DJGold

Robert · Joined: September 6th, 2004 Posts: 52 Location: Olympia, WA

I’m narrowing done my next PASSIVE speaker purchase. It’s tough because I have to rely on written specs (that sometimes are not accurate or not the whole story) and no stores in my state of Washington carry the speakers I want to listen to prior to buying an initial pair. If I could a/b them the choice would be simple.

My goal is to replace all my EV SX-300 boxes with something even better, but keep the weight at 45lbs or less, and to improve upon the clarity, loudness and bass punch. I also desire a full-range sound that is suitable for DJ events up to 300 people, without using a sub. Price is not too important but I would like to keep it under $1,000 per speaker if at all possible. Power consumption/efficiency is important to; this is why the JBL SRX speaker is out of the running, way to power hungry, and fear of overloading the common hall circuit. The amp I will use is the QSC PLX 3402 or larger by QSC.

One note: yes, I will use subwoofers for events I feel it’s needed but right now I’m seeking the perfect full-range top box and will later seek out the perfect sub to match the top box of choice.

Thus far, I am considering the following speakers, if anyone has used these please offer some input. Any other recommendations appreciated too.

RCF Art 322i
RCF Art 325i
RCF Art 312i
RCF Art 315i
Yorkville E12
Yorkville NX35
Yorkville NX350
FBT Maxx 6
No Mackies or Peavey please, of course this is what most stores carry (I’ve heard those and compared them to the EV speakers already, EV is clearly better in my humble opinion)

I hope this post will be helpful to other DJs too, that are seeking great input on speakers to consider for their next speaker purchase.

TheBartman47

Robert wrote: My goal is to replace all my EV SX-300 boxes with something even better, but keep the weight at 45lbs or less, and to improve upon the clarity, loudness and bass punch. I also desire a full-range sound that is suitable for DJ events up to 300 people, without using a sub. Price is not too important but I would like to keep it under $1,000 per speaker if at all possible. Power consumption/efficiency is important to; this is why the JBL SRX speaker is out of the running, way to power hungry, and fear of overloading the common hall circuit. The amp I will use is the QSC PLX 3402 or larger by QSC.

And I want a pocket size large print copy of War and Peace.

You are asking for the impossible. Under 45 lbs. and you want it conservative power levels and produce solid bass punch for crowd sizes up to 300 people!?! Not going to happen. Now, with a sub added, you might get something close, but no way are you going to find a cabinet that light weight and low power levels with excellent sound quality and under $1,000.

Quote:
One note: yes, I will use subwoofers for events I feel it’s needed but right now I’m seeking the perfect full-range top box and will later seek out the perfect sub to match the top box of choice.

Thus far, I am considering the following speakers, if anyone has used these please offer some input. Any other recommendations appreciated too.

RCF Art 322i
RCF Art 325i
RCF Art 312i
RCF Art 315i
Yorkville E12
Yorkville NX35
Yorkville NX350
FBT Maxx 6
No Mackies or Peavey please, of course this is what most stores carry (I’ve heard those and compared them to the EV speakers already, EV is clearly better in my humble opinion)

I hope this post will be helpful to other DJs too, that are seeking great input on speakers to consider for their next speaker purchase.

If light weight and small size is really the most important factor for you, then if you are willing to shell out quite a bit more money, then you might like the Bose PAS system. For the amount of sound it puts out, it doesn't get more compact and light weight than this. It's not the best sound ever, but it is still good enough for most people, and better sounding than a lot of other cheaper brands.

As for the "no Peavey" part of your comment, I take it you have not listened to the QW series by Peavey, and maybe not even the SP series. If the only Peavey speakers you've heard are the cheap ones, then I can understand you saying you don't like their sound, but the Peavey QW series will stomp all over the EV SX-300.

dokai · Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 5:49 pm Post subject:

Small and light.
Efficient.
Low-end punch.

Pick any two, but the law of physics says you can't get all three in the same box.

The EV SX-300 is a great box, imho, but even it is a compromise. However, if you feed them enough power they should be able to do a 300 person wedding without a problem. And if you're doing a school dance, they make awesome tops when teamed with good subs.

My recommendation is to keep your SX-300 cabs and spend the money on the subs. You're still going to run into the "size/efficiency/bass" trade-offs, but since you're not planning on using the subs as often, you might be more willing to compromise on the weight. The big subs don't seem as heavy when you're not moving them every night. :wink:

PS: If you decide to get rid of your SX-300 cabs, let me know!

Robert · Joined: September 6th, 2004 Posts: 52 Location: Olympia, WA

If I keep the SX-300s I have 10 of them. Which sub would match up nicely with one or two EV tops per side. Perferably one sub on the floor that is powered. Maybe the Yorkville LS700P or B-52 Act 18?

Does any box out perform the SX-300 keeping the size/weight within reason. List a few to consider or does anything in the list I wrote beat it?

I have no interest in the Bose. I don't like the looks sorry. I'll have to research the Peaveys.

TheBartman47

Robert wrote: If I keep the SX-300s I have 10 of them. Which sub would match up nicely with one or two EV tops per side. Perferably one sub on the floor that is powered. Maybe the Yorkville LS700P or B-52 Act 18?
I agree with dokai... keep the SX-300s and invest in a sub or two. This will get you the biggest gain in sound system performance per dollar considering what you currently have. From your list above, the B-52 is prety hard to beat for good perfomance and not to big and heavy and doesn't cost too much. Personally, I'm a Peavey fan, so I use the QW218 subs. I have plenty of cargo space in my trailer, so size and weight is no concern for me. They weigh 167 lbs. but put out some massive low end... Max SPL: 138 dB continuous half space, 144 dB peak; Power handling: 1600 Watts continuous, 3200 Watts program, 6400 Watts peak.

If this is more than you need, you might consider the single 18 version (QW118) which only weighs 98 lbs.

Quote: Does any box out perform the SX-300 keeping the size/weight within reason. List a few to consider or does anything in the list I wrote beat it?
"Beat it" is a subjective term, as some prefer the sound of one type over another, but if you only mean total sound output capabilities, then yes, there are many speakers that will "beat" them, but again, it comes at a price (increased weight, higher power requirements, etc.)

I gave a quick review of the Peavey QW2 speakers that I bought a few months ago in another thread, but I'll sumarize here... It is an excellent "large format" speaker, that is, it performs best in medium to large environments. It's a little "too much" in smaller settings, but that's ok for me as I have other speakers that I use for when I'm doing less than 100 people.

Quote: I have no interest in the Bose. I don't like the looks sorry. I'll have to research the Peaveys.
I don't care for the Bose myself either, but for me, it's not because of it's looks, but rather it's lacking in sound quality. Imagine a fairly good sounding home "shelf" stereo system, then amplify that sound to be loud enough for small PA use. It's the smalles system you can get with acceptable sound quality, but "acceptable" isn't good enough for me, so I sacrifice size and portability in order to get better sound with my Peavey QW system. Oh, and one other thing that makes my system sound AWESOME is the Peavey VSX-26 loudspeaker management system. (Similar to a "driverack", but with more features, controlability, and overall better sound, especially the greatly superior RTA auto EQ feature). If you aren't already, bi-amping (and tri-amping if/when you get subs) will make a big difference in sound quality and overall sound output of your existing system. The VSX-26 can make your system sound like you've never heard it before. But again, quality sound comes at a price. Bi-amping or tri-amping means more amplifiers required, more cabling, a crossover (or preferably a digital speaker system management processor like the VSX-26), etc.

BillESC · Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 9:25 pm Post subject:

One KV2 EX 2.2 will work fine with four of the SX 300's, two coupled will match all ten nicely.

TheBartman47 · Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:52 am Post subject:

Oh, yeah, almost forgot about the KV2. This box is smaller than most any other sub yet can put out the same power level as the bigger ones. However, they are a bit pricey. But if small size yet high quality sound is more important than price to you, then KV2 is definitely the way to go. I guarantee you will not be disappointed in the KV2 performance.