Is this a good place to start....? (PA system)

DetunedLoon

Hi guys...I need advise.
I've gone through ALOT of great pages of advise, tips and info here.
This forum is soooo helpful and informative.......SO, here's my question,

I have a GNX3 and am a very new user. I'm looking for (a keyboard amp, PA, ??) practice, bedroom setup just for the GNX.
I'm looking for something affordable....(very affordable if I can)
I saw this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110208568138&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RSCC_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=110208566464&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=active_view_item&usedrule1=StoreCatToStoreCat&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget

What do you think? :roll:
I've checked out some PA's, Sumos, Rolands, etc.

If you guys had to do it all over again.......what simple, transparent,
and good (for bedroom jammin and small groups) gear would you look into and recommend for a newbie??

Thanks for your help and advise!!!

guitar3456

That will work for you, but is not stereo. If mono is your choice of operation, you could go that route. I could almost guarantee better response from a kb amp than the PA rig you have listed.

cyclonic

if ya plan on having a moble pa.....then your going close to the right direction.

i went in another direction......home studio that starts with two 200w recievers,a good computer,rack gear,ect...........

i can post pics if interested

gtaus

If you are planning on a bedroom setup, I think you would be better served with a simple patch cord from your GNX4 outputs (lineouts or headphone out) into an existing home stereo. You can get those patch cords for about $10 at Musician's Friend.

The PA you linked to will not last much beyond the bedroom anyway. At 100 watts, there is not enough power there to work as a good PA system in a room of any size. I started out with an 8 input 120 watt mono system and had to drop it as soon as I started adding vocals and other band members. It just doesn't have the power you need for any live performance. And it won't fill a room of any size.

So, if I had to do it over again, for the bedroom setup I'd just buy a patch cord and play through my home stereo at a modest volume. For playing with the band, I would go after a more powerful PA system in the 300+ watt range at least. Save your money on the 100 watt PA mono system and use it later on a better system. I wasted $300 on my 120 watt system which I only used for a brief period of time before I realized that I had to upgrade my PA.

Sorry if I sound negative on your idea, but you did ask what we would do over again if just starting out. Now you know what I would do and how I feel that my first 120 watt PA system was probably a mistake.

Currently I am running a Behringer PMH880S all in one power mixer http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-Europower-PMH880S-Powered-Mixer?sku=631251 for about $250. It has 400 By 400 watts which can be configured as either stereo, main/monitor, or bridged at 800 watts. For speakers I have two 15\" Nady PS115 which are rated at 500 watts but you can't really hit them that hard. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Nady-PS115-15-500W-2Way-Full-Range-Speaker?sku=609001. The speakers sell for about $150 each but I got them on sale at MF for less than $100 each. I also got a better deal on the powered mixer. All in all, it set me back about $500. It is not my dream system, but it works for my band and is plently loud for the venues we play. I only wish I had my initial $300 back from my first purchase of that 120 watt PA.

I hope this gives you something else to consider. If I had to start all over again, I'd save my money for a more powerful PA system when I needed it. Until then, a cheap $10 patch cord will jack your GNX4 into a home stereo for bedroom volume practice. Whatever you decided, I hope it works out for you. Take care.

shredd

Another route to look into for the home setup is the Behringer powered monitors, which I have, as do many others here, and they're pretty great. The 2031a's are the 'big' ones, but even if you go with the 2030's they'll still be PLENTY for your home.
But bear in mind these are not suitable for PA use, and don't have a mixer. They'll just be sound for your GNX, not a full band...

DetunedLoon

Thanks for the replies guys.....OOOOHHHHH the decisions!


Thanks!

thehootman

If you have a band and want amplification, get a good 15\" powered speaker (300w or so) stereo IMO is not worth it when jamming with a band and you want to minimise gear that you have to carry.

The monitors are a good option for bedroom jamming.

gtaus

\thehootman\ wrote:

If you have a band and want amplification, get a good 15\" powered speaker (300w or so) stereo IMO is not worth it when jamming with a band and you want to minimise gear that you have to carry....

I used to be an ardent fan of stereo sound for playing. It does sound really cool at home in my practice room. However, I have come to agree with you about playing in mono with a band because you have people sitting from far left to far right. At least with a mono source everyone gets the same sound. The stereo effects I love sound good if you are seated in the center, but I imagine that the sound would suffer if you were on either side.

The 15\" powered speakers I am aware of cost about $400. You could buy a decent all-in-one powered mixer and a pair of 15\" mains for the price of a set of 15\" powered speakers alone. With the powered mixer, you could run an entire 4 piece band with vocals into the mixer. You can't do that with a powered speaker. On the other hand, if you are only concerned about your own sound system, I suppose a good 15\" powered speaker out of the GNX4 might be a good option. At any rate, I think a powered speaker is probably a better choice than paying as much, or more, for a guitar amp which would make your vocals, GNX4 drums, backing tracks, etc.... sound like mud.

I bought my equipment with the idea in mind that the band did not have a PA system. So I put my money in a PA system that everyone could, and does, use for our live gigs. That pretty much ruled out powered speakers for my setup. Take care.