pa system (how many watts)

thetourist

hi - ( hope this forum is ok for pa stuff )

i am buying a pa for use in a hall that seats about 200 people. Mostly for vocals and accoustic guitars but also there would occasionally be keyboards, bass, mandolin, congas and perhaps a drum kit.
am wondering what sort of wattage i would need for a proper system.



... also if anyone has any actual recomendations for a system then i would be thankful.

usually there would only be about 8 inputs but i want to leave room for a kit, etc. in the future - so i would need a minimum of 12 xlr inputs plus maybe 2 stereo line ins as well, so probably 16 or more chanels

also:
the mixer needs to be pretty small (physically).
I would rather have a sweepable mid.
i havent made up my mind yet as to powered speakers, desk or seperate amp.
i have all the mikes leads stands and monitors already


edit: actually i could particularly do with advice about speakers, the only speakers i really have lots of experience with are the bose 802's so i would need something that sounded as good or better than them ( i mean from a quality point of view, the bose get a beautiful sound with accoustic gtr and vocals, so i would need that at least )

Savman

thetourist wrote:

hi - ( hope this forum is ok for pa stuff )

i am buying a pa for use in a hall that seats about 200 people. Mostly for vocals and accoustic guitars but also there would occasionally be keyboards, bass, mandolin, congas and perhaps a drum kit.
am wondering what sort of wattage i would need for a proper system.

If you're talking full band then Subs are a necessity. 2 Tops & 2 Subs would make a nice rig but everything comes down to budget. No point in suggesting X rig to you if it falls miles over your intended budget.

usually there would only be about 8 inputs but i want to leave room for a kit, etc. in the future - so i would need a minimum of 12 xlr inputs plus maybe 2 stereo line ins as well, so probably 16 or more chanels

also:
the mixer needs to be pretty small (physically).
I would rather have a sweepable mid.

Allen & Heath MixWiz 16:2. It's considered the best small format live mixer around, 16 channels & 6 aux sends with some internal FX too. If you want a 24 or 32ch console, you'd better be prepared to spend a chunk of money on a decent one.

It's too random a question to answer simply, if you don't buy the right system now you could end up in the same spot in the near future. A little forward planning will go a long way.

One rig I find myself leaning towards for band abuse etc is 2 x Mackie SRM450 over 2 x dB Technologies Sub15's - self powered rig that'll give you around 2.4k of power at a reasonable price. Subs only 32kg, built in crossover too.

thetourist

would i really need that much power for 200 people - what we have at the moment is a 300w mono 8ch mixeramp catering for about 100 people, which is pretty unsuitable for a number of different reasons.
We want to get something that is a good few steps up from this.
I want to get a good quality system like i described , but i am looking for the sweet spot, the cheapest good system, but it has to sound good - to the untrained ear at least
it will be mostly harmless stuff like accoustic guitars and vocals, no heavy loud stuff, at least not for the time being, so prob wont bother with subs so would need good full range speakers. Like i said the main thing that HAS to sound good is accoustic and vocals.

eamon234

More power doesn't necessarily mean louder - it will also give you better quality sound at lower volumes - on that note I saw Jack L recently playing a small venue with just himself and a few acoustics - the rig he had was just fantastic - quite small and compact but the sound was amazing - it completely filled the room - I didn't see what it type it was though. Might be worth seeing if he's playing anywhere near you soon and have a chat with one of the roadies.

thetourist

eamon234 wrote:

More power doesn't necessarily mean louder - it will also give you better quality sound at lower volumes

absolutely ; and i want to have pretty good quality, but how much power would you say i'd need to get pretty good quality to around 200 people; was guessing about 1k but it is a bit of a guess really; how would i find out
Also i notice that many of the amps are rated into 4ohms while most speakers are 8 unless you buy 2 pairs. does this mean that many people with a 1k rig and a pair of 8ohm speakers are not getting anywhere near the full potential of the amp.