new mid-tops

[soundmanjim]

ok im thinking of completely renewing my mid-tops and getting shot of the old Motivators, i like EV stuff and i was looking at the EV SX300's as replacements - i would like these things to be reasonably light as they are going to be flown - or would i be better off with powered cabs?

Anyway, any advice? the club holds 200 peaple MAX and the old Motivators covered the crowd perfectly well - its just they are so d**n heavy and are also getting a job to find bits for.

i was thinking of doubling them up to spread the sound out more - two looking more towards the back and two looking into the front of stage area, and use lower power smaller units.

Im quite happy with my HK subs as they are still plodding on and doinf their job very well.

All i really need to know, is what particular cabs am i looking for bearing in mind they are only on mid-top duties only - so i dont think i need full range units.

ALSO i am after a cab to plonk by the drum riser - i currently use one of my A.S.S. units BUT im thinking i could be better off with a 2 x 12" or 2 x 15" cabinet + mid/hi in a tall cab. Any reccomendations?

[Simon Ryder]

NCA have a rather impressive double 15" with a dual concentric 6" mid and horn that I heard recently. I would highly recomend that you check it out.

On the cheap end of things a Yamaha american series double 15" would work.

[soundmanjim]

ooer. sounds big. Im hanging them from the trussing above front of stage!!!

[pete]

I think Jim that Simon was suggesting those boxes for drum fill as opposed to new FOH!

Pete

[Simon Ryder]

Sorry for the obscure post.

Yes I was suggesting them for drum fill.


For FOH, if you want to stick with EV, you could try and pick up a pair of Deltamax. 15" and horn, decent low mid punch and capable of doing a reasonably big space. You see second hand ones going all the time and their fly frames are easy enough to come by. They are quite heavey though, so are better if the install is semi permanent idf you are flying them. OK for groundstack though.

[Simon Ryder]

For an install like that, I would shy away from powered boxes and stick with seperate amps. It is so much more flexible in the event of equipment failure.

[muppet]

That said powered boxes do have their advantages and are now creeping into more high-end cabs like JBL Vertec. they are power and impedance matched, self contained units which cuts down on kit and cabling and also reduces power loss from the amp, in the event of equipment failure you are also less likely to loose your entire system as may occur with an amp and external processing etc. but of course all of this will add weight to the box. Also since your are using it with an existing system much of this would not be of much benefit to you as not only would you be running two systems you would also need external processing to xover the system properly.

You do see the SX series around quite a bit but i have never really been a big fan of plastic moulded cabs. If i were looking for a small EV box i would probably look in to the QRX 115 or the FRI 152 if I wanted a trap.

[soundmanjim]

hmm.
well i would go for a powered cab, as line losses are minimised AND some incorporate limiters nowadays so that woul be one less thing to worry about.
If i lose a cab halfway thru a gig i could always turn around one of the monitors and re-route the foh thru a spare aux so thats not a problem.

However i DO like the idea (and the cheapness) of using an amp, also powered cabs do cost a lot more.
So i reckon i'll stick with passive for now (my subs are active and they are still going strong, the only good bit about the old Actor system i had!!)
so i may well go for the sx's - purely becuase im thinking ahead - i can use the sx300's on poles for another gig if the surfer closes - and theres less chance of someone being knocked out or killed if the things fall off the gantry!! (and they will be easier to lift up there in the first place!!)

so for us its safety/weight/reliability/price/longevity in that order.

[Simon Ryder]

If you can find some, check out FBT Max and do a comparison between them and the SXs. You may well prefer the sound of the FBTs. Having said that though, I may have some second hand SX300s coming up for sale in a couple of weeks.

[soundmanjim]

ooo. If its not too much of a cheek on my part, could you pm me what you might be wanting for them?