Full FoH system

[Phil]

Hi people, as you know I am looking around at various FoH systems weighing out all the good and bad things about them.
The PA has to be fairly good sounding and pref compact because I cant exactly fit 24" bins under my bed lol.

Firstly has anyone had any experience of using or hearing thomann's The Box or Community?
I was thinking about a set of 215s with 118 bins

The Box 215 £134 (each)
450rms @ 4 ohm

The same but Community are £201 (each)
400rms @ 4 ohm

The Box 118 £112 (each)
800 rms 1400 peak @ 4 ohm - that is what i ideally want to gt a nice punch off the pa if it will.

I am just looking around and I know they are cheap but I'm not sure how good they are or if they are decent german stuff with a low price i do not know.

I think i might invest in some QSCs if i get the money or possibly crown/amcron if I can haggle a cheap bargain off someone who doesnt have a clue what they are selling in the paper lol

Thanks

Phil

[gingerbiscuit69]

the box range is pretty good, better than the old peavey stuff, and the cabs are good quality 18mm ply, so can always be reloaded if you blow anything.

ampwise, start with quality, 'buy once cry once'. i have an armada of cheap amps which i cant warrent replacing, yet are pretty pants! Ive always preferred QSC over crowns if thats any help?

[shepz]

I doubt you're going to find either QSC/Crown/Amcron from somebody who doesn't know what they're selling in the papers... but good luck anyway.

I'm a fan of the QSC PLX series... own them and they rock! Dead light to carry around too at only 10Kg, 2u for a 2400w amplifier.

[Phil]

I will probs buy amps new unless they are a real bargain because they might decide to go and there will be no warrenty or anything.
Also I know I wont really get the full history of the amp from a seller, theres always someone who says its never been hammered and has had it running at 2 ohm with a big industrial fan behind the rack lol.

I can get a QSC for £270 - 400w @ 4 ohm a side.

I usually like to have the amps abit bigger that the speakers myself though.

I run the peavey bins with the band from a 1600 @ 4 ohm amp per side - as told by a engineer up here, and it seems to work a treat

I would say if I had 450w rms mid-tops i would use about 750 w - would that be wise? - bear in mind I have heard everything from to use a amp no bigger, a little bit bigger to double lol

I think if i was setting something up for a complete nutter i'd go with 450/500 but for me I can usually tell if its giving the speaker too much.

[muppet]

it is always wise to buy an amp with at least 50% reserve power, it means it can handle a dynamic load better and of course you wont need to drive the nads of it just to run your system. As i have said on these boards before the best all round, drives anything without problems value for money amp ive come across is easily the QSC RMX 2450. i certainly wouldnt spec an amp excat to the speaker.