Hi all,
I'm new to this forum, and very novice on this topic in general so I appreciate any advice you can give in advance (and apologize for any missing details or misunderstandings in my post).
In short: I have a Roland V-drums (TD-50) kit that I use for practice in my house, and currently play almost exclusively though headphones. Recently, I've been considering playing out a bit (bar/restaurant type situations, so relatively small rooms). I'm trying to figure out how is best to amplify my kit so I can achieve overall good quality drum sound (doesn't have to be pro level quality though) and I'm specifically interested in making sure the thump of the kick drum and floor toms come though in the sound (not playing heavy rock/metal so I don't need the kick to be eardrum shattering), just a nice round thump.
I currently have a small EON206P Personal PA system system that I've used for playing music at small house parties, that I'm kind of hoping I may be able to utilize to some extent. However, the EON206Ps really lack any low end, and the kick sounds terrible though just those speakers.
I'm considering 2 options (although open to any suggestions):
1) Buy a powered subwoofer that I can run off a separate out from the TD-50 module to round out the low end, and rely on my current JBL EPON2016 to provide the mid-highs.
2) Buy a slightly more all-purpose speaker that will add more low end, but also provide some support in the mid-range and overall amplification.
I'm trying to keep the budget under a max of $700 max for the final solution.
For Option 1 I've come across a few different subwoofers online:
1.)Mackie Thump 18S - $699 US
2.) Harbinger VARI V2318S 18" 2,400W Powered Subwoofer - $599 US
3.) JBL EON618S - $699 US
For Option 2 the options I'm considering are:
1.) Mackie Thump 15A 15 in. Powered Loudspeaker - $349 US
2.) JBL EON615 - $399 US
My main questions for anyone who is willing to give their input on this are:
1) Does the Option 1 solution with a subwoofer paired with my current EPON2016 personal make sense or does this seem weird to add a powerful subwoofer to a very underpowered personal PA system? Again, I only need enough sound for a small room with 20-30 people, but want to make sure I can get a little tump from the kick drum.
2.) In Option 2, do others think that the 15" powered speaker options that I linked to would have enough low end to provide the desired kick drum thump?
3.) Are there other speaker options/combinations that I haven't mentioned that would achieve the desires result in the same basic price range? I do want to stick to relatively reputable & quality manufacturers (not looking for total low-end band/quality just to keep the price down).
Thank you very much for any input you can provide and please let know if there are any other details or missing info I can fill in!
Cheers,
Nick
I'm new to this forum, and very novice on this topic in general so I appreciate any advice you can give in advance (and apologize for any missing details or misunderstandings in my post).
In short: I have a Roland V-drums (TD-50) kit that I use for practice in my house, and currently play almost exclusively though headphones. Recently, I've been considering playing out a bit (bar/restaurant type situations, so relatively small rooms). I'm trying to figure out how is best to amplify my kit so I can achieve overall good quality drum sound (doesn't have to be pro level quality though) and I'm specifically interested in making sure the thump of the kick drum and floor toms come though in the sound (not playing heavy rock/metal so I don't need the kick to be eardrum shattering), just a nice round thump.
I currently have a small EON206P Personal PA system system that I've used for playing music at small house parties, that I'm kind of hoping I may be able to utilize to some extent. However, the EON206Ps really lack any low end, and the kick sounds terrible though just those speakers.
I'm considering 2 options (although open to any suggestions):
1) Buy a powered subwoofer that I can run off a separate out from the TD-50 module to round out the low end, and rely on my current JBL EPON2016 to provide the mid-highs.
2) Buy a slightly more all-purpose speaker that will add more low end, but also provide some support in the mid-range and overall amplification.
I'm trying to keep the budget under a max of $700 max for the final solution.
For Option 1 I've come across a few different subwoofers online:
1.)Mackie Thump 18S - $699 US
2.) Harbinger VARI V2318S 18" 2,400W Powered Subwoofer - $599 US
3.) JBL EON618S - $699 US
For Option 2 the options I'm considering are:
1.) Mackie Thump 15A 15 in. Powered Loudspeaker - $349 US
2.) JBL EON615 - $399 US
My main questions for anyone who is willing to give their input on this are:
1) Does the Option 1 solution with a subwoofer paired with my current EPON2016 personal make sense or does this seem weird to add a powerful subwoofer to a very underpowered personal PA system? Again, I only need enough sound for a small room with 20-30 people, but want to make sure I can get a little tump from the kick drum.
2.) In Option 2, do others think that the 15" powered speaker options that I linked to would have enough low end to provide the desired kick drum thump?
3.) Are there other speaker options/combinations that I haven't mentioned that would achieve the desires result in the same basic price range? I do want to stick to relatively reputable & quality manufacturers (not looking for total low-end band/quality just to keep the price down).
Thank you very much for any input you can provide and please let know if there are any other details or missing info I can fill in!
Cheers,
Nick
I'm gonna suggest going with the JBL sub.
Mackie doesn't make reliable speakers anymore and no 15" PA speaker on a stand will ever produce as much thump as a dedicated sub, and given the options presented I think having a labels matching system has it's advantages.
None of these boxes will get anywhere remotely close to producing the hilariously inflated specs that are published so don't worry about the sub over powering the tops too much, it should be capable of a little more output anyway.
Mackie doesn't make reliable speakers anymore and no 15" PA speaker on a stand will ever produce as much thump as a dedicated sub, and given the options presented I think having a labels matching system has it's advantages.
None of these boxes will get anywhere remotely close to producing the hilariously inflated specs that are published so don't worry about the sub over powering the tops too much, it should be capable of a little more output anyway.
Thank you both for your advice!
Thats funny you say Mackie's quality isn't good. I've always associated Mackie with high-quality equipment (at least when I was gigging more regularly in the early 2000s), but I certainly don't follow PA electronics market very closely and clearly brands change over time...
I've read some reviews questioning JBLs quality as well, but its hard to know what that means when there is such a bias towards negative reviews and uninformed reviewers online.
Appreciate the input!
Thats funny you say Mackie's quality isn't good. I've always associated Mackie with high-quality equipment (at least when I was gigging more regularly in the early 2000s), but I certainly don't follow PA electronics market very closely and clearly brands change over time...
I've read some reviews questioning JBLs quality as well, but its hard to know what that means when there is such a bias towards negative reviews and uninformed reviewers online.
Appreciate the input!
As with most brands nowadays, there's a big difference between high-end Mackie and low-end Mackie.
Most brands realized there's a thriving home / hobby audience for "not very expensive" stuff and have stepped into that market.
A $200 Mackie isn't a $5000 Mackie.
Same for all the other brands.
To get "decent" quality, usually you have to skip on their low-end products.
Low-end products are all made to be cost-efficient, with parts supplied by the lowest bidder.
Unrelated but still funny : famous quote by John Glenn, third American to go into space:
“As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind - every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.”
Some thoughts:
- Make sure you can highpass the tiny PA system before buying the subwoofer. Otherwise, the 6.5" drivers will still be crunching along to the kick drum.
- The last Mackie Thump 15A speakers I heard had such a large midrange scoop that they made Guns 'N' Roses sound like the guitars were missing.
Chris
- Make sure you can highpass the tiny PA system before buying the subwoofer. Otherwise, the 6.5" drivers will still be crunching along to the kick drum.
- The last Mackie Thump 15A speakers I heard had such a large midrange scoop that they made Guns 'N' Roses sound like the guitars were missing.
Chris
I had a pair of Mackie Thump 12's and they both died despite never being used without a sub. I also have a set of SRM subs that both died repeatedly, there are several points in the amp module that are prone to failures and none of the replacement module are compatible so the only solutions is to fix the originals or completely replace the whole plate amp. The new SRM boxes sound awful, there has got to be something wrong with the design.. it's that bad. The last Mackie speakers to sound good and perform well were built pre Y2K, since then the company has gone through several owners and seems to have lost their speaker expertise.
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