If you had a budget of £5k, what would you buy

[JPJ]

So we’re thinking of upgrading our PA. Current system is Behringer XR18, dBX DriveRack PA, an old pair of Peavey Pro 15 powered subs, and a pair of EV ZLX15P tops. As we’re all using in-ears now, and with most of us having the gear to go amp-less, we’re thinking of going down that route. The band is a southern rock five-piece (2 x guitar, bass, drums, fiddle) and we play everything from small pubs to largish clubs. I’m looking to get a good solid kick drum and get increased vocal headroom as we, on occasion, run out of headroom.

There is lots of chat on here about how to get a great sound with minimal kit, but if you had a budget of £5k, what would you buy? To give you a steer, I’m old school, so I don’t see us going out without subs, and I’d not rule out going back to passive cabs if it reduced the weight of each individual element as we’re all getting on these days.  

[Dan Dare]

Sound on Sound has reviewed a lot of active PA cabs over the years. If you look up the equipment reviews on their website, there's a lot of useful info.

 

In your position, I'd keep the XR 18. It's a decent unit (especially for the money) and Improving on it significantly is going to eat a fair chunk of your £5k. Unless you need more channels, I'd stick with it. I agree with you that subs are essential if you want a solid kick sound from the PA.

 

The weight saved on passive cabs isn't great, when you factor in carrying power amps and the additional speaker cabling. The average class D module adds a kilo or so of weight to a PA cab, which isn't a lot, so I'd look at active cabs.

 

It's possible to get great sound with compact kit, but you won't do it cheaply (the formula is light, powerful/high quality, cheap - pick two). The best combination of sound and portability I've heard came from a pair of Nexo 10 top boxes plus one of their bandpass subs. It was amazing for its size and super clean and powerful. However, Nexo don't make active cabs so you'd need quality power amps, which would put their stuff well over your budget. The same applies to many of the compact but powerful and high quality rigs from companies such as DB, Fohhn (which I use), etc.

 

RCF have a lot of fans - deservedly - on here for capable, but not crazy expensive PA gear. Ditto Yamaha (which bought out Nexo a few years back, acquired its tech' and incorporated it into their own products). Their DXR PA cabs and DXS subs are very good. QSC, which cost about the same as Yamaha, are also worth a look.

 

A pair of DXR12 or DXR10 top boxes and DXS15 subs would come in at around £3.5k. If you're running subs, it's a waste putting anything larger than 12s on poles above them, when low frequencies are being dealt with by the subs. Quality 10s will be fine in all but the largest venues, which will save a bit of weight and bulk.

 

Spend some of the change from your £5k on some quality mic's. If you're using SM58s or similar, you can do a lot better.

 

It can be difficult to audition/try PA gear, but it's worth doing so if at all possible.

[Phil Starr]

Good advice about re-visiting the mics and I also would keep the XR18 if you are happy with it. 

Actually it's all good advice going active adds almost no weight to the cabs and having amps matched to the speakers they are driving with dynamic protection gives you extra headroom and a foolproof/no worries set up as well as better sound.

 

The good thing about that sort of budget is that you can move to the sort of 'stick' systems that work. One local band use the FBT Vertus VT1000 system. I've seen them do gigs with just one set for a medium sized pub gig and it sounded epic. With a pair you'd have something supremely portable and very competent. Vocals are really well presented and a step up from most bands. https://www.fbtaudio.co.uk/fbt-audio/portable-sound/full-systems/vertus-series/vt1000.htm

 

Another similar alternative would be the RCF NXL24  https://www.thomann.co.uk/rcf_nxl_24_a_mk2.htm another small column/line source speaker which would need subs. I heard these when I bought my RCF 745's which are another great speaker for a band. I have to say that next to each other I was disappointed with the 745's and was almost put off buying them. That was with the RCF 8003 subs which would be above your budget and was way above mine at the time. I've promised myself that if my latest band do start getting better gigs then the NXL 24's will be my next step, paired with RCF 905 subs.

[Dan Dare]

Thanks Phil. I didn't suggest any stick plus sub systems because the OP said he was old school and also because they can get pretty spendy, but you're right. FBT, HK, RCF and others offer excellent options.

 

I'd add that one capable sub will always beat two less able ones. I find I need only one for probably 80% of the gigs I do (I sometimes wonder whether it was worth my buying two when one sits at home for much of the time).

 

The RCF 8003 is very good, although it's a bit of a lump to carry around. The 905 is a little easier on the back. A pair on NXL24s plus a single 905 would be a pretty tasty rig and would come in under the OP's budget.

[Phil Starr]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

Thanks Phil. I didn't suggest any stick plus sub systems because the OP said he was old school and also because they can get pretty spendy, but you're right. FBT, HK, RCF and others offer excellent options.

 

I'd add that one capable sub will always beat two less able ones. I find I need only one for probably 80% of the gigs I do (I sometimes wonder whether it was worth my buying two when one sits at home for much of the time).

 

The RCF 8003 is very good, although it's a bit of a lump to carry around. The 905 is a little easier on the back. A pair on NXL24s plus a single 905 would be a pretty tasty rig and would come in under the OP's budget.

I'd completely agree about the subs. I've a pair of old Wharfedales which are great but I've never used them together except for outdoor gigs. You just don't need all that bass in most venues and a single sub is enough. I've now replaced the Wharfedales with a single 905 which is pretty light for a capable sub and 10kg lighter than the Wharfedales. 

 

I'm loving this question all my gig money goes into a separate account and is used mainly to buy the gear I need to keep gigging. In the past few years I've not actually 'needed' to buy any gear as its been reliable and sounds good, I'm also happy with the basses I play. I've made no major purchases in the last 5 years apart from the 905 and coincidentally I've accumulated £5,000 in my band account. I'll be very interested in other people's suggestions

 

£5,000 is also a very realistic figure for a regularly gigging semi pro band. Most of us are probably using gear similar to @JPJ but if your band is getting plenty of decent gigs then paying back £5,000 over a year or so is very do-able for a successful band and will allow for a noticeable improvement in sound. The EV's and Peaveys probably owe them nothing but will still recoup some money when they sell them.

[JPJ]

Thanks @Phil Starr and @Dan Dare for your input. I must confess I am not convinced by the stick systems - I’ve only really had experience of the low end ranges and to my ears they do not sound good nor look good (I know, Luddite etc). I’ve been tempted by the RCF NLX24’s before, in my pursuit of a single box solution, but I could certainly see using a pair of these with either one or two 905’s working for us. My plan was indeed to retain the XR18, I’ve had mine almost ten years and I am very comfortable with the UI and workflow, despite being tempted by the x32 rack for no other reason than I am a self-confessed gear slut. As you say, the EV’s and Peavey’s owe me nothing but would still probably return some money to the pot. 

[Dan Dare]

Pleasure. Stick and sub systems can be very good, but as is always the case, the ones that deliver the goods aren't cheap. 

 

The NXL24s go down to 65 hz (on paper, at least), so shouldn't need a lot of low end reinforcement. If you do go for them, I's start with one sub. The RCF 905 is guaranteed to work with them and you can always add another in the future if you need to. However, I'd be surprised if you do. Modern subs are so much better - more efficient, cleaner and louder - than the old boom boxes.

 

You don't need stereo subs. Very low frequencies are omni-directional and a single sub can be placed optimally more easily than two.