New Speakers Behringer

[BriMac 0]

Hi, I have just bought a new pair of speakers off topic from the last post about the kam and peavey ones, i have bought a pair of behringer eurolive b215xl's from new and are rated @ 250 rms-1000w peak @ 8ohms i am running them off a numark dimension 4 amp rated 412w rms @ 8 ohms, would i be ok to run these speakers off this amp?

 

i was using is on 2 behringer eurolive b2015's rated at 400rms-800w peak 8ohm and has never let me down over the years until i sold them a few weeks back to buy the others because the b2015's where far to heavy so i went for the lighter option.

 

so would i be fine with the b215xl ? :shrug:

 

 

i know i could of done with better ones but am on a budget :yes:

[McCardle 1]

Its always a good idea to leave a bit of headroom between the Amplifier and Speaker RMS ratings, but the Amp RMS wattage is nearly double the 250w rating of the speakers, so I think you are entering dangerous territory, especially if the amp ever runs at full power where it runs the risk of clipping, I think if that were to happen it will be the case of wave bye bye to your bass drivers if it was sustained.

 

There is a degree of redundancy built into the design of most premium sound equipment, which may be more capable of withstanding an overload for a much longer period than cheaper budget brands which are normally made to an exacting bill of materials budget on some Asian production line, and so their components may not tolerate being run at 162 watts above their original design parameters. That's one hell of a margin.

 

I also don't use peak values to compare anything, I always work in RMS or Continuous values as they are far more accurate and reflective of the real world conditions which we encounter. Far too much opportunity for manufacturers to inflate or exaggerate peak figures - because it sells speakers.

 

Like you said, previously you ran 400w rms speakers from an amplifier with an output of 412w rms and such a small degree of headroom wasn't a problem, however you are sailing close to the wind running 250w rms speakers from a 412w amplifier. Even if it survives it would probably sound horrible as it gets more and more overdriven.

 

Personally I wouldn't risk it but that's just my opinion.

 

i know i could of done with better ones but am on a budget

 

Probably better to save up a little longer and get something better, or at least with a slighter better power handling. Our sound systems are both our first impression and forms part of the reputation which follows us around. Very few clients would miss that extra lighting effect or the absence of some LED lights in order to sacrifice a bit extra cash towards a better sound system, but everybody notices the quality of a sound system, they can't miss it and a distorted one or a gig where your speaker(s) decided to eat themselves half way through a gig due to being overloaded probably wouldn't do you any favours or get you re-booked, and would get you remembered by everybody there for all of the wrong reasons.

Edited November 30, 2013 by McCardle

[BriMac 0]

Maybe i should off put the post up before buying but for the price i bought them at i couldn't refuse. however i did run the amp at half and left the mixer lights in the green and all sounded good for the half hour test, but like you says they could sound terrible and damage half-way through a gig.

 

I thought i would of been ok if they could handle up to 1000watts like the company states: the EUROLIVE B215XL has proportions we can all agree upon. These loudspeakers pack a clean, punchy wallop (and can handle up to 1000 Watts).

I looked on reviews some say they can some not.

they do have Overload-protection circuitry HF driver protection but i thought if that the wattage is to high for them they would cut off?

 

i was thinking about buying a 2nd pair and run the 4 giving them 330rms each but i could sell them amp and buy another for these instead.

 

 

I don't do a lot of gigs maybes 5-8 times a year so i maybe ok for now? hmmm

 

 

 

[BriMac 0]

am going to hire a room out for 4 hours and do a sound test, hopefully everything will run well and sound good if not then :wall: lol

[BriMac 0]

am going to hire a room out for 4 hours and do a sound test, hopefully everything will run well and sound good if not then :wall: lol

[McCardle 1]

Happy Testing

 

I thought i would of been ok if they could handle up to 1000watts like the company states: the EUROLIVE B215XL has proportions we can all agree upon. These loudspeakers pack a clean, punchy wallop (and can handle up to 1000 Watts).

I looked on reviews some say they can some not.

 

Peak figures are generally meaningless, they can represent what a speaker can take before its total destruction, usually for a fraction of a second, when testing in a Lab with filtered mains and fed with a constant signal from a signal generator. In other words, peak values given often represent perfect conditions which a speaker will probably never get to experience out in the real world lol.

 

Unfortunately, at the end of the day big figures look impressive and sell equipment.

 

Remember those Hi-Fi's from Childhood which boasted claims of 500W PMPO - often stenciled in grey graphics on the speaker grilles?, then when you got older you realised that the actual output was probably closer to 10 watts and even then with large levels of distortion? - well its basically the same thing with the comparison between 250w and 1000w figures here.

 

Peak as the name suggests is a peak rating, its not supposed to be a target to aim for or an indication with the power to feed it with throughout an entire gig. Peak Power iss the overload / transient figure, which a speaker can handle for a short time, a VERY short time.

 

RMS or Continuous figures are the ones to use as a long term indication of what speakers will handle all night long. Yes, a small overage is generally recommended but I still think that you are taking a big gamble. Lets hope your next post isn't in relation to who can re-cone speakers :funjokeandlaugh:

 

they do have Overload-protection circuitry HF driver protection but i thought if that the wattage is to high for them they would cut off?

 

Thats a bit like voluntarily touching a live wire and hoping the Trip on the fusebox will cut the power before you die. Okay, an extreme analogy I admit , but it makes the point that the HF protection is generally a last ditch method of protecting the HF driver during an accidental or unintended overload, its not guaranteed to be fool proof, and ive witnessed plenty of failed HF drivers from speakers with supposedly protected X-overs.

 

Bass drivers can burn out too, especially when fed nearly double their rated power.

Edited December 4, 2013 by McCardle

[BriMac 0]

i have blown a few speaker drivers in the past, these where driving by less watts then the rms but now i wish i never sold mine in the first place to buy these lol

 

am not looking forward to testing these out now lol so looks like buying another amp or put the speakers up on gumtree and lose a few quid and another option is to but another set of drivers to replace them like i have done in the past with cheaper make of model rated at 350rms 700w, these did last with the same amp

 

like you says am best of selling and buying a better pair of speakers something like mackies,jbl's etc

[BriMac 0]

just check the spec of my olds speakers there where rated at 300w rms not 400 lol

 

on the look out for a 250-300w rms 8ohm amp now for under 200quid hopefully

[BriMac 0]

please dont tell me this is the wrong amplifier because i couldnt find a one with 250rms. this is a qsc smx 1450 rated at 280rms 8 ohms ? seems to be a decent amp as well

[McCardle 1]

280w will be OK, the extra 30 watts overage won't do any damage, and many people advise having a small amount of overhead.