A tale of speaker woes. ( And good luck )

[DJIanScott]

Yorkshire's got a lot more money than the Cambridgeshire Fens (or anywhere else in East Anglia come to think of it as Mark will doubtless testify).

I mentioned the Yammy's in jest - they were a huge investment for me which took a lot of thinking about. But, having heard them I had to have them and now having DXR8's, DXR15's and DSR12's - I have everything I'm ever likely to need (I don't tend to do thumping young farmers gigs so the DSR18 was swapped for the 12's ).

Glad you've got some sort of solution in the end Peter. Even if they're not the ones you really wanted. At the end of the day....will the customer ever know any different? (I suspect not unless the Alto's are painful to listen to).

It could have been worse - you could have gone down the singing drainpipe route

Glad you're enjoying the 12" subs! I haven't even had a chance to use the DSR118 sub yet! And yes, I've bought another one!

There seems to be a theme of 'buy cheap, buy twice' on this thread. One investment of £900 would buy a pair of Yamaha DXR10's and solve everything. Admittedly not a wooden cabinet, but built so solidly (by Nexo) that it can totally blow away a pair of budget Phonic speakers, no matter what they're made of. It has possibly the most diverse mixer/input/EQ section of any active cab and a 700w/127dB amp.

And I have a friend in Yorkshire....richest bloke I know! Streets are paved with t'gold up there!

[Excalibur]

One investment of £900 would buy a pair of Yamaha DXR10's and solve everything. Admittedly not a wooden cabinet, but built so solidly (by Nexo) that it can totally blow away a pair of budget Phonic speakers, no matter what they're made of.

You haven't heard the Phonics. I've heard both, admittedly not side by side. The difference is nowhere as great as you think, believe me.

[Nakatomi]

Try not to rely on the countour switch too much. My Altos (and Mackies) have one & while it does rather sweeten & fatten up the sound it also results in the speaker running out of headroom quicker.

What would be wrong with running one 12 or 15" cab at a gig where you might ordinarily use a couple of 10" cabs? I'm not sure dispersion would be an issue if the place is small enough to warrant such a small setup. Or do I need my assumption corrected?

[CRAZY K]

Try not to rely on the countour switch too much. My Altos (and Mackies) have one & while it does rather sweeten & fatten up the sound it also results in the speaker running out of headroom quicker.

What would be wrong with running one 12 or 15" cab at a gig where you might ordinarily use a couple of 10" cabs? I'm not sure dispersion would be an issue if the place is small enough to warrant such a small setup. Or do I need my assumption corrected?

Must admit this is a strategy i use a lot with my Peavey UL15s.

At some venues its major overkill to have 2, so I get one speaker up nice and high in a corner on the end of the Ultimate Powered Speaker Stands or if theres a stage place it in the middle.

Works for me.

Most modern speakers are so loud dispersion doesnt seem to be an issue.

[Excalibur]

Try not to rely on the countour switch too much. My Altos (and Mackies) have one & while it does rather sweeten & fatten up the sound it also results in the speaker running out of headroom quicker.

Funny you should say that. The manual says the same thing. I had always intended to apply the necessary EQ from the controller, and not a button on the back of the cab. However, I have a cunning plan, Baldrick. Read on.

What would be wrong with running one 12 or 15" cab at a gig where you might ordinarily use a couple of 10" cabs? I'm not sure dispersion would be an issue if the place is small enough to warrant such a small setup. Or do I need my assumption corrected?

Everything. It's not symetrical. Also, even one 15" could look a tad imposing, for the people who hear with their eyes.


Fear not though, a solution has arrived not quite by chance. A year or two ago, before I got the 15" Proels, if the LDs needed a bit of help, but not a chuffing great pair of LD subs being propelled by a huge Studiomaster amp, I had a 15" Alto sub, which worked very nicely, thank you. Since the Proels arrived, it was surplus to requirements. It has gone North fo the Summer, and its new owner is surprised and delighted with it.
I mentioned a cunning plan. since the size of the tops has dropped to 10" or 8", I've got the chance to " do a Wayne", and downsize the sub. I have done. For reasons I won't go into, I dropped by a shop with the 12" Alto sub in. Dear reader, I bought it. ( Can't find any s/h 12" subs at sensible money on Ebay, so a new Alto it is ) That was always the plan once I'd bought the smaller cabs, but swapping the Phonics for the Altos had increased the urgency. Also, I reckoned the little Warriors would need help for all but the smallest gigs.

So, the sub should sweeten up the tops, and take the strain off them. Being 12", it's as portable as a sub can be, and it should add a bit more oomph to the system, if I need a touch more volume.

And I'd been minded to spend £900, it would have been Maui 5s. If I didn't have such a hatred of single cabs, I'd have considered that very very seriously. That has impressed me every time I've seen/heard it

[Excalibur]

Hmmm. Now mildly confused. Used the Alto tens with the twelve inch sub last night. My but the little sub has some guts. Wish the tops had as much. Turned the bass low on the sub, and full up on the tops. Still had to back the bass off a little on the mixer. Wasn't really a good test for the system, as I was basically playing across a long narrow room. I know there was a lot left in the system, particularly the sub. I'm sure that would live quite happily with the LDs above it. That would be interesting.

Next outing for the tens is planned to be a river cruise. Don't intend to take the sub, so that would show what the little fellas are capable of. Not sure if they'll be going, I'll have to check the boat size.

[CRAZY K]

Hmmm. Now mildly confused. Used the Alto tens with the twelve inch sub last night. My but the little sub has some guts. Wish the tops had as much. Turned the bass low on the sub, and full up on the tops. Still had to back the bass off a little on the mixer. Wasn't really a good test for the system, as I was basically playing across a long narrow room. I know there was a lot left in the system, particularly the sub. I'm sure that would live quite happily with the LDs above it. That would be interesting.

Next outing for the tens is planned to be a river cruise. Don't intend to take the sub, so that would show what the little fellas are capable of. Not sure if they'll be going, I'll have to check the boat size.

Sooo would this loud little Sub be any good to back up my Peavey UL15s.??????

[CRAZY K]

Sooo would this loud little Sub be any good to back up my Peavey UL15s.??????

Peter, is a speaker fest feasible round your house---or not worth it?

ALAN

[Excalibur]

Sooo would this loud little Sub be any good to back up my Peavey UL15s.??????

Apologies for late reply.
Short answer: No.
Long answer, you'd need a powerful fifteen or eighteen to keep up with those lads.

Peter, is a speaker fest feasible round your house---or not worth it?

ALAN

It's always feasible. With regards to its value, it all depends what you wish to achieve. Currently, a vital bridge over the railway has collapsed for the third time, due to engineers, planners and Newts. There is a suitable diversion, but it requires a spot of local knowledge.

[Excalibur]

Hmmm. Now mildly confused. Used the Alto tens with the twelve inch sub last night. My but the little sub has some guts. Wish the tops had as much. Turned the bass low on the sub, and full up on the tops. Still had to back the bass off a little on the mixer.

Ah. Confusion cleared by putting my glasses on and reading the manual. Strangely, if I understand it, the sub has a switch to engage or disengage the crossover. Curious, as it has link outputs for exactly that.
I believe my tops were thus running full range, giving extra bass. A firkle about at home later having pressed said switch gave a much more balanced sound, needing much more volume from the sub.

Next outing for the tens is planned to be a river cruise. Don't intend to take the sub, so that would show what the little fellas are capable of. Not sure if they'll be going, I'll have to check the boat size.

The Altos did indeed perform solo on this one. Fifty or sixty people on the boat, and I'd say that's around their comfortable limit. Add the sub,and you might add twenty or so to that number.

I was pleasantly happy with their performance, I turned the bass up on the mixer a tad, and they seemed to be delivering quite enough bass to me stood a fair way behind them. They may well be in use next week, as room is small, and numbers are few.