Need PA system advice

[danny83]

Hey guys, I've been on the phone with a bunch of sales reps from different companies these last few days, and none of them seem to be of any real help.

I've gotten alot of help on this site, so here I am again!

Here's my deal:

I'm looking to get a full PA system, and my budget is about $1,000-$1,200.
I will be doing small to medium sized venues (probably 50-100 people, 200 max).
I do mostly solo acoustic sets with vocals. Sometimes I'll play with 2 or 3 people, but we do nothing hardcore or real loud.

I'm just looking for some recommendations on what exactly I should buy. I know little to nothing about PA systems so go easy on me.

Here are some of the systems I've been looking at:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...age?sku=630217
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...age?sku=630199
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...tem?sku=600712

Am I on the right track with these?

The only real requirement I have for a PA system is a Shure Beta 87a Vocal Mic. Other than that, I just want a crystal clear sounding system.

I'd appreciate any recommendations/help that you experienced PA-ers can give me, and maybe some cautions on what not to get.

Thanks in advance guys, most of you are always a great help!

[mshilarious]

Those are the basics. You will also need a monitor for yourself, and of course you need to budget for the 87A .

[BadAE]

Any of the first 2 are good. I will go for the Yamaha which is cheaper, and with the mony saved buy the mic of your choice and a monitor

[Cody Suit]

apparently behringer sucks balls. dont get that one.

personally i like yamaha stuff. but i dont know much. some one was telling me at JBL is more top of the line.

[Cody Suit]

apparently behringer sucks balls. id go with the yamaha one cuz its got like 400 more watts or something. thats what i thought it said.

[TexRoadkill]

Get a pair of 15" JBL Eons and a Mackie 1202. It will give you a good solid system to build from and will sound much cleaner then those setups.

[TragikRemix]

i have a pair of JBL MR825's, and a Ramsa power amp. i had a behri mixer, but i sold that crap. i'm going to get a Mackie onyx 1640. better off putting a PA together yourself, piece it at your discretion.

i hate powered mixers, and active speakers. actives may be OK for you though, but i just hate that if something goes wrong, its completely useless. if a poweramp goes on a gig, you can just bridge another amp and use your speakers still. if an active breaks, you cant use it at all.

i think tex has a good suggestion, for your situation.

[petermiller]

why the beta87? thats a 1/4 of your budget right there. try to spend the money on better equipment first + if you are not that experienced with running live sound you will probably have more problems with that mic than it will solve (feedback city)
yes they can sound nice but I don't think it a wise investment to start off with
as far as the rest of the equipment your looking at , I would go with a 12" two way be it yamaha S12 or jbl JRX112m all of these offerings would be about $299.99 ea. so there is half your budget, I would suppliment that with a mackie 808m or yamaha emx512sc. but fit the budget you are going to need stands cables and a monitor. so realistically to do the number of people and to have a PA that is not questionable at best I think you would be more apt to spend at least $1500 if you are buying all of this new. You may look into some used gear so you can save some $$

[danny83]

I've heard great things about the beta 87a, and with the kind of music I'm doing (soft acoustic sets) I don't think I should have a problem with feedback.

Does anyone disagree?

[TexRoadkill]

I've never used an 87 but based on your budget you'd be better of with a 58 and it will do the job fine.

[danny83]

So I went with the Yamaha EMX5014C Mixer with Yamaha S112V 12" Club Series V Speakers and the Shure Beta 87. It sounds GREAT! I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I'm more than satisfied.

What do you guys think of the equipment? Anyone heard or experienced any of it?

It was $1300.00 Out-the-door at Guitar Center. Killer deal!

[Treeline]

Ya done good! Particularly loading the Beta 87 mic into the deal!