First of all if there is another thread on this - apologies!!!

We are all good at talking about system problems and issues etc but i was curious who has a really positive opinion and experience on the system(s)they are using? It would also would serve as a pointer to users and buyers out there who can benefit from actual user experience "in the field".

Im thinking mainly band PA's in pubs and clubs as thats the kind of gig a lot of us do, i guessm but anything goes. Is there a system you use thats the Dogs B**** and gets the job done well???

I use a borrowed EV Sxa360/Sba760 in my band which does the job but as i said in another thread, its harsh. A&H wizard 16/3 i love tho'!!

HK audio actor, deakon and projectors are very nice, and dB fifty line rigs are equally nice, pretty good for clubs/pubs but the expensive side.

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Live Sound and Studio Engineer

Quote Paul Supersonix Studios:

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HK audio actor, deakon and projectors are very nice, and dB fifty line rigs are equally nice, pretty good for clubs/pubs but the expensive side.

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Well, I've just got back in after a "pub" gig, using HK Actor DX, A&H GL2400/24, LA Audio and ART GFX, Lexicon delay/verb, HK D.A.R.T monitors and LA Audio/Drawmer gates and comps, and the venue tells me that the band got the best sound ever heard there. As many venues tell us.

But then, venues hear mostly Mackie... nasty stuff.

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[url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/hifi-studios/117322741632389[/url]

I really think i will have to audition a HK Actor DX. Its been on my to do list for a while. I like the format too.

The Allen Heath Mixwiz series are hard to beat for a small rack mount mixer.

For floor wedges we use RCF 310-A. They are very powerful and really lightweight and tiny. Great for vocal monitors when space is an issue.

FOH we have used that sounded really good includes JBL (SRX700 and PRX), Nexo and RCF. Lightweight and good sound when you play AND haul is great for ears and back.

HB

i did a gig with an HK deacon rig and the only spare desk i had at the time, a behringer SL2442FX pro!!! and the venue and band said it was the best sound they have had, just shows its not all that bad, but just how good hk stuff is!

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Live Sound and Studio Engineer

yeah the RCF stuff is supposed to sound great. Love to hear the TT line but way beyond my budget unfortunately

I think there is a certain (ego?)psychology in having a ground stack per side a la HK Actor DX . We all love PA to look the biz out front dont we?(even if its not cool to admit it) and it is part of the busines game. Where HK score is that its easy, off the shelf, pre-configured and despite a rep for being a bit flimsy, it looks cool and sounds good for price. Cant help thinking the competition is missing a sales opportunity! Of course get ins/outs as a one man band is always a leveller when buying bigger bits of kit. I once ran an EAW KF650's/SB600 system on my own....ouch......heavy!

dB technologies are a good rival to HK, the fifty line system is very very nice.

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Live Sound and Studio Engineer

A HK Actor DX cost about £4500. Then a RCF (2xArt522+8002sub) or JBL (PRX 2xtop+sub) system is probably better (for sound and portability) than the HK Actor DX at the same price/power point. Lighter and better quality drivers and components in general. The HK is a decent looking system but it has been around for some years now and the technology is a bit dated. If you by new stuff my advice would be to get something that wasn't hot ten years ago. Especially at that price. It is not bad tho if you can get a good deal. And it's big and heavy! But the best way would be to go and listen.

HB

I'm new to live sound and PA stuff, looking at maybe buying a kit, not really for my use, but I'd like to help out some friends who are muso's and i've been recording demos for them and am thinking of maybe getting some gear together to help them get a better sound across when they're playing in pubs etc ..... at the moment they rely on whatever system is in place at the pub or wherever ....

Been reading this thread with interest, and although i'd really like to wack out the wedge on the HK Actor DX or similar I was wondering what all your thoughts were on this system in comparision:-

LINK

Many thanks ...

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www.BandSoundHire.com
PA Hire in Brighton, Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

IMHO carlsbro stuff is nasty, really nasty, and its quoted at 4kw which is really unrealistic! have you heard how the system sounds? for £2500 you can do better!

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Live Sound and Studio Engineer

the Fohhn stuff sounds good too as does D&B E series. Pricey tho'....

Take a look at www.thomann.de, they have a few cheaper systems that are supposed to be ok.

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Cheers, Ben Gummery, Techie

Carlsbro sound cheap and NASTY. Different world to the stuff being discussed as decent on this thread. Avoid!

Lol, well that put that choice well and truly to rest ... found the HK actor DX for £3800, so getting cheaper, will take a look on the Thomann site, see whats on there.

Thanks for all your inputs ...

Edited by Boston Green (06/01/08 11:23 PM)

Quote Humble Bee:

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The HK is a decent looking system but it has been around for some years now and the technology is a bit dated. If you by new stuff my advice would be to get something that wasn't hot ten years ago.

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Except that the DX is not the same as the original Actor - it's been out for aroud 2 years in current format.

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[url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/hifi-studios/117322741632389[/url]

Sadly found out today that not only have Celestion quit making the venerable and much loved (at least by me) SR series of PA boxes, they are out of the speaker enclosure business altogether and are only doing chassis speakers now.
Shows how well I keep my finger on the pulse!
There are however a number of the SR4 controllers to be had at bargain prices at present.
PM me if interested

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Me? But I`m such a loveable old bugger!

Best ?!? well have done thousands of gigs using the dynacord (EV) P5 system with the PM controller amps.....

4x18's and 2 15x2's

2.6k straight out of the box. sounds great for pubs and clubs get a 2nd hand one now for around 3.8k sterling. thats 6 boxes leads and controller amp check dynacord.de for details...

chech out the new fohnn stuff too

Quote IvanSC:

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Sadly found out today that not only have Celestion quit making the venerable and much loved (at least by me) SR series of PA boxes, they are out of the speaker enclosure business altogether and are only doing chassis speakers now.
Shows how well I keep my finger on the pulse!
There are however a number of the SR4 controllers to be had at bargain prices at present.
PM me if interested

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OMG !
LOL. Ivan....bring out your dead.


P.S. Bose 802's are no longer the same, Wem Columns are no more and Hendrix sadly passed away last week.

Must have missed the update to the Actor system. Sorry bout that.

Dynacord indeed makes quality gear. Surely up there with the best.

HB

+1 for Dynacord. Their Cobra 2 System is excellent!

Quote Boston Green:

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Been reading this thread with interest, and although i'd really like to wack out the wedge on the HK Actor DX or similar I was wondering what all your thoughts were on this system in comparision:-

LINK

Many thanks ...

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If you are looking at the bottom end of the market then they're worth a look - but buy them under the Studiospares name rather than Carlsbro or Studiomaster.

If you want quality at a reasonable price then look at the secondhand market - rental companies often sell off last year's models at cheap prices.

Cheers

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Quote James Perrett:

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If you are looking at the bottom end of the market then they're worth a look - but buy them under the Studiospares name rather than Carlsbro or Studiomaster.

If you want quality at a reasonable price then look at the secondhand market - rental companies often sell off last year's models at cheap prices.

Cheers

James.

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Its just knowing what i'm looking for on the second hand market thats the problem.

I'd like to just say to the fellas, here ya go, got a system for ya to use, something with a good sound, enough power to cope with a variety of venues, its looking like the Actor DX will do the job ... could also rent it out for House/Dance parties (my musical background) to recoup some of the expense.

Its still an idea at the moment, but I usually talk myself into most purchases within a pretty short space of time

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www.BandSoundHire.com
PA Hire in Brighton, Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

Quote The muso:

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Quote IvanSC:

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Sadly found out today that not only have Celestion quit making the venerable and much loved (at least by me) SR series of PA boxes, they are out of the speaker enclosure business altogether and are only doing chassis speakers now.
Shows how well I keep my finger on the pulse!
There are however a number of the SR4 controllers to be had at bargain prices at present.
PM me if interested

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OMG !
LOL. Ivan....bring out your dead.


P.S. Bose 802's are no longer the same, Wem Columns are no more and Hendrix sadly passed away last week.

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SR`s piss all over just about anything else I have tried over the years for small club work up to 2k.
Laugh all you like, but mine have helped me earn a decent living for a good few years & are still going strong after averaging more than 150 shows a year.

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Me? But I`m such a loveable old bugger!

Ivan - nice one.

Too many of us(myself especially) follow trends and products that don't always produce better results. Its a curse!

Even nicer, my man Lee at Celestion phoned me at lunchtime today to tell me my controller, which I took down to have the driver trannies replaced (after my dumbass mate Mick blew them hooking the PA wrong) was ready & should he courier it.
How much sez I
£30 including courier came the answer.
24 hour turnaround even though I said I wasn`t in a hurry and a price like that!
Yet another reason to like my SR`s.
Not sure what I am going to do if they die before me, though.

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Me? But I`m such a loveable old bugger!

Okey dokey ......

I've nearly talked myself into buying my setup.

What has swung it for me is THIS thread, and its gotten me thinking that if I set up as a sole trader, reg for VAT and do it all legit as if I was starting a PA Hire business, I can purchase my kit, lol and some more

To be honest, what i'm after getting will be overkill and deffinately way more than I need ..... at the moment.

Initially it will mainly be used for some of my friends and their band who get various gigs around the south london/surrey area. These gigs are in pub type venues with between 50 and 250 in the audience. Summer months will bring various festivals that should bring some hire income through this bands contacts.

I will try to see it anything comes of the rig hire, bands are newish to me, I used to put on sound systems for smallish raves (500 capacity) back in the early 90's so i'm not completely working in the dark but its not really important if its a success if I can basically get the tax man to pay for most of the outlay over a couple of years, by offsetting my losses against my PAYE income.

So on to the kit i'm gonne buy ........

HK-Audio Actor DX
HK-Audio Elias PX
HK-Audio Dart Monitors x 4
Shure SM57 x 2
Shure Beta 58A x 2

The questions I have are:

1) Any pros and cons between the Elias and Lucas systems.

2) I'd like to add a couple of wireless mics for vocalists, never used em, know nothing about em .... any suggestions, £300 quid combined budget ?

3) Same as above, but for a drum mic kit, £300 quid budget ?

I already have a Yamaha MG24/14fx mixing desk, which will suffice for now. Its got plenty of inputs and mic pre-amps to cope.

Will probably stick a compressor and limitor in the chain too.

Thoughts ?

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www.BandSoundHire.com
PA Hire in Brighton, Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

Edited by Boston Green (21/01/08 09:27 PM)

quite a kit list there - good on ya....
my comments:

1. if you are shelling out quite a few grand why skimp on wireless mics. get the right thing once and spend £200 more!

2. Watch VAT ( I am registered). great on initial spend but you have to charge VAT for hire here on in...food for thought. do ur sums first.

3. i think if i ever have the money its a DX for me too.

Quote catag:

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quite a kit list there - good on ya....
my comments:

1. if you are shelling out quite a few grand why skimp on wireless mics. get the right thing once and spend £200 more!

2. Watch VAT ( I am registered). great on initial spend but you have to charge VAT for hire here on in...food for thought. do ur sums first.

3. i think if i ever have the money its a DX for me too.

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Cheers,

I'm open to all suggestions on both the wireless mics and drum kit mics, although i'm trying to keep the overall budget to below £10K.

The VAT i'm not too concerned about, as if it gets to the stage that the rig is getting hired out quite frequently (well, to people who want a VAT receipt ) then at least i'm legit. Initially, it'll just be great to claw back the 17.5% vat on the rig purchase.

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www.BandSoundHire.com
PA Hire in Brighton, Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

The ELIAS stuff is quite light, and easily portable 0 builds into a decent system at three boxes a side and can chuck a fair bit of noise out. For your dance stuff, teaming an Actor with an Elias will give you shedloads of bottom end (the Actors can belt it out anyway).

LUCAS doesn't team up so well with Actor, IMHO - the ELIAS is more or less what the old Actor was.

Whatever you do, though, don't audition a Contour Array system - we just did, and the wallet's twitching like a bunny's nose. Luvverly stuff.

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[url=http://www.facebook.com/pages/hifi-studios/117322741632389[/url]

For drum mics my personal favs are...
Beta 52A/AKG D112 on the kick got mine for £70 s/h but great con.

SM57 on the snare, about £60 if you shop around, not on ebay though!

sennheiser 604's or if you can afford them 904s about £60 or £100 respectively.

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Live Sound and Studio Engineer

do you know the exact size for the building? coz as i concern, with the quality gig and high end processor, you should consider the building and the area. so you wont regret it

any comment?

Quote Humble Bee:

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FOH we have used that sounded really good includes JBL (SRX700 and PRX), Nexo and RCF. Lightweight and good sound when you play AND haul is great for ears and back.

HB

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You cant compare Nexo to JBL or RCF......totally different league......its like comparing a porsche to an N Reg Ford Fiesta :-)

WAHOO !!!!!

The money is in place ..... emailed some places for some quotes .....

HK Audio Actor DX x 1
HK Audio Dart monitors x 4

OMG I am literally bouncing up and down on my seat like a 7 year old on xmas eve

Hopefully i'll have em for my 40th in April .... damn the neighbours will hate me .... well, even more shall we say

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www.BandSoundHire.com
PA Hire in Brighton, Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

Edited by Boston Green (08/02/08 09:15 PM)

very nice!

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Live Sound and Studio Engineer

Quote Boston Green:

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WAHOO !!!!!

The money is in place ..... emailed some places for some quotes .....

HK Audio Actor DX x 1

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We've been running this system for about 2 years - you have chosen well. Enjoy !

did any particular supplier come out on top for the HK gear?

Stage Beat ended up being the cheapest from what I could find, £600 cheaper than Thomann.

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www.BandSoundHire.com
PA Hire in Brighton, Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

so when's the BIG day ?