Urgent genuine advice needed

[DJ James Lake]

Well put it this way Charlie

I love my Mackie tops, wouldn't touch a Mackie bass bin.

If you need a bass bin then either get your butt down to some demo rooms or buy a suggestion from this thread.

I still love my DB sub and the mackies sound awesome when used with them.

I agree I use the same combination. Mackie SRM450 mk2 Tops and 2 DB Sub15d subs.

The Mackie sub is too underpowered compared to the DB's

[paulg]

I don't mind paying RCF prices but what's the difference between that and the Mackie one?

Surely bass is bass? How can there be different quality's of it? Tops - I completely understand but bass just goes 'boom'

Producing consistent longer wavelength frequencies is actually quite difficult.

I gather that RCF's tend to be European sourced and built whereas cheaper subs might be made entirely in China or be constructed in the EU but from potentially inferior Chinese components. RCF's are made in Italy and it's fair to say you are paying a little extra for la dolce vita enjoyed by our European counterparts.

I've tested all of the non Touring RCF sub range, I've had DB's, HK Audio and some years ago, Carlsbro. I've wasted some money in that time! From expereince and without doubt, the RCF's are worth a punt. You just can't go far wrong with them. Good performance, good build quality, lightweight (you can lift them with one hand!), sensible appearance, respected brand name etc.

A single 12" would perhaps be a bit weak if you like a solid and full bass. I wasn't over impressed with them but it really depends on taste. I quite possibly use a little too much bass at times. A single 15" would be pretty much perfect - a very compact jack of all trades, but it might get a bit out of its depth in larger venues. A single 18" will suffice for just about anywhere that can be served by your tops. However, they could be too heavy to lift safely if you work alone.

I reckon if you took the plunge and bought the RCF 15", you'd be a happy man.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

Put it another way Charlie...

I was working with a cabaret singer and backing act about 6 months ago...i had my RCF tops and both of my RCF 705AS subs...they had Mackie SRM450 tops, and a pair of the 1801 Mackie subs....mine blew them out of the water sound wise...so much so that when i worked with them last month...they had sold their Mackies (on the back of that night 6 months ago)...and gone for RCF.

They had considered just flogging the Mackie Bins and sticking with the 450's as tops with RCF bins...but decided a full RCF rig was in order. They had gone for the 905 bass bins, and 712 tops.

Make of that what you will

[paulg]

Put it another way Charlie...

I was working with a cabaret singer and backing act about 6 months ago...i had my RCF tops and both of my RCF 705AS subs...they had Mackie SRM450 tops, and a pair of the 1801 Mackie subs....mine blew them out of the water sound wise...so much so that when i worked with them last month...they had sold their Mackies (on the back of that night 6 months ago)...and gone for RCF.

They had considered just flogging the Mackie Bins and sticking with the 450's as tops with RCF bins...but decided a full RCF rig was in order. They had gone for the 905 bass bins, and 712 tops.

Make of that what you will

..................a little off topic but i took a booking only yesterday for a 50th wedding anniversary from a customer and some of his guests who used to be pro singers in groups in the 50's and 60's because he'd seen names like RCF on my website. It's a gig I'm really looking forward to - lots of proper mature singers who just want to plug in their guitars and mics and enjoy themselves playing stuff like the Bachelors (I saw them 3 years ago and they were still pretty good!), the Fortunes & the Hollies. Hopefully, it will be rare pleasure.