Monitor speakers or pa?

Tad

New member
Hi all
Had my 8 track running thro my kenwood amp and speakers, so that I can use the emulated output on my blackstar amp and work on songs without having to use headphones all the time.
The problem is I've now blown one of the speakers. Although the speakers are apparently 120w they didn't like it.
My question is would I be better off buying monitor speakers and rigging them directly to the 8 track or would I be better off buying a pa system with amp and speakers?
All help appreciated
 
If you need gig volume sound, get a good PA quality powered speaker. One of the better 10" or 12" models should do, e.g. QSC K10.2.
 
It's only for the living room but I can crank it up a bit. No close neighbours.
Was wondering if I would blow monitors, or will they handle the guitar running through them via the 8track
 
My thought is that if you burned up stereo speakers you'll do the same to nice studio monitors. It's too tempting to turn up.
 
If you blew a supposed-120 watt speaker, then it was EXTREMELY loud, or you had something set wrong.

You are going from the Blackstar's emulated output to an input on the 8-track? Then line-out from the 8-track to a line-in on the Kenwood amp?
 
Well, honestly 120W can mean about 17 different things now. RMS is hardly ever used and wasn't THAT great even when it was the standard. But yeah, if you blew a 120W RMS speaker that was pretty loud...
 
You also have to accept that PA speakers are never as good as proper monitors. Very different beasts. Often the sound of big PA is really weedy and thin at low volumes and then it kind of expands as the system works harder. I've got 12 boxes of JBL VRX constant curvature array - connected to my laptop playing quietly it really sounds like poo!
 
Yes emulated to 8 track to amp.
It's was load but not 120w loud. No where near.
Maybe the age of the speakers. They're knocking on.
 
Hi Tad, welcome to Bedlam. There ARE PA speakers that are almost as good quality as good monitors or hi fi. There ARE monitors that are of great quality but can kick serious arse in the SPL stakes. Both ends of the spectrum do however have one thing in common...they are extremely expensive!

"Not THAT loud.loud" Two things I tell home recordists to buy themselves. A modest, $20 digital test meter and a modest $20 Sound Level Meter, preff' with a "C" weighting.

For a practical budget go for active monitors, anything driven from an external amplifier is going to be at risk. 'Proper' monitors should have built in protection because by their very nature they should be designed to take electric guitar signals.

So, read the reviews avidly, pay as much as you can and then get a "C" SPL meter and calibrate them..THEN you will know how "Not that loud" you really are!

Dave.
 
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