Yeah, I already have a DCX2496, so going active is an option, but was leaning towards the simplicity of fixed crossovers in the cabinets. There is something to be said for biamping though for sure. 4 pole speakons and cables make that a lot easier than it used to be.
Yes I'd agree....DSP and Amps are so cheap these days that it hardly seems worth messing with passive. You can also put a tiny amp on the highs and be fine. Spend your money on current for the lows.
I do want to reiterate though.....The absolute cheapest way to do this is to buy a big amp and a pile of Chinese passive boxes. We used to rent DJ's a QSC RMX2450 and 8-American DJ 15" and a horn and they always came back smiling. Eight of those things on that amp will absolutely rip your head off, and you don't really need sub because you've got 8-15's. Our dealer cost on that setup was less than $1500 IIRC. One of those iNuke 6000 4-channels would work great with that type of setup.
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Well, I'm not a SQ queen, BUT I'm not convinced I can't at least match the quality of a QSC K12 or EV higher end powered box with a DIY <$300 cabinet. I just built 2 PAL12 subs and they will absolutely blow the doors off of a sub like a Yorkie LS801 for 1/2 the price. I'm thinking I can do the same with tops. I'd like to hit a price point around $300/cabinet with quality up around the K12 or higher end EV or Yamaha poletop actives. I mainly do weddings and corporate so the looks and sound are both important factors, not just SPL.
Absolute cheapest isn't the ultimate goal, but a balance between chinese crap and top end portable. I also like to DIY
Possible?
Well, I'm not a SQ queen, BUT I'm not convinced I can't at least match the quality of a QSC K12 or EV higher end powered box with a DIY <$300 cabinet. I just built 2 PAL12 subs and they will absolutely blow the doors off of a sub like a Yorkie LS801 for 1/2 the price. I'm thinking I can do the same with tops. I'd like to hit a price point around $300/cabinet with quality up around the K12 or higher end EV or Yamaha poletop actives. I mainly do weddings and corporate so the looks and sound are both important factors, not just SPL.
Absolute cheapest isn't the ultimate goal, but a balance between chinese crap and top end portable. I also like to DIY
Possible?
OK I'm with you....If you want to get in the ballpark of the K12, which I'm familiar with, you are going to have to probably go active x-over and EQ, and also you will need to pay special attention to your crossover frequency and waveguide combination. Those boxes pay special attention to directivity through the crossover region. I would consider the SEOS-12 waveguide, which I think are pretty great....The Pyle/JBL unit is pretty good as well(and super cheap). You can still stick to the Dayton drivers. You are looking at a crossover of 1.5kHz or below....the lower the better. The Meyer UPA-1P crosses over at 1K.
One of the suggestions was meant to convey the idea of using whatever affordable components are chosen in a vertical arrangement, where the ear is far less sensitive to combing. The Ramsdell systems were mentioned as visual examples only. The other suggestion was meant to minimize destructive interference in the horizontal. For instance, if you have 3 splayed tops per side, the 2 outside boxes could carry vocals & drums, while the center on each side could cover all else. A beer budget system doesn't have to sound that way....
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we should be united by a common interest not divided...
jarvissound for all we know a bunch of cheap boxes could break the budget.
and if nikmartin is trying to make his target of 300 a box, components alone, no labour factored in means that it's less than beer budget, it's more like stale flat draft.
jarvissound for all we know a bunch of cheap boxes could break the budget.
and if nikmartin is trying to make his target of 300 a box, components alone, no labour factored in means that it's less than beer budget, it's more like stale flat draft.
In this exercise I'm looking at landed component cost only, as anyone that built this project will have their own hourly rate for DIY to figure in. For me, if it can been refined to meet the project goals, my rate + component cost should still far surpass the plastibox quality of the mid-range line from each manufacturer (QSC, Yamaha, Peavy, Alto, etc)
Agreed, upon reading other suggestions, sticking with a 90x40 horn and flipping the top box in the stack to couple the horns together sounds like an easy enough thing to do to help minimize comb effects. A simple pole socket in the top of each cabinet and a short section of speaker pole should keep them lined up and prevent the top one from vibrating off.
Agreed
I think you may be right. I've been sensitive to the high cutoff of the woofer, but the 15" Dayton PA380 looks usable up to around 2k, getting very beamy past that. If I can find a CD/Horn combo that will go down to 1.5k and still have decent power handling, That might be a better option for output and the lows when not using subs.
I've sold myself on active being better than passive cabinets from a flexibility standpoint. Since I already own the speaker management unit, an amp for the highs like an iNuke 1000 is < $150
So are you building something like this project? Are you using the PE Knockdown trap cabs?
I've got a few other priorities for my DJ system right now, but these are my next project I think.
Yah a $60 compression driver that crosses down to 1k with good power handling would be great. The titanium dome Dayton's will, but at a cost of an 18k upper extension, which in truly mobile PA systems is not really a problem. I know the SQ crew would get out their pitchforks, but nobody listening to a mobile pa can or will expect to hear anything up between 18 and 20k anyway, except hiss. �� I think that may be my choice. Now to find a good 90x40 CD waveguide for < $20
The fact that I can get my new PAL12's into the bed of my pickup myself with some cardboard across the tailgate to minimize scratching was a key factor in going with the PAL12 vs the TH18. I don't think I could lift it, and the PAL12 is tall enough to just tilt back against the tailgate and lift/slide it in.
Yeah that might be a reason to switch down the line but for now I am making a leap of faith....the PAL12 is also a much simpler build....worst case is I can rent a trailer on occasion when I would need to transport and use rain as the excuse....I am not currently planning on using this for paid gigs, just for the occasional party here and there.
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