Help! Need a cheap PA for band practice!

Jupiter · #1 03-07-2005, 04:37 AM

Hey guys!

Just hoping to find a little help here... my band needs a PA to use for vocals during our practices. We really don't need anything ultra fancy or with top of the line audio quality, just something LOUD and clean. We're typically an extremely loud band, so whatever we get needs to be powerful... We're all college age guys, so we're not looking to spend more than a couple hundred dollars.
Any suggestions? What all brands should we look for, and how many watts and speakers should we expect to need? Also, we plan to buy a used PA off of ****, so any links to well-priced auctions would be excellent! Any help is appreciated!
Thanks!

kennydoe · #2 03-07-2005, 10:06 AM

how many mics will be plugged into the PA? With this stuff, you'll get what you pay for. don't go too cheap becuase you'll be very disappointed. ALso, a singer singing thru a bad PA risks vocal damage because they're trying to compensate for the shortcomings of the system. (i.e. screaming, rather than singing)

~K

whatshisname · #3 03-07-2005, 10:35 AM

Kennydoe is right- Don't go too cheap, because you'll regret it. Unless you get lucky somehow, you're going to need to spend a LOT more than a couple hundred dollars.

frankfalbo · #4 03-07-2005, 12:17 PM

Might I suggest a nice headphone amp? It could serve as vocal monitors for all of you. Then, since you said you're a loud band, the headphones might serve to protect your hearing a little. That way you won't keep spending money on bigger, louder amps as your hearing deteriorates.

Jupiter · #5 03-07-2005, 03:51 PM

Thanks for the help, guys, keep it coming!
We'll mostly only be using it for one mic with vocals. At the most, we may use two or three if we want to do some backups.
As for the hearing loss aspect, we wear protective earplugs while we practice, so hopefully that'll help us out a little!
It has been suggested to me that we use a "powered speaker"... pardon my ignorance, but what is that? Would it be a good option for us?

kennydoe · #6 03-07-2005, 04:15 PM

if you're only using one mic, a powered speaker would be the way to go. I have a JBL EON G3 that has one mic input and two 1/4" inputs with a high & low EQ.

i think it may have been a bit more than you want to spend though.

A powered speaker just means that there's an amp built into it, so you you don't need an external one. i.e. you buy one thing instead of two plus wires.

Things to look for in any powered speaker...how much wattage? (you'll need at least 200-300 for a loud band)...how many inputs and are they XLR, 1/4" or some combination of the above...it should some sort of EQ on it, even if it's just a basic one...and for a vocal PA, you definitely want something with a horn as well as a speaker.

hope this helps.

~K

Rotti · #7 03-07-2005, 04:28 PM

Something like this http://www.behringer.com/B300/index.cfm?lang=ENG

kennydoe · #8 03-07-2005, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rotti

Something like this http://www.behringer.com/B300/index.cfm?lang=ENG

This looks perfect for you....on paper (or screen, as it were), but be careful...Harmony central reviews all say about the same thing...decent sound, but completely unreliable...and capped off by poor customer service at Behringer.

~K

Rotti · #9 03-07-2005, 05:45 PM

Poor customer service is a very good reason to look elsewhere. I'd be willing to pay more to buy from a company with excellent customer service.

Azrael · #10 03-07-2005, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rotti

Poor customer service is a very good reason to look elsewhere. I'd be willing to pay more to buy from a company with excellent customer service.

Yeah , sure but he doesn't have more money so that's not an option right?

Leary · #11 03-07-2005, 10:05 PM

Check out the Yorkville/Alto stuff. Cheap like Behringer but a way better warranty. Lots of it here.

http://www.directproaudio.com/

kennydoe · #12 03-07-2005, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rotti

Poor customer service is a very good reason to look elsewhere. I'd be willing to pay more to buy from a company with excellent customer service.

I'd settle for less-than-great customer service if the product i bought didn't have a poor track record.

Combining unreliable product with poor customer service is a bad idea...at any price. It will end up costing more in the long run.

~K