PA Speaker specs?

Longtallronnie

Following on from my Vonyx thread...

Im thinking I'd be better off spending a similar amount of money on passive speakers as I already have a couple of amps. Theory being that more money would go towards better quality drivers if I'm not also paying for a built in amp that I don't really need. 

Anyhoo, my question is what sort of specs should I be looking at? They'd be used for solo acoustic gigs in small pubs - I have bigger and bulkier gear for anything larger. 

Specifically, what would be considered a decent frequency response and SPL for a 12" speaker?
50Hz to 20kHz - 99db @1W/1m?

I've been advised to avoid piezo tweeters, what are the alternatives?

Anything else?

I'm ok with wattage/impedance but the finer details are something I've never had to look at before so any advice would be appreciated. 

Cheers
Ronnie

maltingsaudio

Your very unlikely to get a12" to work at 50hz, 80 is probably the lowest usable frequency. I wouldn't worry too much about these sort of specs, just reckon on a 200 or 300 watt rms speaker assuming you have the amp to drive them. As it's just acoustic stuff you could use a slightly underpowered amp from what I would normally recommend which would be 1 and a half times your speakers rms rating. As to piezo tweeters versus compression drivers it depends on the quality of the components as opposed to which ones sound better not just a blanket don't consider them. So have a hunt round and see what's out there,  I would avoid older style Peavey HH Carlsbro etc as they tend to be dull but the newer cabs are fine, again try befor you buy.

Longtallronnie

Thanks for that.
Will be looking at the lower end of the market. My current setup is a pair of Kam 15" cabs and an Intimidation amp - can't remember models but I'm sure they're pretty low end and they perform well enough. They're just too big and heavy for solo gigs. 
Seen some Vonyx 12" speakers new on eBay for £73 each delivered. Bout same price as the used active set I've been considering, upside being I can return them under distance selling regs. 
Given the quality of gear I currently have; which I'm happy with sound wise, I'm not looking to spend huge amounts, would just like something a bit more manageable. 

ESBlonde

The (potential) advantage of powered speakers is that the on board processor will sort out the crossover for the horn, limit the abuse of too much bass and generally have the Eq reasonably flat or vocal biased. That means little knob twiddling on a basic desk and no external graphic Eq so easy to use. The downside is you already have raw power amps and they are fairly cheap nowadays.
As with everything quality will tell so used quality over shiney new crap.

Longtallronnie

Well the two I've been considering are spec'd as below...

Active set: 2nd hand £130 a pair

• Type: Full Range
• RMS (W): 200
• Max (W): 400
• Input: Mic, Line
• Driver Size (Inch): 12
• SPL @ 1W/1m (dB): 99
• Freq. Range: 30Hz - 20kHz
• Height(mm): 525mm
• Width F (mm): 362
• Width B (mm): 210
• Depth (mm): 308
• Weight: 10kg

Passive set: New £150 a pair

• Power Max: 600W
• Output Power: 300W
• Impedance: 8 Ohm
• Frequency Response: 50Hz - 19kHz
• SPL @ 1W/1m: 96dB
• SPL Max: 122dB
• Woofer: 12"
• Tweeter: HC titanium driver
• Top hat: 35mm
• Dimensions: 311 x 380 x 581mm
• Weight: 8.3kg

Appreciate at this price range they won't be amazing but I won't be spending more - I'll just put up with lugging the bigger, heavier cabs I've currently got - which were also pretty cheap!

Longtallronnie

The active pair have sold, ah well. 

Danny1969

The specs are meaningless ronnie ....... saying 30Hz to 20Khz is only valid if you spec the roll off compared to 1K 

A valid spec would be 50Hz to 18KHZ at -3dB    The above could be down -20dB at 30Hz compared to 1Khz and 12dB down at 20K etc 

I would spend a bit more, look for an older set of HK linear Pro or similar passive speakers, they come up cheap and sound nice 
Acoustic guitar through bad honky speakers sounds awful 

Longtallronnie

I appreciate what you're saying Danny but spending more really isn't an option, especially for the amount of gigs I do. 
My current setup sounds good enough for me and is pretty cheap, it's just too heavy.
I'll certainly shop around new and used and try stuff out before I commit to anything.