cheap p.a system???

martymusic

Hey anybody know where the best place to get a fairly cheap but good p.a system to use for gigging???

Savman

Are you looking for actual opinions on what system to get or just the web address of cyberstores who sell cheap boxes?

crosstownk

What sort of band? How many members/instruments/vocals? What sort of venues do you hope to play in? How much space have you got to transport the rig?

highlydebased

www.thomann.de/ie - Bought my own PA from them. I have their own brand stuff and its grand, nothing wrong with it. You could get a powered mixer and speakers from them with reasonable power throughput for \0€400, plus mics and stands etc

The price of gear in this country is unreal

Savman

Everything has a place I suppose. Thomann's own gear is ok for rehearsal rooms, I'd not be relyin on them for gigging though.

highlydebased

I've used it for gigs......been ok so far. I will probably upgrade to Peavey or Behringer though....for the "piece of mind"

Savman

Neon-Circles wrote:

I will probably upgrade to Peavey or Behringer

Now that'd be a total waste of time and money, but to each his own.
Behringer in particular are not known for their pro audio products, with the odd exception their products are aimed at the end user consumer market. They have some good stuff though.

martymusic

Are you looking for actual opinions on what system to get or just the web address of cyberstores who sell cheap boxes?

...
both actually ha..jus wonderin if yiz knew some good sites to buy from, but also some recommendations...i dnt hav tonnes of money to blow though so im luking to get something fairly resonable:)..i have no experience of buying pa systems so need a hand plz..:)

Savman

All the usual haunts www.musicstore.com and www.thomann.de both ship to Ireland fairly efficiently. You can browse on there for hours for cheap rigs.

I'm not a fan of the cheaper gear meself, I believe you get whats you pay like with everything else. If you're just getting your feet off the ground and want a dirt cheap PA you'll have plenty of choice.

If you want to look beyond that I'd be happy to advise.

martymusic

nice one savman i'll have a browse around:)

crosstownk

Savman wrote:

Everything has a place I suppose. Thomann's own gear is ok for rehearsal rooms, I'd not be relyin on them for gigging though.

Some truth in that statement. I've been using Thomann (T brand) amps and speakers for years now. I did have grief with the horns in the speakers - they kept blowing, but I put higher powered drivers in them and that solved that problem. Both amps (1x1400W and 1x2400W) have given great service for the price. Mind you, both amps are more than I require so I don't run them too hard so that may explain their reliabilty. However, after 4 years of service, the 1400W amp developed a fault at a gig 2 weeks ago - It wasn't a problem on the night thankfully as the 2400W was in the rack and did the job for the night. I'll replace it with an identical model if repairs are costly.

I've also had Behringer desk. Worked OK for a year and then channel after channel developed problems. I ended up replacing it with a Mackie - massive difference in sound quality, tbh. I wouldn't be inclined to buy Behringer gear again.

highlydebased

Thanks for the info re their amplifiers etc

I have some of their biamplified speakers, they do me grand for discos etc my only problem is they heat up quickly and get very hot. Theres no built in cooling fan, just a heatsink. They are of reasonble quality however

Savman

See for me it kinda defeats the purpose if you have to go replacing drivers, I've just upgraded to JBL & Crown stuff so really can never go back to Behringer, Peavey et al.

When it's a long term investment I have to be able to put my full trust in a given speaker or amp, when it's your livelihood you cannot risk something going down mid-gig. Also a good tech support network is just as important. I had a couple of small issues with an Allen & Heath desk and I emailed their UK office, got a reply within hours detailing what was most likely causing the problem. That's support service you don't get with TheBox or Fame but then again for the price if it ever does break you can just buy a new one they're inexpensive systems.

As they say - buy cheap, buy twice!

crosstownk

Savman wrote:

When it's a long term investment I have to be able to put my full trust in a given speaker or amp, when it's your livelihood you cannot risk something going down mid-gig. Also a good tech support network is just as important. I had a couple of small issues with an Allen & Heath desk and I emailed their UK office, got a reply within hours detailing what was most likely causing the problem. That's support service you don't get with TheBox or Fame but then again for the price if it ever does break you can just buy a new one they're inexpensive systems.

As they say - buy cheap, buy twice!

You're quite right, Savman. If my livelihood depended on it then I'd buy top notch all the time. But I only gig as a hobby - about 3 or 4 gigs a month so buying top notch gear would take too long to pay for itself. But - yeah - no such level of customer service from TheBox or t-amp.