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View Full Version : Good PA System under $1k?

BishopGuitarist
11-09-2005, 05:35 PM
Well, the band and I are in the market for a PA system to facilitate our impending performance needs, but it seems impossible to find anything decent on Music123 or MusiciansFriend. We're looking for something loud enough for small to medium sized venues, and under $1,000. Do any of you have any suggestions?
slpntrx5
11-09-2005, 06:00 PM
no f*ckin clue sorry dude...
isojoe420
11-09-2005, 06:51 PM
What is the PA going to be used for?(what are you running through it) How big are the venues you are playing? (how many people)
BishopGuitarist
11-09-2005, 09:04 PM
What is the PA going to be used for?(what are you running through it) How big are the venues you are playing? (how many people)

Vocals, mic'd amp for electric drums (or directly in), maybe synth (either direct or a mic'd keyboard amp to spread the volume and bring it up to par).

~25-50 people might be the norm, but we're looking for something that could do like ~50-75 people shows as well, just in case.
isojoe420
11-09-2005, 10:49 PM
I'm not sure you would be able to get a "good" system for your vocals, drums, and keyboard with a budget of $1000. But don't go cheap like I did. I learned my lesson. You will end up wasting more money in the long run.

You looking for monitors in your setup also?
BishopGuitarist
11-10-2005, 01:04 AM
I'm not sure you would be able to get a "good" system for your vocals, drums, and keyboard with a budget of $1000. But don't go cheap like I did. I learned my lesson. You will end up wasting more money in the long run.

You looking for monitors in your setup also?

No monitors. If you could recommend a PA system (even over $1k) for what we're looking for, what would it be?
James_666
11-10-2005, 01:32 AM
It should be easy to find one that can perform for that small a crowd. I use an ancient Carvin Pa and 2 peavey speakers that is probably worth less than 400 dollars total and it does the job for over 100 people. My band also just bought a Kustom PA for vocals thats on MF for about 400 dollars, if you give me your e mail address I can give you a short overview of it and you can ask questions if you like. Just e mail me at back_in_black101@msn.com if you're interested. Good luck Bishop :thumb:
isojoe420
11-10-2005, 01:33 AM
A setup like this would do you good and allow for room to grow.

Speakers:
Peavey PV215's (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=live/s=speakers/search/detail/base_pid/601388/) - These dual 15 inch cabinets are nice. I own a pair. Good bang for the buck!
JBL JRX125's (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=live/s=amps/search/detail/base_pid/600431/c_lv=1/) - If you are willing to pay the extra cash, I've heard good things about these dual 15 inch cabinets.

Power Amp:
QSC RMX2450 (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=live/s=amps/search/detail/base_pid/481565/) - QSC makes solid power amps. This would supply sufficient power to those cabinets.

For a mixer, I would recommend getting a yamaha, mackie, or peavey. There are other good brands too. Get more channels than you need now for more room to grow. Behringer mixers are also an option. I have used there small Eurorack mixers and it did the job quite well. Some people will tell you to avoid them, but I think they are ok. You could also go with a powered mixer. The Yamaha EMX5000 is a great mixer with a decent amount of power and a good price.

You could go with a similar single 15" cabinet system with less power also. I am recommending you go for more power for that nice clean sound, and yet again, more room to grow. A single 15" cabinet system with 300-500 watts a side could get you by for now, because you aren't playing that big of a shows. I recommended the dual 15" cabinets because you said you were going to run an electric drumset and keys. Those things would eat up alot of headroom. Those dual 15" inch cabinets are 3-way. The horns for highs, the middle 15 for mids, and the bottom one for lows. With the extra 15, you would be able to get more oomph from your drums and keys.



Good Luck!
PremierManiac
11-11-2005, 11:36 PM
Try building your speakers to save some money to buy a good amp and mixer. Just go to a company website (I know Peavey and Carvin have this) and order raw speaker parts. I would also check ebay for a PA.
Bryan Blakey
11-12-2005, 01:48 AM
Yeah man you can get a really nice one for like $750-$800 probably. My band got a decent one for $240 but I wouldn't reccommend it if you're willing to spend more, we were on a really tight budget.
isojoe420
11-12-2005, 01:39 PM
Try building your speakers to save some money to buy a good amp and mixer. Just go to a company website (I know Peavey and Carvin have this) and order raw speaker parts. I would also check ebay for a PA.
Ebay could definatley be an option. Good stuff at a good price.

Yeah man you can get a really nice one for like $750-$800 probably. My band got a decent one for $240 but I wouldn't reccommend it if you're willing to spend more, we were on a really tight budget.
You couldn't get much of a PA for $240. If you wanted to go the cheaper route with your amp and mixer and just buy for what you need now, you could always do the Behringer thing. Like I said, I don't see anything wrong with there mixers, and I have heard good things about there amps. But make sure you get good quality speakers.

Since you don't need monitors in your setup, I think you could get a system for around $1000 or even under if you just buy for what you need now.