kjdiscos]

If you know who the member of this forum that is sending you abuse is, then deal with them. Do not bring me or other members of the forum into it and don't send me PM's saying this will be in the press.

They are sending abuse, And also are a member of this forum, Sending us abuse regarding the MDD, As it is your forum i brought the attention to yourself

Its all got way out of hand, disagreeing with a post on a forum is one thing, We all have differences of opinion, sometimes we agree sometimes we dont,

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

They are sending abuse, And also are a member of this forum, Sending us abuse regarding the MDD, As it is your forum i brought the attention to yourself



I will repeat, this has nothing to do with me or the forum. If it happening on here, then we will deal with it, but it isn't.

I cannot control what people do outside of this forum.

[kjdiscos]

I will repeat, this has nothing to do with me or the forum. If it happening on here, then we will deal with it, but it isn't.

I cannot control what people do outside of this forum.

Ok Darren

[Excalibur]

I will repeat, this has nothing to do with me or the forum. If it happening on here, then we will deal with it, but it isn't.

I cannot control what people do outside of this forum.

Aw shucks. :( :( :( And there was me thinking you were omnipotent. ;) :D

( Sits back and waits for some English scholar like Penmare to think I've accused Darren of problems in the South of the border department. ;) ;) :D :D )

[OllieJames]

I cannot control what people do outside of this forum.

:agree:

Anyway, going back to the O.P; I prefer active speakers.

I prefer them because it saves carrying a powered mixer (or indeed an amp).

[CRAZY K]

:agree:

Anyway, going back to the O.P; I prefer active speakers.

I prefer them because it saves carrying a powered mixer (or indeed an amp).

For my education what happens if the amp on one side of Powered Speakers fails due to -----lets say overheating.

Can you run that cabinet from the side that still works?

Its something to consider if your making comparisons.

CRAZY K

[Jiggles]

Most of them are dual amped. One for the top and one for the bottom.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

For my education what happens if the amp on one side of Powered Speakers fails due to -----lets say overheating.

Can you run that cabinet from the side that still works?



If you mean, can you run the other speaker on its own, then yes and that is an advantage. If an amp fails, then you have no speakers and no amp. With a powered set up, if one speaker/amp fails, you still have the other side.

[Excalibur]

For my education what happens if the amp on one side of Powered Speakers fails due to -----lets say overheating.

Can you run that cabinet from the side that still works?

Its something to consider if your making comparisons.

CRAZY K


If you mean, can you run the other speaker on its own, then yes and that is an advantage. If an amp fails, then you have no speakers and no amp. With a powered set up, if one speaker/amp fails, you still have the other side.

True, but I don't think that was what Alan asked. ;) The answer to his question is" no, there is no provision for running anything other the internal units from an active cab. "The all-in-one PA's" can be slightly different, and may be regarded as like a passive sub and two tops, running from one amp.
This is a gri=oss simplification, but clkose enough, I reckon.

Darren's inbuilt backup argument is a strong case for active cabs.

[Daryll]

Sorry to show my ignorance on this :p

Can you run a powered speaker as a passive ? ie: do they have a speakon as well as a xlr line in.

Daryll

[Excalibur]

Sorry to show my ignorance on this :p

Can you run a powered speaker as a passive ? ie: do they have a speakon as well as a xlr line in.

Daryll

See above. ;) Answer "no". :D Cos it would alter the load on the internal amp, you see, and take it outside its design parameters, thus probably overstressing the remaining amp, and landing you deep in the brown stuff. ;) :(

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Sorry to show my ignorance on this :p

Can you run a powered speaker as a passive ? ie: do they have a speakon as well as a xlr line in.

Daryll

No, not as far as I know.

[Excalibur]

No, not as far as I know.

Succinct, and accurate, but slow. :p :D :D

[A1DL]

Sorry to show my ignorance on this :p

Can you run a powered speaker as a passive ? ie: do they have a speakon as well as a xlr line in.

Daryll


some do. Powered F218s have the A6 amplification module which self powers the cab which the module resides in, and has an NL4 out to power another (unpowered) F218

edit: if you mean can you run an external amplified signal into a powered box, then, as has already been said, No. I may have complicated things with the above scenario!

[CRAZY K]

True, but I don't think that was what Alan asked. ;) The answer to his question is" no, there is no provision for running anything other the internal units from an active cab. "The all-in-one PA's" can be slightly different, and may be regarded as like a passive sub and two tops, running from one amp.
This is a gri=oss simplification, but clkose enough, I reckon.

Darren's inbuilt backup argument is a strong case for active cabs.

You mean at least one side works?

That back up amp I carry to every gig--that drives 2 sides:D

CRAZY K

[Excalibur]

See above. ;) Answer "no". :D Cos it would alter the load on the internal amp, you see, and take it outside its design parameters, thus probably overstressing the remaining amp, and landing you deep in the brown stuff. ;) :(
Except in some very specialised cases, which I'm ignorant of, but some smartarse is bound to point out. :D :D


some do. Powered F218s have the A6 amplification module which self powers the cab which the module resides in, and has an NL4 out to power another (unpowered) F218

And in some ways this backs up my post, cos this machine is obviously designed to accept another cab loaded onto it, thus staying within its design parameters. Thanks Tony.





edit: if you mean can you run an external amplified signal into a powered box, then, as has already been said, No. I may have complicated things with the above scenario!

Not sure you have Tony. I think folk were askin g if powered cabs had a socket to "bypass" the internal amp, and thus function as a passive cab. The answer to that is still no.


You mean at least one side works?

That back up amp I carry to every gig--that drives 2 sides:D

CRAZY K
And some active user is sure to point out that if a speaker fault took out your first amp, then the second will surely go the same way. Oops.:( :(

[CRAZY K]

And some active user is sure to point out that if a speaker fault took out your first amp, then the second will surely go the same way. Oops.:( :(

Well in erm 30 years of using amp and separate speakers ( which is now apparently called passive for some reason) the only problem has always been the same--- speaker fails due to old age, abuse etc.

Where does your argument come from Peter, new one on me---BUT IM STILL LEARNING;)

BUT there was this bloke down the Disco shop I met recently who had that problem--

































with an active speaker system;)

CRAZY K

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

And how exactly can one active speaker take out another one then? That's like saying your amps were taken out by each other but they weren't connected!

[Excalibur]

Well in erm 30 years of using amp and separate speakers ( which is now apparently called passive for some reason) the only problem has always been the same--- speaker fails due to old age, abuse etc.
Where does your argument come from Peter, new one on me---BUT IM STILL LEARNING;)


CRAZY K

Alan, my experiences have fairly much mirrored yours. I also accept that
a speaker is more likely to fail open circuit, but if it failed as a dead short, that's bad news for the amp. ;) :( :( :(

[Tom]

I would go for active speakers over a powered mixer.

Lets say you have problems with the mixer, the mixer fails, this also means you have no amp.

If everything was seperate then you can just change the part that failed. Simples.


As already said, the amp in an active speakers has been designed to work with the drivers in the cab, nothing else. The risk of blowing the amp or speakers are very very low compared to a passive setup.

You do have more flexibility with a passive system as you only have to route one cable to the speaker and not have wo worry about finding another socket for the speaker, but active speakers are more practical for the work we do.

Having said that, I am moving from active to passive but I have my reasons for that. :)

[CRAZY K]

I would go for active speakers over a powered mixer.

Lets say you have problems with the mixer, the mixer fails, this also means you have no amp.

If everything was seperate then you can just change the part that failed. Simples.


As already said, the amp in an active speakers has been designed to work with the drivers in the cab, nothing else. The risk of blowing the amp or speakers are very very low compared to a passive setup.

You do have more flexibility with a passive system as you only have to route one cable to the speaker and not have wo worry about finding another socket for the speaker, but active speakers are more practical for the work we do.

Having said that, I am moving from active to passive but I have my reasons for that. :)

I cant agree with that Tom.

The risk of my set up blowing up is no worse than a Active one.

I have a powered mixer and its brilliant.

Heavy but brilliant---im a strong youngster---no sweat:D

4.25 years now never a problem from new.

If it blows I have a spare mixer and amps to use--no problem.

I bought the whole set up--powered mixer, tops and subs as a properly matched set recommended by the makers.

Why wouldnt that be matched just as well as an Active set up.

If your talking sound quality, different question.

Half the problem is people buying different makes, sizes and the like and wondering why things dont quite match.

You wouldnt buy a Ford and fit Vauxhall Wheels and a BMW engine---
:D :D :D

CRAZY K

[mark karaoke]

i prefer the powered mixer option,though i have never used powered speakers i have carried them for others and the term having the world on your shoulders comes to mind.......... they are HEAVY!!!!
i have a small set up for pubs and a larger set up for larger venues, the mixer for my small set up is an fbt pick up 14a,which i use with rcl pm12j,s and i find this is plenty for even large pubs(100-125 capacity)the mixer is that small it fits into an lp flight case and weighs about 8lbs and is 2x 250 watts rms if my memory serves me right
the bigger set up uses a kam kmp10 with rcl pm15j's and fills venues of 250 no problem without being too heavy to carry also --- the omly thing i would say is that i do a lot of karaoke and tend to play a lot of motown and older stuff in the disco part of my shows,so maybe some would find it a bit bass light for dance,r and b etc ...
this is just my humble opinion but it works for me,hope you find this helpful

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

i prefer the powered mixer option,though i have never used powered speakers i have carried them for others and the term having the world on your shoulders comes to mind.......... they are HEAVY!!!!


Someone else generalising again....

For example

RCL pm15j - 20Kg

Mackie SRM450 Mark 2 - 18Kg

[Excalibur]

Someone else generalising again....

For example

RCL pm15j - 20Kg

Mackie SRM450 Mark 2 - 18Kg

Mackie SRM450 Mark 1 oodles more? :sofa: :D :D

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Mackie SRM450 Mark 1 oodles more? :sofa: :D :D

Yep, a whole 5Kg more than the originals or 3 Kg more than the passive speakers mentioned....

[Excalibur]

Yep, a whole 5Kg more than the originals or 3 Kg more than the passive speakers mentioned....

Didn't want anyone to buy Mk1's and wonder why they were so heavy. :D :D
Accuracy and all that. Mind you, what's 5kilos betwen friends? :confused: :D :D

[mark karaoke]

sorry to cause offence ---- i was only giving my opinion,i apologise if the thread that i posted is innacurate in any way,but i do believe that the srm 450's have a 12" driver and the pm15j's have a 15"
therefore could you give a fairer comparison between the pm12j's and the srm 450's
many thanks

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

sorry to cause offence ---- i was only giving my opinion,i apologise if the thread that i posted is innacurate in any way,but i do believe that the srm 450's have a 12" driver and the pm15j's have a 15"
therefore could you give a fairer comparison between the pm12j's and the srm 450's
many thanks

You weren't causing offence Mark - I was just pointing out that not all actives are heavy.

The size of the driver isn't really an issue. The 450s have an amp module on the back whereas the passive speakers don't.

I use RCF 325s which are a 15" active speaker and they are 24Kg, so not a lot more than your passive RCL speakers.

[Excalibur]

sorry to cause offence ---- i was only giving my opinion,i apologise if the thread that i posted is innacurate in any way,but i do believe that the srm 450's have a 12" driver and the pm15j's have a 15"
therefore could you give a fairer comparison between the pm12j's and the srm 450's
many thanks

Don't worry about that. It's never stopped most of us before. :D :D

I think that simply illustrates the difficulty of comparing chalk and cheese. ;) For one thing most active tops are plastic, thus offsetting the weight of the inbuilt amp. Me I'm a Luddite, and speakers have to be made of honest, well seasoned, rigid, reliable MDF. :D :D

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Me I'm a Luddite, and speakers have to be made of honest, well seasoned, rigid, reliable MDF. :D :D

Or birch ply if you want decent cabs. ;)

[mark karaoke]

horses for courses i suppose my friend
one thing is for sure though--- i'm glad i've got the fbt powered mixer and not the studiomaster i had before,it was a cracking piece of kit,but that really was like carrying the world!!! lol

[CRAZY K]

horses for courses i suppose my friend
one thing is for sure though--- i'm glad i've got the fbt powered mixer and not the studiomaster i had before,it was a cracking piece of kit,but that really was like carrying the world!!! lol

Working with a powered mixer gives me backache carrying it--but that soon disappears when I get the pleasure of using it---:D :D :D

It returns sadly at Midnight when I pack up:eek:


CRAZY K

[Excalibur]

Or birch ply if you want decent cabs. ;)

Birch ply? :confused: Nah mate, it'll never catch on. :D :D


OK, Serious time again, and this should probably be in another section, but I recently purchased a powered mixer from a man in a car park, and I have to say that although it was not intended as such, it's an all in one backup. I like to spread risk though, and wouldn't want to use something of this design as main disco sound system. Active users tend to work on a similar theory.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Birch ply? :confused: Nah mate, it'll never catch on. :D :D


OK, Serious time again, and this should probably be in another section, but I recently purchased a powered mixer from a man in a car park, and I have to say that although it was not intended as such, it's an all in one backup. I like to spread risk though, and wouldn't want to use something of this design as main disco sound system. Active users tend to work on a similar theory.

Not really....

If one of my cabs goes down, I still have the other one - instant backup. ;)

If you use an amp and a pair of speakers and your amp dies and you don't carry a spare, what would you do?

[Excalibur]

Not really....

If one of my cabs goes down, I still have the other one - instant backup. ;)

If you use an amp and a pair of speakers and your amp dies and you don't carry a spare, what would you do?

Good God man, there's no wonder we have problems on here! :eek: I was commending the very theory you're expounding as being eminently sensible. :bang: I WAS AGREEING WITH YOU!

BTW. at least one spare amp, and often four spare cabs. :p :D :D

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Good God man, there's no wonder we have problems on here! :eek: I was commending the very theory you're expounding as being eminently sensible. :bang: I WAS AGREEING WITH YOU!



Then speak plain English! :bang: :D

[Excalibur]

Then speak plain English! :bang: :D

Let's see if I can illuminate the Stygian gloom which appears to shroud some of my utterances. ;)

If you're a passive user, then having a powered mixer as backup has the advantage of an all-in-one package. Sadly, this would be a disadvantage if using it as main rig, since any failure of only one component could take out the whole PA.

Active users laugh at this and point out that since each top cab has two amps in at least, with subs also having one each, the chances of them all dying at once are slim, and even if one or two were to fail, you would still finish the night at reduced volume.

How's that mate? :confused: :D :D

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

How's that mate? :confused: :D :D

*Goes off to look up 'Stygian' *

[Excalibur]

*Goes off to look up 'Stygian' *

Dark. Very dark. Impenetrably dark. :D

[DJMaxG]

I would go with Powered Speakers, this is a more common option.

Powered Mixers / Mixer Amps aren't really targeted at the DJ Market, they are more for Live Bands etc.

Each Cabinet has it's own amplifiers. One for horn, and one for woofer.
Therefore, there is less chance of them all blowing together, compared to one.

A Lot more DJs have these, than powered mixers, so more feedback / reviews available etc.

[DJ Jules]

See above. ;) Answer "no". :D Cos it would alter the load on the internal amp, you see, and take it outside its design parameters, thus probably overstressing the remaining amp, and landing you deep in the brown stuff. ;) :(

I saw a set of active cabs on eBay a while ago (cheap chinese stuff) where they did actually have SpeakOn connectors on the cabs for running an additional cab from the internal amp in parallel with the internal speakers... Except of course the guy who owned them tried to run them like passive cabs and connected the SpeakOn connector to an amp - and blew the internal amp. RTFM before connecting I think!

Slightly off topic, butu I'm running with a couple of Kw amps at the moment and a pair of (un-named make - yes I'm embarrassed) tops and bins and I've been thinking what to do for the best. At the moment I'm tending towards a set JBL EON's or Mackies plus a 15" or 18" sub (Mackie or similar probably). At the risk of starting another small war - does anyone have any advice on what would be a good setup on a reasonably small budget? Btw, the amps are good so I could go with active or passive cabs (but would prefer to keep the whole rig as light as possible!)

All advice appreciated,

Julian

[CRAZY K]

:bang:
I saw a set of active cabs on eBay a while ago (cheap chinese stuff) where they did actually have SpeakOn connectors on the cabs for running an additional cab from the internal amp in parallel with the internal speakers... Except of course the guy who owned them tried to run them like passive cabs and connected the SpeakOn connector to an amp - and blew the internal amp. RTFM before connecting I think!

Slightly off topic, butu I'm running with a couple of Kw amps at the moment and a pair of (un-named make - yes I'm embarrassed) tops and bins and I've been thinking what to do for the best. At the moment I'm tending towards a set JBL EON's or Mackies plus a 15" or 18" sub (Mackie or similar probably). At the risk of starting another small war - does anyone have any advice on what would be a good setup on a reasonably small budget? Btw, the amps are good so I could go with active or passive cabs (but would prefer to keep the whole rig as light as possible!)

All advice appreciated,

Julian

Gets this one in before Excalibur;)

Go to Mansfield and listen to Class D---you might be pleasantly surprised:D

I was if your not looking to spend in the Mackie --RCF type price range.

Normally I would go for Peavey UL15s but the price is getting a bit silly these days:bang:

I will be giving the results of the Yorkshire Speakerfest Test occuring Sunday in errr Yorkshire:D

CRAZY K
CRAZY K

[DJ INDIE]

I recently bought active cabs for the previously mentioned backup security - ie the likelyhood of 4 separate amps or 2 units going down at once is a lot this than one amp (which would then take out 2 speakers).

I have an active backup with a built in mixer to compensate if anything goes wrong.

Saying that, weve had 6 passive speakers, 3 amps and 2 mixers in the band, plus i had a powered sub which contained 3 amps - 2 for tops one for sub - and i've never had any trouble whatsoever.


Personally it would be a set of powered speakers for me - as that also allows you to upgrade your mixer if need be without losing the amp inside which would happen if you went for a powered mixer.

[CRAZY K]

is a lot this than one amp (which would then take out 2 speakers)..

:confused: :confused: :confused:

You would have to be pretty clever to manage that---more likely amp fails or a speaker blows.




Personally it would be a set of powered speakers for me - as that also allows you to upgrade your mixer if need be without losing the amp inside which would happen if you went for a powered mixer.

Get it right first time---then you dont have to :D

CRAZY K