Mackie 1400i: Need to Buy Optimal PA Speakers

ibleedburgundy

The Anti-Lambo
I have a Mackie 1400i amplifier that I would like to use for a PA. It's actually for my second PA because my band has two practice spaces. I am trying to cobble together a "B" PA using stuff I already have except for speakers. I am planning to run a Mackie 1604 vlz into the 1400i. Mostly keyboards and Vocals but I usually like to add a little bass drum and bass guitar as well. This is for a 5 piece band - drums, 2 guitars, bass guitar, keys, some vocals. We play alternative/blues etc.

So in the owner's manual it talks about the different configurations you can run the amp in - stereo, dual mono, and bridge.

Bridge mode:
max power of 1400 watts into 4 ohms
max power of 1000 watts into 8 ohms
continuous average output power of 1260 watts into 4 ohms
continuous average output power of 850 watts into 8 ohms

Dual Mono or Stereo Mode:
max power of 500 watts into 4 ohms
max power of 300 watts into 8 ohms
continuous average output power of 425 watts into 4 ohms
continuous average output power of 250 watts into 8 ohms

http://www.mackie.com/pdf/m1400_m1400i_om.pdf

I want to optimize the speaker selection for maximum loudness. Stereo capeability is not a must, but a nice to have. If running 1 speaker cab in bridge mode gives by far the most volume at the expense of stereo, I am OK with that.

I have a few questions: If I buy 4 ohm speakers instead of 8 ohm speakers, will they generally be louder? Does anyone know which speakers would be optimal for this amp? The mackie guy of course recomended some Mackie speakers - 300 watt 8 ohm mackie passive 12 inch PA speakers. Would these speakers have less volume than other options?
 
Or would I be better off with some Mackie C300z speakers like the guy recommended?

Mackie C300z | Sweetwater.com

The band gets kind of loud and I need something that will keep up. Some speakers might be designed for low frequency response - I'm not really interested in that. I want a balanced frequency response perhaps even with emphasis on mids and high frequencies, NOT bass.
 
Get wedges. You might as well practice with the same setup you'd have at a gig. Four 8ohm wedges getting 250 watts each (2 per amp channel) should be adequate for a rehearsal space unless the musicians have poor control over their stage volume.
 
Is this only for practice? If so, I agree with boulder - get some monitor wedges. Not sure why you would want stereo output for practice, unless you want to do two slightly different monitor mixes by panning.
 
Is this only for practice? If so, I agree with boulder - get some monitor wedges. Not sure why you would want stereo output for practice, unless you want to do two slightly different monitor mixes by panning.

Yeah it's just for practice. Sometimes we hook up synths in stereo and get some cool effects in stereo.
 
Ok, for practice I would always look at floor wedges rather than speakers on poles or hung so you can hear them. When I've been in bands that used PA speakers they had to be kept low volume (due to feedback in the small practice room), and we were always messing with positioning.
Stereo effects can be interesting, but if you are really practicing (for actual gigs) - do you use stereo for them? (typically not recommended due to the sound-spread issues of stereo in a live venue)
 
Yeah our gigs are never in stereo. My practice room is 35 x 16 with 9 foot ceilings though, so it's actually a pretty decent size.
 
Whatever speakers you choose, there's more to it than wattage. You need to take into account the sensitivity. Two different speakers with the same watt rating won't necessarily have the same volume. The speaker with the higher sensitivity rating (xSPL, 1W at 1M) will get louder than one with the lower sensitivity given the same watts.
 
I find your approach interesting, buying speakers to match the amp. Most folks do it the other way around. Seems that maximum volume is your priority so bridging the amp would be what you're after. Of course that means looking at different speakers than those mentioned. And as mentioned, sensitivity is a key factor.
 
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