As you may or may not have read previously, I myself prefer a certain manufacturer when it comes to my live sound reinforcement loudspeakers. If given the choice between my brand and another competing brand, finances aside I would choose E.V. In the case that I’m putting together a system that is more portable but still powerful and sonically superior to a lot of other portable powered systems on the market, I would choose QSC.
In the game of sound reinforcement, there is a lot to be considered. Is the system going to be a fixed install in a bar, or theater that will not be taken on the road? If yes, you may want to go a different route, however, even in this setting the QSC is superior to many of the competing loudspeakers for its sonic clarity and overall durability and dependability. If you answered no, chances are you run a sound company or have a band which requires the transport of your sound system which can really take a toll on the gear. Amps, Cro
ssovers, EQs, Mixers etc. need to be packed in cases which get heavy real quick. There really is but one simple solution, QSC HPR Series Powered Loudspeakers.
There is a full line of pro-grade, top notch QSC Powered PA gear available at American Musical Supply that based on your crowd demand will easily do the trick. Bear in mind though that you may need more of each cabinet model to achieve this.
Let’s talk about system sizes. There are many routes one can take so I’ll cover a couple. The way a small band such as a jazz trio may take to provide sound reinforcement might be the minimalist approach. What does the band need to amplify? Vocals? If that’s the case, you could easily get by with a pair of QSC HPR122i Powered PA Loudspeakers. For strictly vocals and maybe even some extra presence on guitar as well as filling in with a CD or MP3 player between breaks, a pair of these great sounding powered speakers will suffice.
If you are a band needing to amplify everything including the drums, you may need to take a slightly different road here. Get yourself a pair of QSC HPR153i speakers as well as a pair of HPR181i powered subwoofers and you’ll be set to play nearly any venues that can occupy over 100 people. I know that number seems low but you want to have adequate headroom and dynamic range. You could easily provide sound for 300+ people with a setup such as this but then you will increase the volume which decreases the headroom.
Say you are a sound contractor that detests road cases full of heavy power amps and you’re tired of making so many trips to and from the trailer during load-in and teardown. Build your system around 6 x HPR181i subs and 4 x HPR 153i 3-way tops and you’ve got yourself an incredibly powerful, great-sounding and easier transported system without taking out a 2nd mortgage on your house.
You will still need to take into consideration the necessity for power and the use of line cables rather than speaker cables but these are minor issues in comparison to those you may have with breaking your back hauling amp racks.
-Ryan
