Best PA for Gigging Band 1.5Kw min

HHwarner

Our band has out grown our current 600w x 600w PA. We are increasingly gigging medium sized venues and our current PA just aint cutting it. We are 5 piece band, 2 guitars, vocals, backing vocals and drums mic'ed. What is considered a decent set up/best way to go. At the moment, for ease of use we use (none of us have much of a clue with PA's) a powered mixer with powered monitors for stage mix. We are thinking 1.5Kw as a minimum? What are others using on here? Any advice would be very welcome as Im bamboozled by all the different options etc. Would be looking for a complete rig.

Danny1969

There's quite a few ways to go but something like 2 X Mackie SRM450's with 2 X Mackie bins and poles with an iPad mixer is a popular choice nowday's. You could get something like that for less than £1800 ish

Don't be too hung up on watts, it's more SPL that's meanful 

Niallseroreilly

Whats SPL @Danny?

Danny1969

It's sound pressure level, better PA equipment achieves louder performance and coverage using less watts than cheaper PA equipment ... by virtue of speaker efficiency and box / DSP design. 
We have a lot of HK Linear Pro PA speakers at 2020 and even though these boxs are only rated at 500 watts rms they will produce much higher SPL than something like a 500 watt Peavey box. 

HHwarner

Those Mackies look the way to go, Just a couple of quick questions, is it possible to run 2 powered wedges from the mackies, we use em as fold backs? also as a short term solution would it be possible to use the mixer on our current PA to feed the Mackies?

Danny1969

The Mackies do have a pass through so yeah you can daisy chain on to your wedges. That's generally not a good way to do it though ... normally you run the wedges from an aux send ... that way you can have a separate mix in the wedges from whats going on in the front of house PA

You said your using a powered mixer .... most powered mixers have a line level left and right out to feed a slave amp ... you can go from there to the Mackies .... if unsure find out the make and model of your powered mixer and I'll check the manual 

bluechargeboy

We use 2 EV 12" tops (ELX112P) and 1 or 2 EV 18" subs (ELX118P). Mackie iPad mixer. We are an acoustic band but we have used it to run stages with full bands at little festivals with no worries. Powered speakers are great, unless you are planning to play outside in the rain a lot.

HHwarner

Great stuff. Yes our Powered mixer has monitor out and left/right outputs at line level so guess they are the ones to use to feed the Mackies. Would it be ok to run the powered mixer without speaker loads on the main output? Our current mixer is a Phonic Pod Power so pretty much a budget amp so the Mackies are going to be a big step up. Just about to pull the trigger on some ;-)

mike257

Yes, running the mixer without a load on its amp will be fine. Enjoy the new rig!

John_P

Depending what you're currently using for speakers you might be able to route the aux send to the amp and use them for monitors while using the new speakers for main foh.   Could save a bit of cash and let you upgrade in stages.