Recommendations. Bose L1 type set-up for small venues.

[Paddy Morris]

We're looking to get a smaller PA speaker set-up.  We're currently using an XR-18 into a pair of big Behringer Eurolive 1200w speakers. The speakers are great for outdoor, or a bigish indoor venue, but are much too big for a small pub.

 

I see all the open mic / one man band looper type people using Bose L1 systems, but there are loads of cheaper alternatives out there now.  Has anyone had a particularly good experience with one of these Bose-a-like products?

[Phil Starr]

Hi Paddy, do you have a budget in mind for this? There is no point in recommending an FBT Vertus VT1000 system if your budget is limited. It would also be useful to know what you want to put through your PA. If it is vocals only then you'dgo foravery different system to one where the full band are using the PA with no back line.

 

You'll do well to steer clear of the Bose systems, they are heavily over hyped and poor value for money over here in the UK. Generally the issue with these small line source or 'stick' systems is their relative lack of output and higher cost compared to conventional speakers on a pole. They do look great and can speed up set up as well as sound good but it may be worth thinking of just using smaller conventional speakers if your budget is limited.

 

@Woodinblack uses an RCF Evox system which I've heard and sounds good and I've played through a similarly priced LD Maui 28 system which was also quite effective. I notice also that FBT have a new offering  the CS 1000 but you are looking at £2500 for a pair of these. 

 

 

[Paddy Morris]

Thanks Phil. Budget limited as this is for pubs, bars and coffee houses, who won't usually go above £350/gig round our way.  But it's just for 3x vocals and blues harp really. Possibly a tiny amount of mic'd guitar amp, just to sharpen it up.  And trombone, when he's available to play. But the instruments are mostly all backline.

 

It's mainly about not having a massive pair of cabs blocking everyone's sight lines.

 

Probably we will try and keep it to less than £2K.  Is that doable do you reckon?

[Woodinblack]

I would add the evox which repaced 2 Alto 12" speakers on poles has been great, both of my mine were second hand bought at different times (for a while I was on one evox and a speaker on a pole) - both cost around £500. We put everything through them (I also use a bam200 bass amp with a 10" gnome speaker as backup) and in general for pubs they work great and as you say, it doesn't get in the way and not so much of a cab landing on someones head issue. The biggest change was the clarity of vocals.

[Paddy Morris]

5 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I would add the evox which repaced 2 Alto 12" speakers on poles has been great, both of my mine were second hand bought at different times (for a while I was on one evox and a speaker on a pole) - both cost around £500. We put everything through them (I also use a bam200 bass amp with a 10" gnome speaker as backup) and in general for pubs they work great and as you say, it doesn't get in the way and not so much of a cab landing on someones head issue. The biggest change was the clarity of vocals.

How were they for vocal mic feedback?  We have a loud-ass drummer, so tend to have to crank the vocals up..

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, Paddy Morris said:

How were they for vocal mic feedback?  We have a loud-ass drummer, so tend to have to crank the vocals up..

 

Like most things, it is down to placement and eq. We also have a very loud-ass drummer, and yes you can get feedback if you turn things right up, but we don't generally have problems other than our singer is actually naturally quite muffled (ie, I have to turn down a lot as a backing singer to not cut through more than him). once you EQ its fine, and it is not normally something we worry about as compared to the saxophone feedback, vocal feedback is no problem!

 

If we play outdoors I sometimes take a bigger bass amp to take myself out of the PA but in general I don't, and we can still be heard at the back.

 

If you have facebook this is recorded from behind the bar in a busy pub

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1JZ6tcXy9j/

 

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

2 hours ago, Paddy Morris said:

 it's just for 3x vocals and blues harp really. Possibly a tiny amount of mic'd guitar amp, just to sharpen it up.  And trombone, when he's available to play. But the instruments are mostly all backline.

That being the case you don't need the subwoofer bottom cab of a Bose clone, even as meager as it is. You do need two speakers, for even coverage. Size being the issue a pair of powered 8" or 10" loaded mains will do, and you'll get a lot more value for the money with those than with mini line arrays, which tend to be terribly over priced. Another advantage is you can use them with your existing sub when the need arises, and add them to your regular system for outdoor gigs. 

[warwickhunt]

I considered a column/stick style system for a duo and a trio that I play guitar in (forgive me).  However, the trials I had were never satisfactory; generally the systems were reaching max to be heard in small noisy environments (you only need one or two noisy tables/groups).  I then tried a pair of RCF310 speakers on poles and found them way more effective, in fact we often just used a single cab on a pole/stand.  I subsequently upgraded to a pair of QSCK10 speakers (used) and I literally never need to use a 2nd speaker.  We do take 2 along but the 2nd one generally just gets placed on the floor as a monitor for us (fed with the same output as the FOH but simply turned down at the speaker).  

 

The added advantage is that the QSC K10 (or similar) speakers are perfect to pair with a small sub for use with a 4-5 piece loud band, in most pub/club situations!

[Phil Starr]

50 minutes ago, Paddy Morris said:

Thanks Phil. Budget limited as this is for pubs, bars and coffee houses, who won't usually go above £350/gig round our way.  But it's just for 3x vocals and blues harp really. Possibly a tiny amount of mic'd guitar amp, just to sharpen it up.  And trombone, when he's available to play. But the instruments are mostly all backline.

 

It's mainly about not having a massive pair of cabs blocking everyone's sight lines.

 

Probably we will try and keep it to less than £2K.  Is that doable do you reckon?

That's do-able The RCF Evox is £777 a side and as @Woodinblack says you can pick them up used fairly easily. It might be worth looking at Turbosound if you can get to hear them. Turbosound are 'posh' Behringer an older speaker company bought up by Music Tribe who produce a lot of their designs but made in the Behringer factory. Bugera for PA sort of thing. Their point source speakers are good value but I've not listened to any of their columns.

 

I'm also in the camp of those who recommend you just go for smaller tops. I also use RCF ART 310's for my duo and small gigs and for £300 a side from Thomann they'll probably be a lot better quality than your Behringers, You might even be able to go down to 8" tops

[tauzero]

4 hours ago, Paddy Morris said:

Thanks Phil. Budget limited as this is for pubs, bars and coffee houses, who won't usually go above £350/gig round our way.  But it's just for 3x vocals and blues harp really. Possibly a tiny amount of mic'd guitar amp, just to sharpen it up.  And trombone, when he's available to play. But the instruments are mostly all backline.

 

It's mainly about not having a massive pair of cabs blocking everyone's sight lines.

 

Probably we will try and keep it to less than £2K.  Is that doable do you reckon?

 

Apart from the gob-iron, that's what we do. If space is very limited, one of the guitarists goes through the PA too. Our set-up is two Alto TS308s as FOH and two Alto TS408s as floor wedges, and an XR18 for mixing. With a brace of Gravity stands, it comes in at under £1.5k brand new (with TS408s instead of the TS308s), if you got a second-hand XR12 it would be a couple of hundred quid cheaper. We've never had any complaints about the sound quality.