McCardle
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Posts posted by McCardle
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The fuse in the plug should be less or equal to the maximum current carrying capacity of either the cable, or the connector (whichever is lower). So for example if you are using a 10A cable with a 10A single IEC connector, then the plug fuse protecting it, should be rated at 10A or lower. However, If you had a 13A cable feeding a connector with a maximum rating of 6A then the plug fuse should then be 5A irrespective of the current capacity of the cable, you would take the lowest rated figure in the equation and fuse accordingly.
In other words, the plug fuse should be equal to or below the current rating of the lowest rated component in the circuit.
Because the piece of equipment in the link is a multigang socket, you would go off the maximum rating of the wiring inside the unit, in this case it indicates that it is 10A, so to be safe I would fit a 10A fuse in the plug at the end of the cable which is feeding it.
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Hi, Welcome to the forum. Its quiet here these days but i'm sure that you will find plenty of helpful tips and advice already here on the existing threads.
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As a rule of thumb (and in the absence of a true RMS rating being shown), I would always use the lowest figure given as a continuous rating, in other words, the amount of wattage which the speaker will happily run at continuously for hours on end with no damage occuring, that is what we are interested in.
Maximum and Peak ratings, in my personal opinion are meaningless and have no place in professional applications, like ours which use a wide range of music signals and frequencies. After all, how long were those Max and Peak ratings applied for?, hours, minutes or even a few seconds!, we have no way of knowing and manufacturers are very good at exaggerating their figures, because it looks good and sells speakers!.
RMS Ratings are the only figures you need to be taking notice of in this industry, but since the speaker doesn't actually give that figure as such, I would be using 150W as the starting point!. You are also correct, in that its good to have an amplifier which is rated at slightly more than the speaker, but not excessively so. In this case, if it was me, I would be aiming for an amplifier with an RMS output of between the 150w and 250w figures, and an amplifier which has a 200w RMS @ 8 ohms per channel rating would be a ideal, and easy to find.
Some may say this is being a little cautious, but personally the last thing I would want to be risking would be a blown speaker or tweeter half way through a gig!, so I think its better to stay on the side of caution, and if 200w / channel isn't adequate, then its better to get a higher power system, than to try and cram an extra few watts from a 200W speaker as quality rapidly begins to suffer as the speaker gets closer to / pushed beyond its design limits
Its also worth remembering that the biggest cause of blown speakers, isn't always overload, its clipping, which describes the point where the amplifier tries to deliver more power than its designed to deliver cleanly, this sends distortion and other nasties down the line to the speaker, and will damage it quite quickly, so avoid driving an amplifier to the point where its 'peak' or 'clip' lights are flashing constantly, or fully on!.
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Hi Nick,
Thanks for the reply, don't worry about the late reply, we all just pop in and out of the forum as time allows!.
I'm not a parent (or caregiver) to somebody with Autism, nor do I work with them directly so my experience is somewhat lacking, however like a lot of DJ's I have attended a lot of events at both Mainstream and special Schools and Centres for Children and Young Adults at all levels of the Spectrum. I also have a Godson who has Aspergers, which although not Autism per se' does share some of the same challenges and characteristics, especially in relation to communication, forming friendships and social skills, which for Cameron, have also been very difficult, and in some aspects, sadly, non existent. I try to see things from his point of view, in that it must be difficult and frustrating being in his, somewhat lonely world and struggling to communicate his feelings with us, in his own way.
Needless to say I've spent a lot of my spare time on the internet over the last few years researching ways in which I can communicate better with my Godson, and maybe make life a little bit less frightening and frustrating for him, hence I came across many articles on Fluorescent lighting, and other papers, often written in respect of understanding Autism.
So sadly, i'm by no means an expert on the subject, but I can also identify with the fact that even the smallest breakthroughs can be extremely rewarding. All I can say is that never give up believing in Jack or that one day he will find a way to communicate with you
One thing that I have found out from doing the Discos at these events is that light can play a very big part in engaging the attention of some Children and Young People with Autism. Ok, sometimes this attention can be very brief and fleeting, but it is there. This is why I mentioned the colour changing led strips and those effects which give more than one shape or pattern, so when one effect loses its appeal (or didn't appeal in the first place), the interest can once again be rekindled by simply changing the effect or shape. I also noticed that some people will react differently to one colour than another.
How does Jack react to new or unfamilar places?, one thing which I was going to suggest is to perhaps take him along to a local disco equipment showroom, with a wide and varied selection of effects on display, and basically see if there is any particular effect which when switched on, will engage his attention. Obviously if he finds such places to be distressing then the idea is a non starter, but i'm sure that you will find that there are places which are run by understanding people, who will be happy to try and help.
Thanks for sharing the blog pages, they make very interesting reading and are certainly an eye opener, there are gilmmers of hope and inspiration in them also.
Feel free to come back and ask any more questions.
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Hi Nick & Welcome to the forum
. Sorry for the delay but this forum is very quiet and largely abandoned these days, so please don't think that the lack of replies means that we are ignoring your question or don't want to help, it just takes some time to gather ideas.I think it may be difficult to get all of your requirements from one lighting unit, and so your project may have to incorporate two or more different ideas if all of the boxes are to be ticked. But this can be a good thing in some respects, so if Jack gets bored of one effect, you can then switch on the next
The first suggestion which springs to mind is Colour changing LED Tape. This is safe, flexible and self adhesive and is designed to be run along the edges of flat surfaces, such as wood beams, under cupboards or even around walls where they join the ceiling, a decent length of this tape will probably run around the entire room at ceiling height, where it wouldn't need any additional casing or protection. Its also very bright, and comes with a remote controller which allow the lights to be selected in one colour, dimmed or run through an entire sequence of built in "light show" style programs, so you could change the program sequence to maintain Jack's interest. They can also be set to slowly fade and merge through their entire colour range, which can be relaxing. They use a safe 12v to operate, although a long length of tape will be far too much to run from batteries, you could mount a suitable power supply inside a plastic box, where it couldn't be accessed
There is also a sound activated version available
There are also a number of rippling water projection effects on the market, also powered by an LED Source so they do remain cool, the only drawback is that they are mains operated, however you could mount it high up on a wall, and either point its projected effect at the floor, or onto the wall opposite. Here is a link to one such water effect, the listing also contains a video at the bottom of the page so you can see what it looks like
I imagine that this effect would also be worth considering, it would fill his entire room with 100's of moving, colour changing light beams
And here is an effect which projects rotating multiple beams, and changes the shape of each beam / colour to the music etc
Does Jack use any sensory communication aids?,there used to be some touch panels which were illuminated and used different coloured lights behind them. Touching the different textured panels, caused the colour to change and a different recorded phrase to be emitted. Some non verbal Children were able to eventually link pressing the coloured and textured panels to communicating a phrase to those around them - such as "I'm hungry" etc
One other slightly off topic but relevant point which may also help in making Jack's surroundings a little more comfortable. I once read a detailed report that fluorescent lighting can be distressing and unsettling to people who have any level of autism, something to do with the high level of flickering involved in their operation.This of course does not only apply to conventional fluorescent lights but also low energy (CFL) lights often routinely used to replace filament bulbs in the home, so you may wish to eventually replace the lamps used in your ordinary room lighting fixtures with LED or Halogen types rather than the high street CFL type. You may already be aware of this, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
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The problem with these types of parts is that its difficult to know whether the manufacturer has used a commercially available off the shelf part, or whether they have had the part manufacturered for them from their own drawing. The latter being the problem as it essentially makes it a custom part, which won't be available from anywhere but the manufacturer.
Can you upload a picture of the broken part in situ inside the effect?, it may shine some light (pun intended) on whether it can be obtained elsewhere.
This Dealer seems to carry a lot of Acme based spares, so it may be worth shooting them an email, along with a picture of what you need, and even if they don't carry it in stock, they should be able to obtain it from Acme,
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Are you just here selling your own commercial interests or are you going to take part in the advice giving?
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Personally i'm not a big fan of mixing conventional halogen and LED lighting effects on the same rig. Yes, LED technology has come a long way since i've been around this forum, but unless you buy some of the more expensive LED lights with 10w + 'branded' modules inside, I still think that there is a noticable difference in brightness between LED based effects and high wattage Halogen lamps when used side by side, no matter how the manufacturers smooth over the fact.
If in any doubt a quick check with a lumen meter, speaks volumes and yes I have been there and done that :hide:
LED's based effects are fine, for small - medium sized dancefloors in rooms with white walls, ceilings etc and also for uplighting, but my advice is to either go ALL led or ALL halogen rather than mixing the two technologies, side by side at the same time, as a decent Halogen based effect will often drown out, or at least upstage most budget LED effects.
I use LED for uplighting and also for small lighting rigs in pubs and some small venues, but I personally, am not ready to resign my NJD / Abstract / Martin halogen and discharge based effects just yet in favour of LED, purely as they are still far the brightest effects for large halls and those with dark floors and paneled walls which are notoriously dark by design.
I'm a bit confused by your use of the phrase "wash lighting", are you wanting to flood the dancefloor with stage / live music style colour changing floolights or are you talking about lighting effects?
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Highly recommend the RCF ART 710A, a pair of these with an RCF sub 705, will do to up to 200 people parties
Sound (pardon the pun) advice, but the OP has originally advised on another thread that they are working to a £700 budget, so sadly these may be a bit out of their price range, unless they are lucky enough to find them second hand.
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Personally I prefer the Alto TS115A speakers, i've had these now for over two years and they work flawlessly and have never let me down at a variety of functions from Weddings to School Discos.
The problem is, just that like discussing tastes in cars or food, sound is also a personal preference and each DJ will put forward their own personal suggestions, to the point where you'll probably have several choices, each different to the last. There is no such thing as "The best speaker" (or we would all be using it and nothing else would sell) just the one which does what you need and sounds good to the guests.
The only thing I recommend is to make a shortlist of the speakers which get recommended to you on forums and review sites, and then go and actually listen to them in the showroom yourself, or even better, see if you can hire a pair for your next gig.
Sometimes £50 spent going off to hire a pair of speakers and trialling them in the kind of normal environment which you will be gigging in, can save making expensive mistakes later. Better to waste a hire fee, than to waste your £700 budget, if the speakers you end up buying off spec and 'unheard', don't sound as good as you thought (or others said they would) when you actually use them for the first time.
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Do a forum search for "Wedding Playlist", you will find loads of them, posted over the years. Some of them may be a few years out of date but the older 60's - 00's stuff never fades away or goes out of fashion, just add a few popular hits from the last few years and of course a sprinking of the latest chart stuff to get you right up to date, and you won't go far wrong.
Don't forget to ask the Bride and Groom for their request list, and of course the important first dance and any second or final track that they also want playing. Often you'll get back a nice long list of 30 or 40 tracks from an Enthusiastic Bride and Groom, who will probably also ask their guests for a few of their requests also, this is invaluable if you aren't sure what to play.
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Never used or heard them so i'm unable to comment. However there are some reviews here:-
http://www.discjockeynews.com/electro-voice-zxa1-sub-test-drive-by-brian-s-redd-electro_voice/
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Never heard of them, as I suspect neither have you otherwise you wouldn't be asking the question here. Which then begs the question, if DJ's have never heard of them, then have any brides? and so where is the traffic going to be coming from which is going to be generating enquiries for your business?. This is always the first question I ask any cold caller selling advertising, then I go and check out their claims before committing to an advert.
I would suspect that if the website was a honey pot of traffic with hundreds of brides sending enquiries to DJ's, then they wouldn't need to pay people to ring around to sell their services, the industry would already be buzzing about it and word of mouth would be sending DJ's and other service providers over to the site to pay for advertising!.
Often when salespeople need to cold call potential advertisers, then either the site isn't fully established and getting good levels of traffic, or it is established but nobody within the industry is recommending it freely and publicly amongst their peers based on the results. In either of these examples, you probably don't want to be investing in an advert on there just yet, at least not until both the Wedding service providers and also the Brides are discussing it.
You could always sign up to all of the Wedding / Bride forums, and do a search for the company name / website name and url, if Brides aren't already discussing the site, and recommending it, then I wouldn't be advertising on there!. Consider it a type of market research, find out the online places which Brides use to shop for Wedding Service providers and then advertise on there!.
Another form of research to check out how good the website is for advertising, is to politely contact some of the other service providers (photographers, Caterers etc) who are already listed on there and ask them if they have had many enquiries from their listing on the site.
Or of course, you could always just take whatever the person cold calling to sell the advert told you..............but personally I prefer to do the background research, and seek some testimonials myself first!.
I'm getting most of my work through Google Adwords.If this is working well for you and driving enquiries and new business then why take a gamble by changing?. Personally I would be putting the price of the ad towards next months adwords invoice, or trying a new keyword ad.
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Direct drive turntables start up faster than belt drive and generally have a more positive 'feel' which scratching etc, they are generally also better built.
I'm not a big fan of Kam equipment for professional use, as it tends to be considered top end budget equipment, personally i'd buy a pair of second hand looked after Technics 1200 / 1210's which used to be industry standard, and even second hand are generally better made than budget DJ equipment.
Also consider the Stanton ST150 / STR8.150 or Audio Technica ATLP-120
Sorry, I can't answer your timecode question, but you could try asking it on the Virtual DJ Forums http://www.virtualdj.com
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Obvious question, but if there are DMX assignment DIP switches on the rear panel, are they all switching correctly, and non of the individual switches 'stuck' between on and off or damaged in any way?. I had this on a Datamoon once, where the DIP switch was damaged internally preventing stand alone operation to be selected and so the effect did nothing as it was waiting for a DMX signal before the relay would switch on the lamp.
A damaged or loose DIP switch or a bad joint on the PCB, could also probably explain why the problem was intermittant before.
If there is an LED illuminated on the PCB, then obviously there is power coming from at least one of the Transformers
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I checked output from the two transformers and neither is outputting any power.
Unlikely to be both Transformers failed, unless its taken a jolt from a lightning surge or something major. How are the primary windings (mains side) of the transformers wired?. Do they go through any voltage selector switch?. On the mains input socket, does the socket have a built in fuse carrier?, these can get damaged or the contacts work loose sometimes, so it may be worth metering the back of the mains input socket to see whether you are getting mains voltages out.
Are there any LED's lit at all on any control PCB's?
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Hello and Welcome,
Its difficult to figure out exactly what you are asking us here, i'm guessing its in respect to which modern medium is the best for playing out music?, and the answer to that would be whatever suits you personally, as there are so many to choose from, and they all basically do the same thing, but in different ways.
Just like everything else, its largely down to personal choice and which medium a DJ feels the most comfortable with.
I'm not being nosey but what do you mean by being offered a chance to play at a higher level?, are you talking about club work or something more underground and nichey?.
The majority of Mobile DJ's tend to use either CD's or Digital Files (MP3's etc) or a combination of both, and the preferred means of playing out digital files is generally still via a laptop, or a dedicated media hardware player, and there is no right or wrong or any which is better than the other in real terms, its just down to the nuts and bolts method of doing what they want, in the way that they want it done smile icon
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Just one last thing.
This is the type of lead which you need to connect the mixer output to the K12's. You will need two, one for each speaker (A third one is handy as a spare in case one lead fails at a gig)
There are various lead lengths for sale, just choose the one which is best for covering the distance between the mixer and the speakers.
The jack plug end plugs into one of the Mixer "Master A" jack sockets, and the round XLR end at the other end of the lead then plugs into the "Mic / Line A" socket at the back of the K12
Then do exactly the same with the other K12, plugging the jack plug end into the remaining "Master A" jack socket on the mixer,
Once you have done this, double check the set up - you should have one K12 speaker plugged into the "Master A
" socket and the other K12 plugged into the "Master A " socket Also make sure that the Mic / Line switch on the back of each of the K12's is set to "Line"
Plug the speakers in, switch the mixer on and your good to go.
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Yes, you can your mixer exactly the same as you did before. The only difference being that you are plugging the audio from the master output of the mixer into your new active speakers, and effectively ignoring the built in power amplifier of the mixer.
You can plug in a pair of active speakers using the mixers' master line outputs (Obviously don't use the speaker outputs at the back of the mixer!). You should connect the powered speakers to the "Master A" jack socket outputs on the top of the front panel. I would recommend buying some good quality balanced cables for running between the mixer output and the inputs of the active speakers.
Most modern amplifiers will run into an open circuit (no speakers connected) without any damage. I've checked the MP7 user manual and I can't see anything which warns against leaving its built in amplifier outputs unconnected. I've done something similar with a Studiomaster PA mixer many times over several years and its not suffered any damage to the internal amplifier.
In the (unlikely) event, that you would require another set of speakers in addition to the K12's, you could always hook up your existing EON's to the built in amplifier in the MP7. Alternatively, if you ever needed to run audio into a side room (for background music at a large Wedding venue for example), then you could use the EON's and the mixers' internal amplifier for doing this.
But I think that you will find that the 1000w RMS given by each of the K12's will handle 300+ people with ease, but I would still recommend putting them on stands.
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Thats not an easy task!. "Compact" and "Large Venue Sound System" don't really go hand in hand with each other :fright: .
However, there are some compact high power speakers around, at the top end of the market which may just squeeze into your budget
QSC K12 - These are cabs which only have 12" drivers in them, meaning that they aren't much bigger than regular speakers. They are active, which means the amplifier is built into them, so it cuts down on equipment and set up time as you don't need to carry an amplifier, or spend time wiring them all up. It also means that you don't have the worry about matching an amplifier to your speakers, as its done for you!. The amazing thing about them, is that they are rated at 1000W RMS Continuous, from a 12" speaker. So a pair of these will give you 2000W of output power, in a speaker which probably isn't that much different in physical size than your EONs
Another possibility is the DB Technologies Opera 715DX - these have been mentioned a few times on here previously and seem to come highly recommended. They use a 15" driver, and so are a little bigger than the K12's, but this should give a little extra bass response. The Opera's are slightly lower powered than the K12's at 700w RMS each, but a pair will still give a highly respectable 1400 W RMS of output.
The FBT MAXX 14A are also a good buy, mixing high power with a fairly compact speaker. These are about as light as a high powered speaker will get, weighing just over 16kg each
http://www.jpleisure.co.uk/item54077.htm?gclid=CNGj3tqS3r0CFUsUwwodroEAzQ
And probably the cheapest out of the lot, are these EV ZLX15P - EV is a very respectable manufacturer with a good reputation, so these, which are at the lower end of their range, price wise should still rate pretty highly for what you need.
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I have spoken to the dealer, who says one speaker set up is fine for normal Weddings up to 150 people, and two together would cover 300 people
I would be extremely cautious about any claims that this system can cope with venues holding 300+ people in our type of application without physically proving it for yourself. You will find several discussions around the forum in relation to the Bose L1 system, which generally discussed the lack of bass that the L1 system had when covering large venues with large audience capacities, many of those DJ's using the L1 had to invest in additional bass speakers or additional L1 systems in order to deal with the issues.
Bear in mind that the L1 was a similar Vertical array system design to this one, was made by a premium manufacturer (Bose) and, at the time cost over £2000 for a one speaker system.
When comparing a sound system, wattage isn't the only comparison in the equation there is another aspect of the specification which is equally as important and this is the SPL rating. The SPL rating is an indicator of how efficient the speaker is, at converting wattage into actual usable sound. The higher the SPL figure, the better the speaker is, and will generally indicate a higher quality in both design and technology
The system you have been recommended has a max SPL 115 dB and I would describe this as being just slightly above average at best. Certainly it doesn't grab my attention or lead me to believe that its anything special. If you take a look at the specifications of the JBL EON's, which you have
https://www.jblpro.com/pub/mi/eon1500_usersguide.pdf
Then you will find that the max spl on these is quoted as being 129db - far higher than the 'new' speakers which you are considering.
Unfortunately, sales people are often lead by targets, commissions or the instructions to clear whatever isn't moving very fast out of the showroom. In other words, I go through life believing that these facts will generally combine to override somebody in a sales role acting in my best interests when trying to close a deal.
With this in mind, I prefer to go away, read reviews, ask questions and do my own research rather than listening to what the person selling them to me says or thinks, and the fact that you are here asking the question, also indicates that perhaps you also share this suspicion also!.
In all honesty, I haven't heard the speakers in question so in all fairness I cannot comment on how they sound or whether they will adequately cover a venue filled with 300+ people, but my experience would suggest its probably unlikely and my money would be staying in my wallet.
These 'Line Array' speakers, are generally used for bands, speech (PA) and live vocalists, rather than DJ's, and as such they generally are very good at producing and projecting vocal frequencies but struggle to produce a really good and tight bass response. In a large venue, playing recorded music through 300 closely packed bodies, Bass is your ally and you need plenty of it to get past the solid low frequency absorbing bodies at the front of the room. Hence the advice I gave about adding a decent pair of subs into your existing system, and boosting this area of your PA.
This isn't about rattling glasses off the bar with bass to make a point, its just about having enough bass in reserve to make it through a few hundred people packed onto the dance floor so that it doesn't sound tinny and rattly when it finally reaches the back of the room, and I honestly don't think that these types of speaker design cut it (and this opinion is based on personally hearing and using the aforementioned Bose L1)
But why not put the sales persons confidence to the test?. Tell them, that if they truly believe their promises that the system they are recommending can cope with 300 people, then will they offer you a no quibble written money back guarantee stating this as a cast iron fact. So, if you do your first gig with them, and find this to be untrue, you can return them straight back to the showroom in pristine condition in return for a full refund. Of course if the person goes a funny colour, makes excuses or rapidly back tracks, then I think that would be enough to walk away .
Edit:- There are also very few user reviews of this system online. I've managed to find one from a German live music forum, which thanks to a translator you can just about read and understand the main points they make. It would seem that their concerns are roughly the same as mine - i.e more suitable for speech, for smaller venues and a concern over lack of bass response and the low SPL rating. The link, to the forum, via the translator is below
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If I bought one of the amplifiers you have suggested, would the amp be good enough to produce sound for an audience of 300 ? If so would I need to also buy some other speakers different to the JBL EON1500's (even if I had 4) to make it work ?
In all honesty I still stick by my first post, advising that 1500w to 2000w with a little more bass reinforcement would probably be a more comfortable figure and system to aim for, if the 350 capacity is going to be a regular thing.
The higher power amplifier suggestion with the two pairs of EON's is going to be the cheapest and simplest option, and this will potentially give you a maximum of 1200w (2x 600w) from the EON's assuming you chose one of the 600w x 2 amplifier options, so its close to my original recommendation of 1500w and certainly one big step in the right direction compared to the 2x 300w available from the MP7, but whether its close enough will largely come down to the acoustics of the venue, the positioning of the speakers etc. It may be enough, it may not, every venue and situation is different. Personally I prefer to run my own sound system(s) at no more than 75% - 80% of their potential, as it sounds better, gives more headroom for bass peaks and often results in the system running cooler, i've also never once blown any speaker component using this philosophy, so I use it as good practice when offering others advice.
Either way its generally accepted that running a system - any system, at full whack with the wick cranked up to the max and the clip / peak lights lit an angry continuous red is not a good thing, either for your sound quality of the longevity of the system being driven, so whatever you choose to do and whichever system you run with, you should always avoid that situation.
Nobody can tell you whether the higher powered amp running two pairs of EON's would work, unless they have played the same venue(s) using that identical system, its a gamble, but at the same time it would be poor advice telling you to splash out four figures on a complete new sound system, if the cheaper option would / could have worked in your venue(s).
Another viable option which partly uses what you already have in order to reduce outlay, would be to buy a larger second hand amplifier, and use it to drive the two pairs of EON's as previously mentioned and perhaps also invest in a new / second hand pair of powered bass bins with built in amplifiers?. The extra power output of self powered subs covering the bass frequencies should easily give you enough to handle 300+ people with relative ease.
If space / transport vehicle is an issue then you may get away with using just one centrally placed active bass speaker, if you don't mind it not being cosmetically symmetrical!. For example, one or two of these will give you a decent bass boost, when used alongside two pairs of EON's
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DB-Technologies-12-inch-Powered-Bass-Bins-/221408167813
Really, all i can suggest at this point, is to perhaps hire a 600w per channel Amp along with a powered sub for your first gig with a 300+ audience capacity, use the hired Amp with both pairs of Eon's and see how you go on. If the system is found to be loud and adequate enough with the hire gear, then you will then have the confidence to invest in the larger amp and powered sub(s) of your own.
If hire equipment isn't easily available, then you will have to make the decision on what to get based only on advice.
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It doesn't matter how high the speakers are rated in Watts, you are always limited by the maximum rated output produced by the Amplifier. So whether you plug in a speaker which is rated at 400w or one which is rated at 1200w into the Amplifier, the power output supplied to them by the amplifier will still be only 300w.
The specs on this amp are 2 x 225wrms @ 4 / 2 x 150wrms and has two right speaker outputs and two left so wondering if that would work ?It will work, but the output will still be very very low. This amplifier will produce 225w RMS per channel using four speakers (2 speakers plugged into each channel), or 150 watts per channel with two speakers (one speaker per channel). So in other words, the back up Amplifier you have will only produce a maximum of 225w per channel using all four speakers, so its actually less powerful than the 300w + 300w one in the MP7.
Your EON's are rated at 225w Continuous / 900w peak per speaker cabinet. If you intend on using two pairs of EON's both driven from one amplifier, then you have a combined speaker handling capacity of 450w continuous per side (Channel).
Generally, its advised that you can select an amplifier with a rated RMS output of upto 1.5x the continuous handling of the speakers, so in this case you could probably use an amplifier which is rated at between 500w - 600w RMS per channel @ 4 ohms.
So if you want to get the most out of two pairs of EON1500's the best advice would be to buy a larger, reasonable qualiy amplifier, which gives 500 - 600w RMS per channel at 4 ohms.
Examples of a suitable higher powered amplifier would be something like a Behringer EPQ1200, Cerwin Vega CV1800, Peavey PV1500, QSC RMX1850
It may be worth checking out Ebay as you can often find the amplifiers mentioned, plus other similar ones second hand at reasonable prices. Try and avoid the very cheap end of the market, such as Skytec, Stageline, Ibiza, Ekho etc. If you are on a limited budget often its better to buy a decent amp second hand than to buy a brand new budget amplifier.
These are all quite good second hand amplifiers
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CROWN-Xls602-Power-Amplifier-Used-BLACK-/171246483204
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Yes, your Amplifier is capable of driving down to a 4 ohm load per channel. This means that you are able to connect upto 2x 8 ohm speakers to each output channel of your amplifier.
Since the Eon's are 8 ohms impedance per cabinet, you can comfortably connect 2 Eon's to each individual channel of your amplifier.
However, and perhaps more importantly, the amplifier in the MP7, is only capable of giving 300w per channel, even with the additional pair of speakers connected, and its very unlikely that 600W RMS will be enough to cope with a venue with over 300 people and in all honesty I don't think I would even attempt that, and I certainly wouldn't advise anything which I wouldn't do or try myself :fright:
I use a pair of Alto TS115A powered speakers for most small to medium sized venues, which are rated at 400w RMS, and even these, on stands will start to struggle at venues with approaching 150 people single handidly, so I think your expectations for covering a venue with more than double this audience capacity using only 2x 300w will disappoint. So I don't think buying an extra pair of speakers will solve your problem, and will prove to be false economy as it forms only 50% of a workable solution.
I'd say that you have already done very well to get coverage for 180 people from a 300w x 2 system, you must have been running that system hard!!.
If you are planning on covering this type of capacity on a regular basis, then I would suggest investing in a much larger PA system perhaps using a separate Amp and higher rated Speakers, or a pair of high powered active speakers / bass bin combination which can be plugged into the mixer for larger venues. This way you can continue to use a pair of EON's for pubs and small venues, but take the extra speakers for larger venues & audiences.
Sadly, there is no cheap way around this, but consider covering larger venues as an expansion in your business and invest in the extra equipment accordingly. However if a 300+ capacity is just a one off event, then the best and cheapest option will be to hire the PA that you need for the one function, either from a Sound and Lighting company or another DJ.
Personally i'd recommend at least a combined total of at least 1500w - 2000w ideally from using a combination of Tops and Bass cabinets, if you want to amply fill a venue with 350 people without pushing a PA system to within an inch of its life.
Projectors Advive
in Buying Equipment
Posted · Edited by McCardle
Depends on your budget and exactly what you are looking for really. I use a NEC P401W projector, which i'd describe as a lower-midrange projector, its not budget and its a long way from being the most expensive, but for £1k it more than does the Job and its been very reliable.
Its only good for Short - Medium throw though, if you are looking for a long throw then you are going to have to venture into the £2k+ price bracket to do it properly. I use mine largely for media - Video and Image projection for Weddings and Birthdays, you can connect it to a laptop, or even run from a USB stick, which is handy as it will read the files without having to carry laptops or media players around. It will also take HDMI (2), Composite Video (lower quality obviously) and RGB, with USB sockets for Direct PC connection or USB stick, and its fully compatible with all of the current media formats.
I use mine on Eco setting, which is around 2700 Lumens, and i've never replaced a lamp yet. As with all lamp based projectors, allow the unit to warm up to room temperature before switching on (if bringing in from a cold van), also let the projector cool before moving, lamp shock is by far the biggest culprit for lamp failure, and they can be expensive (£150 - £200), However in Eco mode you should see approaching 6000 hours of lamp life.
Here is the full spec sheet
https://www.nec-display-solutions.com/p/download/cp/Products/Projectors/Products/CurrentProducts/P-Series/P401W/Datasheets/NEC_Datasheet_P401W-english.pdf?fn=NEC_Datasheet_P401W-english.pdf