My 60 Dollar PA System-- what the Sound Companies DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW!
Pete and I decided it was time for me to start singing to the free-form jams we have been creating. They are loose-- but still somewhat structured, and we decided that we have about 8 themes different enough from each other to be considered separate songs.
One major obstacle to me singing, besides managing the double guitar and my limited abilities in verbal articulation, was our lack of a reasonable PA system. I have owned a larger PA system for years, but it is way too large and heavy to move. Each of these speakers weigh 160 pounds!
I was searching for a set of smaller speakers to use with my existing PA head, but instead I found this Stages S460 complete PA system while searching Guitar Center used gear online. It was only 60 dollars, and came with two speakers. I had to drive to Canton MI to get it, but decided I was willing to investigate it for that ridiculously low amount of money.
What I found was that this 60 Dollar, 60 watt system, sounded great with a Shure SM58! We had borrowed a friends Mackie 2000 watt powered speaker PA system for the barn party. That system was really setup for a DJ. You had to use one of those XLR to 1/4 inch transformers to hook up a mic.
This resulted in poor sound quality, even though we were using a powerful expensive PA system. You would think the 2000 watt PA would at least allow us to be louder. This was NOT the case. You can only turn any system up so loud before it starts feeding back. I found that this 60 watt system is just as loud for practical purposes, and it has a built in reverb tank!
I am beginning to suspect many bands who invest in a nice PA system for practice, are really spending too much money. 9 out of 10 times, a band is practicing in a smaller space, maybe as big as a basement. Even this 60 watt PA system can't be turned up all the way without feeding back. Why would you need a 1000 watt+ PA system for practice?
---- Matthew T. Mruzek
One major obstacle to me singing, besides managing the double guitar and my limited abilities in verbal articulation, was our lack of a reasonable PA system. I have owned a larger PA system for years, but it is way too large and heavy to move. Each of these speakers weigh 160 pounds!
I was searching for a set of smaller speakers to use with my existing PA head, but instead I found this Stages S460 complete PA system while searching Guitar Center used gear online. It was only 60 dollars, and came with two speakers. I had to drive to Canton MI to get it, but decided I was willing to investigate it for that ridiculously low amount of money.
What I found was that this 60 Dollar, 60 watt system, sounded great with a Shure SM58! We had borrowed a friends Mackie 2000 watt powered speaker PA system for the barn party. That system was really setup for a DJ. You had to use one of those XLR to 1/4 inch transformers to hook up a mic.
This resulted in poor sound quality, even though we were using a powerful expensive PA system. You would think the 2000 watt PA would at least allow us to be louder. This was NOT the case. You can only turn any system up so loud before it starts feeding back. I found that this 60 watt system is just as loud for practical purposes, and it has a built in reverb tank!
I am beginning to suspect many bands who invest in a nice PA system for practice, are really spending too much money. 9 out of 10 times, a band is practicing in a smaller space, maybe as big as a basement. Even this 60 watt PA system can't be turned up all the way without feeding back. Why would you need a 1000 watt+ PA system for practice?
---- Matthew T. Mruzek
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