Re: OT: PA speakers

[Bill Fox <billyfox@soundscapes.us>]

L.A. Angulo wrote:
> Folks,
> i am updating my live PA rig and after trying a few PA
> speakers i realize how important "lightweight" has
> become for my back,since living in my new home where
> my studio is in the cellar.
> So the speakers have to be active,grips on the sides
> and tops and light but powerful enough for clubs that
> house about 400 people.I am looking at the RCFc Art
> 310A,very attractive at 12,4 Kg with 300 watts 
> but quite pricey compared to mackies so i though i ask
> before buying has anybody tried them? are they better
> than the mackies(350,450s) and since they only have
> 10" speakers would i need x-tra subwoofers for such
> clubs?
Do you perform solo or in a group?  What kind of music do you play and 
what kind of demands does that make on a PA system?

If you want to minimize the weight, then you might want to consider 
avoiding active speakers.  That puts the weight of the power amp 
somewhere else but costs you an extra trip when loading gear into the 
car.  My experience is that the best sounding speakers have the heaviest 
magnets and the most solidly built cabinets.  That means they have 
substantial weight.  Lightening the load for our aging backs and knees 
forces us to find help with carrying gear or to compromise on sound 
quality.  Whenever I have to move my JBL speakers and bass amp, I try to 
load the car the day before a gig if at all possible.  That's the 
operation that I have to do solo.  It gives me over night to recover and 
then there's plenty of band members to help me unload the car and set up 
at the gig.

If the speakers you are considering require a subwoofer to handle your 
music (only you can make that determination), that's more weight and 
more loading trips and more room needed in your vehicle that transports 
the gear.  For me, extra trips, especially when stairs are involved, are 
something to avoid.

I live on ibuprofen and Aleve on gig days and still I'm usually a 
hurting puppy before the gig starts.  Then I have to sling a bass guitar 
over my shoulders for hours on end.

Cheers,

Bill