Behringer Active PA speaker for starters

[CoolCat]

Goal: a small mono PA setup for three pc band.

I stopped by the guitar mart and grabbed a Behringer B212D.$202 and a $40 stand.

There were many other's a Yamaha, used Mackies, pushing my funds JBL EON 315 $494 Open Box.

B212D:Reading the Users Reviews here, this speaker has very good reps. see Tab USER REVIEWS-> LIVE SOUNDI'm skeptical because every Behringer thing I have ever tried, I disliked or wish I would have spent a little more and gotten something of better value. Has Behringer gotten a little better over the years?

I admit I dont know hardly anything of Live Sound and issues. All I know is the stuff gets beaten up and thrown around and needs to be dependable. Its also a broke band just starting to get about 5 gigs a month and the current 60 watt Radio SHack Speaker isnt going to work live.

Application: Small Venue'sReading all day, majority of engineers mention, post that for bars, small venues they go mono.
So one monitor might work for now. Vocals only. No Subwoofers needing or 15 drums mics and amp mics...just very simple vocal mic or two. SM57.
Only the Vocals will go to this speaker, so others here recommend that a 10" or 12" is fine, as there is no booming bass to work it. One speaker will do I think, we can add another for $202 more dollars.

Another factor is this band has no van, not even a pickup, so small and light equipment is a plus too.
Venues will be from 10 to 150 ish crowds. Anything bigger usually has a main PA.
Another fact is none of the members like looking at cables and backs of equipment with the confusing holes and wierd words..so simple is a big plus for this setup.

Reading another sites reviews of this speaker was not so good as the one here.
It showed 5 of approx 20 saying the unit broke or blew a tweeter. about 7 said it was fine, if the bass was kept off it. and a few posts who seemed to be exstatic of just owning it for 2 days.....

Other working musicians have recommended the JBL EON, it was over double the price at $494, but is it worth the $$$ over a few gigs and years, and resale and RELIABILITY?

I wonder would one JBL EON 315 be better than 2qty Behringer B212D's?
Price wise thats about the deal here.

I'll update later, time to go unbox this thing and compare to the other config options I have from the pile of gear already laying around.

Any ideas or inputs welcome...

 

[CoolCat]

SPeaker sounded ok after the first jam session. Turned down the bass as other posters recommended.

Sounded better with the SM57 plugged straight in, versus the Yammie mixer feeding the 212D (could be the soundman too(me)..

the singer screamed and yelled and talked and screamed and feedback and more screaming and singing and yelling, and the speaker still works. maybe its all mental, but I couldnt help but think the JBL's would probably handle this abuse better. the reviews were several, mentioing the tweeter blowing, so i was apprehensive.

this one speaker might work for a small coffee shop gig, but I'm already doubting it will handle a small venue. This band plays loud, distortion guitars at times, and guitar amps on 8.

so maybe another 212D, with the Carver poweramp powering a couple 15"" passive PA cabs might be whats needed to get there.

I hope they have a friend with a truck or van..

 

[mjbphotos]

Yeah, 1 speaker is not going to be able to power vocals over a full band. Everything I read indicates the Behr active speakers are shit and will bowl out on you, clip at not-too-high volumes, etc.
If you've got a carver power amp, why not use it to power your PA speakers. If its too low power, then looks at some other makes. People say the Carvins are pretty good - and they sell direct. Rather than waste your money on more shit gear that will be worthless to you in 6 months, consider renting a PA system for your gigs.

Oh - and find a friend with a truck or van! He instantly becomes your 'road manager', you give him a cut and all the beers he wants!

 

[CoolCat]

I got back on this task, thinking the same thing.

Then I realized I have other options, that maybe some Passives off this Carver Amp which is pro-quality.

Used Passives versus New Passives.

Theres Behringer Passives $142 each...and JBL EON Passives starting at $340 each....and a Pair of some large JBL at $350 pair on CL.

then I have another rack amp laying around 200watt bridged mono, could be used for a monitor for the drummer....

Been readin so many reviews, Live Sound.... Behringer gets tempting because its soo cheap. They also state they take 1000watts! which I'm skeptical about. All the other pro names state approx 250watts 500 peak etc... or 100watt continuous 4OO peak...but Behringer states 1000 watts!!! $140!!!


Theres new Cerwin Vega passive for $299 each..... as I see this pa "growing" already, and I'm just started, I think I will have to go passive just because I have two power amps already paid for. and a rack Reverb / Delay and a Yammie little MG10/2.

The band was already talking of monitors and playing some medium sized venue outside in April.

Size of cabs is a concern too because as I stated, no transportation van or trucks.

 

[Bobbsy]

The Behringer live stuff is actually okay. I might personally prefer the passive speakers and a separate amp but that's just detail. However, for the money they sound okay and work reliably as long as you don't push them harder than they're designed for.

Even in a small venue, you're going to need two speakers to get adequate coverage. Speakers are rated for horizontal and vertical coverage and a single speaker is only going to cover part of the room horizontally. Working in mono doesn't mean a single speaker, just the same thing coming out of both/every speaker.

For pure voice, 10 or 12 inch is perfect. Anything bigger gives extra bass at the expense of clarity on vocals.

I'd just add a second of the same, then (if you decide you need more/better) do a jump to spending a fair bit more.

 

[CoolCat]

thanks for the inputs.

i just got done hooking up the "rack" again....its been re-maneuvered several times the past days.

I decided I'm going Passive but the rack is going to be "color coded" for simplicity as the guys dont like messing with cables.

due to the variable sizes of gigs, the monitoring issue came up even before we got a 2 speaker pa working!; the gigs are proceeding the gear at this point.

I just sold something on Ebay and the moneys coming back to my account so this allows a little help too.

I have a call in CL for two old JBLs, and will swap out the Behringer Active today or tomorrow for Passives, or see if I can find some good used passives at GC and work something out.

This setup feels right...amp+passives and a seperate amp for a monitor which I can use this Radio Shack cab, which has held up really well the past few years from severe Band abuse! they sound pretty good too....they have a red cone flex and I wonder if these arent Cerwin Vegas under the Radio Shack name brand...

 

[mjbphotos]

If you go to GC to check out their used stuff, beware of Harbinger speakers, they seem to always have these kicking around the live room used for real cheap - you get what you pay for, by the reviews I've read. You keep mentioning no van, but these types of speakers will fit easily in a car's back seat (unless you're driving one of them new mini cars like Versa or Fit, I guess). We moved most of my band's stuff with 2 VW Bugs for our first high school gig!

 

[CoolCat]

2 VW's...yikes!!!

This rack and passives setup should work, I'm listening to your inputs...and appreciate it.
three small speakers and a 24x24x30 rack box should fit in the back seat. with a combo guitar amp and guitar. the bass player and drums will have to be car #2.

Looks like I will need Stands.... so I might go guy buy one more stand. Take back the Active Behringer.

I'll probably have to spend about $80 on 2 stands......then keep searching for a couple speakers.

Simplicity- all they have to do is plug in speakers and plug in a mic, stuff the crap in the rack-mount case, and go. That was a good $20 for that old rack case.

Passives?
RadioShack leads the bottom at $89 each, Behringer Passives lead the bottom at $142 each new, then its up to $200 and on and on.... and the RS is what they been screaming in for about 3yrs and feedbacking through and it still sounds like new, which, though it doesnt have the clarity, is a damn tough speaker imo. Its a 15" with Tweeters...

The Behringer Active had a lot more clarity. Is it the 12" that cleaned up the vocals, I wonder?

Vocals only will assume 8,10,12 is best? Any experience on this....physics shows the small cone can move faster/higher freq responsive..probably lean to a 10 or 12.

off to GC. no one from CL called back.
There is a set of EV for $125 each with 100watt rating? I understand some of the wattage ratings, but the live sound speakers seems to confuse me, what are the materials in the speaker that makes it, a 100watt or a 500 watt or a 800 watt speaker?
The magnet?

 

[CoolCat]

I have another question-

For 2qty front PA cabs:

Is it better to go bridged 1200watts and "daisy chain" the other PA speaker cabinet, or
send two cables out from the power amp, Left 450watt to a speaker and the Right 450watt to the other speaker?

This will be a mono setup, vocal's only.

 

[CoolCat]

So far this is the PA power and mixer.

Yammie MG10/2-

Yammie Out A- to a Digitech 24bit Effects unit Reverbs/Doubling/Delays etc-> to the Carver amp to 2qty PA speakers.

Yammie Out B- to a Altec Lansing 9441A 200watt bridged for the drummers monitor.


I also found a Samson SCOM1 dual comp/gate/enhancer etc...for $40 I'll get later this evening.

Colorcoded the setup for the musicians.

 

[CoolCat]

Here's the setup so far- pretty cool... small Yammie MG10/2 feeding the FX unit, and Carver to Main PA, and the C/R out of the Yammie feeing the AltecLansing poweramp for the drummers monitor.



Found a small gig using one pa speaker.(someone elses speaker in this pic..)
Coming up are some outdoor gigs so more power and speakers are needed.

also- color coded simplicity and some homemade Switchcraft....

 

[mjbphotos]

If its easy to bridge the amp for the A, go that way, but make sure you do it right, and consider you may have 'hot' outlet plugs when you do this.

All things considered, how do you have the stage set up? Where is the amp and mixer in relationship to the speakers? Where is it easiest and safest to run the cables?

 

[CoolCat]

edit: Ok so thats back to Bridged and only one less cable! a bonus for simplicity!
yes I got a good grasp on that wiring etc.. now, off the other thread mixsit's, Carver amp 350 had a good drawing on hook up.

its seeming to feel solid and simple. very good...thanks. I think I'm done for now, only a couple speakers to get and this will have to be good enuff for awhile.


I dont go to the gigs, so the stages vary greatly.
Most I assume are average bar-size probably 24ft by 24ft, some are small house parties, and some are outdoors with 300-500 people.

One outdoor coming up is a large venue with Everclear headlining, using a bunch of stages. They will really need something for this.

Often the club has a PA, and with a lot of gigs with multiple bands they can share.

But they need one of their own for solo-gigs...and thats where this goal is.

So, no one has even used this setup yet, not sure where they'll place it? They dont have a sound guy...