PA Volume???...Help Please

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Antz_Marchin

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Is a small 80 Watt Pa (Kustom) gonna put out at much volume as say an 80 Watt Acoustic guitar amp or is it different since it's split to two cabinets??? I'm looking to a bar/coffee house PA for a guitar and 1/2 mics. Do you think that an 80 Watt will be enough or is there a need for me to step it up to 100W for about $60 on a tight budet?? Thanks....... BJ
 
:cool: An excellent question: the best way is to audition each one to hear how it sounds. TAKE HEED; some amps are more EFFICIANT than others, 80 watts from a Kustom may not be as loud as a Fender or Marshall. Even within the same manufacturer there can be a major difference. The 100 watt may not be as loud as the 80watt because the 100 watt may be driving bigger speakers in the cabnet.
What is the SPL of each cabnet? This can help in determinating the "loudness" of a particular amp/cab.
Listen to several units before making a decision.



da MUTT
 
Hey Mutt, thanks for the help. I'm gonna try to get to somewhere to try these out but I don't think anybody near me carries them. I'm in Canada and was checking out Online stores here who want $680 for the 100 Watt one which is why I want to get it on ebay for under about $280US. I just need to know if they will be suitable for say a 100-150 person bar or a small coffee house? I can't find SPL ratings but maybe if I leave you links to see them, you can let me know what you think ....Thank very much.. BJ

80W
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2521001422&category=3278

100W
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2519839708&category=23794
 
When comparing 'like for like' systems, doubling the amplifier power gets you I think, another 3db in output.
In general, doubling the speakers gets you more of an increase (to a certain point -untill the amp poops out).
For a given wattage, the most volume gains to be had are in higher speaker effiency, and not having to handle the bass end. For voice and guitar at moderate volumes, a true* 80 - 100 watts should be fine.
Wayne

* Rember the "200 Watt" amp ratings that were for 1ms at 1000hz @ 20% distortion?:D :D Hopefully there not alowing that kind of BS any more.
 
Try to find some powered JBL Eons. They will blow away the Kustoms and recently the 15" were selling for $400 each new. You should be able to find some on Ebay.
 
Whats the deal with those eons......no Mixer?? there are XLR jacks in the actual speaker so do I plug the mic into 1 and the connect the second speaker to the first?? Sorry just not sure hoe to get a couple mics and a guitar hooked up and EQ's with no mixer. BJ
 
you guys need to consider someones budget if you really wanna help them out......
 
:( BJ I was not too impressed with the 100watt systems specs. No specs on the 80 watt system, although gut feeling is go with that one. Is there anywhere near your home to shop and audition a few more systems? If not, Go for this one, I hope it works for you, Are you mostly accoustic in performance?



da MUTT
 
Antz_Marchin said:
Whats the deal with those eons......no Mixer?? there are XLR jacks in the actual speaker so do I plug the mic into 1 and the connect the second speaker to the first?? Sorry just not sure hoe to get a couple mics and a guitar hooked up and EQ's with no mixer. BJ
Click to expand...

You would need some type of mixer then, sorry. Even a little cheapie Behringer mixer would be better than most PA Heads. There are two generations of Eons. The older gray ones are pretty cheap now and the newer black ones are more pricey.
 
From experience I'd say spend a fef extra bucks and go for a slightly larger PA. Don't get more than you want to haul around but do get a system that will do what you need it to. I've played in places with a "house PA" that really sucked so having a decent PA fo your own is vital. Don't forget you will need a couple of good stage mics and an acoustic guitar processor, most PAs dont carry acoustic guitar well without a processor. Like others have said, shop around and chech out several systems before you buy. After all, its your money and you know what you want and need. Good luck.
 
First off, how important is sound quality for the coffee house(s) you'll be performing at? Are the audience members critical listeners? If it's pretty informal and you're not playing that many songs, the 80 watt kustom should be just fine. You won't need a guitar processor or anything fancy because your audience won't be able to tell the difference anyway. You don't need a separate mixer either because it probably won't make much of a difference on that setup. Regardless of what a lot of people say, the Kustom WILL work as long as it doesn't catch fire or anything like that.

On the otherhand, if you need high quality sound, you'll have to pay a lot more ($2000+). Here's an example setup, aka mine: 2 JBL eon 1500s, Crown CE1000 power amp, Avalon U5 DI, Souncraft E12 Mixer, TC Electronic M300 for reverb.

Another option is to get a Guitar Amp in the $2-300 range, and a small mixer. Before I got my current setup, I used a Crate CA-30 amp. It has two inputs, so you could send the guitar into one, and the output of the mixer into the other. I sold my Crate on ebay awhile back for $170. It wasn't screaming loud, but loud enough for small venues. The drawback to this is that it probably won't be as good for the vocals as the PA, but the guitar will definitely sound better.
 
Cool thank guys.......I'm gonna try to figure something out. I'm hoping to have it all set by late May but we'll see what happens. I know that there are much better options out there as far as set up goes but I just wanna get out and play more and not have to be limited to places with their own PA. I'm getting the highest quality stuff I can afford as far as mics and such, which I think I'm actually doing ok with but the PA is what's gonna have to take the hit for now since it's such a big expense. Thanks ......BJ

PS......not gonna get one right now but what kind of acoustic guitar processor was it that you guys were mentioning??....Price Range??
 
My Avalon U5 is my acoustic guitar processor and it ran me $450 new, shipped with tax and stuff from an ebay store. They run about $575 at guitar center. There are other decent DI boxes for less, such as the presonous acoustiQ or whatever... those run about $200. Do not get the Yamaha AG stomp by any means because it sucks.
 
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