How much speaker do you really need?

[Pano]

A silly question perhaps - but here's why I ask:

I'm a fan of big speakers, I like the way they sound. And I spent years in live sound with large systems.

But

The other night I was at a luau here on the south shore of Maui. Outdoors - of course - big open area with maybe 300 people seated at big rounds. Stage with its back to the ocean. No walls. Pretty much an all open air gig.
What was the sound system? Two Mackie powered speakers on sticks - that's it.

Just a horn and a 12" in a plastic box for all that space and all those people. Crazy, but it worked. The walk in music was at just the right level and the show was super easy to hear. 3 or 4 musiciens and a voice. No problem hearing them at all, and it never got overly loud.
Bass was even decent. Wow! Was I surprised!

I would have spec'd in a much bigger rig. My speakers at home at bigger. But the 2 powered Mackies seemed just right. Not the world's greatest Hi-Fi, no. But darn nice to listen to and loud enough.

A lot less speaker for the job than I would have thought.

[ruerose]

Those magic boxes are the best money spent for small churches or acoustic gigging musicians. In my very humble experience, I think the reason they do so well is the consistent and even dispertion they give. Without a lot of lobing i found them a dream for non-techies to set-up, use and mix with. Minimal feedback, great spread, and an unobtrusive sound.

Great for events under 200 or so people. (but can go further depending on the venue)

I am sure you DIY something close, but it would be hard to match the "full package" they offer.

I did not find the JBL equivalents as good when I was comparing them over a few weeks

[Graham Maynard]

Bet your own speakers would also sound better outdoors !
(No room based interferences.)

In fact this is a promise I have made to myself, to take my own loudspeakers outside to listen to them, when they are finished.

Portable music - outdoor OB - have some good pre-digital memories.

Cheers ......... Graham.

[Andy G]

It all comes down to knowing the limits of the system you have and working within the system and requirements of the gig.

For some gigs, a 12" or 15" + horn is perfectly adequate, but just a small step upward in loudness or coverage, and things can start to get a bit more serious.

[Cal Weldon]

I'm not allowed to answer this question.

[Pano]

I did say NEED, Cal. :P

Yeah, I used the JBL powered speakers for years - the 10s and the 15s. The 10s were pretty good, never cared much for the 15s. These Mackies seemed much better. Very surprising the coverage from a 12+horn.

Well yes Graham, my speakers might sound even better, used in the same conditions. But shootz! The little plastic Mackies did really, really, well.

Certainly not rock concert levels, but that was part of what was so nice - just enough SPL. I should have gone over to compliment the sound guy.

Maybe my next speaker will be a 12+horn.
What drivers do Mackie use?

[RJ]

12+Horn, Hmmm. I'm researching a 10" 100db with Horn...
Same reason you described above.

[GM]

It's all about polar response in that the wider the listening area for a given listening distance, the smaller the woofer needs to be and why larger woofers are typically needed in HIFI/HT apps to keep early reflections down below our acute hearing BW.

GM

[Doug Kim]

Originally posted by Graham Maynard
Bet your own speakers would also sound better outdoors !
(No room based interferences.)

In fact this is a promise I have made to myself, to take my own loudspeakers outside to listen to them, when they are finished.

Portable music - outdoor OB - have some good pre-digital memories.

Cheers ......... Graham.

That is so true.
I remember about 15 years ago, one of my crazy audiophile friends did a "live performance without performers", it was simply a demonstration of his audio gears at a big concert hall. The sound from some of the gears I was using was fantastic.
---> The listening environment matters most.

But the problem is, buying a $$$ high-end gears is just nothing compared to buying a big house with spacious listening room and treating it for acoustics. It's $$$$$$$$.

Doug

[thoriated]

The other night I was at a luau here on the south shore of Maui. Outdoors - of course - big open area with maybe 300 people seated at big rounds. Stage with its back to the ocean. No walls. Pretty much an all open air gig. What was the sound system? Two Mackie powered speakers on sticks - that's it.

I'm guessing their bass duties were rather light, as opposed to home speakers which have to recreate the entire performance with low distortion.