KUSTOM PA SYSTEM

Hey.. thanks a bunch for the specs on the speakers....lol... since i am really cheap tho.. i found another one... made by Kustom... it has 7 inputs and the speakers are 97db sensitivy...and i have another question... when looking for speakers, do i look for over 200 watts RMS?? or over 200 watts of peak handling????

Hey.. thanks a bunch for the specs on the speakers....lol... since i am really cheap tho.. i found another one... made by Kustom... it has 7 inputs and the speakers are 97db sensitivy...and i have another question... when looking for speakers, do i look for over 200 watts RMS?? or over 200 watts of peak handling????

Use the RMS rating. That gives you an indication of the amount of power they're rated to handle on a continous basis. A speaker rating based solely on peak handling is usually a good sign the manufacturer is trying to mislead you. You should use both ratings to judge how well the speaker will hold up under stage use.

thanks.. i'll have to look at this one again to see wat it is...

I know this is a months old thread, but I happened to come in here and see "Kustom" and so I thought I'd post.

Anyone have any opinions of this?

It's made by Kustom and is called the 'Dawn' 510 speaker system - just speakers, the two satellites and the woofer.

I'm wondering because it's quite compact and really not that expensive. I'd get some sort of powered mixer (maybe a Carvin PA880), but the thing that was interesting was that the Dawn seems to have a similar concept to the BOSE PAS - those 'pole' looking ones they have now.

Prices and descriptions: http://www.music123.com/Dawn-510-Sub-Woofer--Satellite-System-i79275.music

This would be for a small mellow acoustic duo or trio - maybe (just maybe) sticking bass guitar in there once in a while.

Thanks!

DemoEtc

That system has been out for a while, but I am not familiar with it. But I read all the reviews and they were very good. A few even told the powered mixer or amp and mixer they used with it.

I think for your type of music this would be excellent.

Another system that works well for small acoustic groups is the Fender Passport systems. I know a fellow that uses one of those. It sounds great and he just rolls it in on a little dolly. Takes him less than 5 minutes to set it up. Very portable. Here is their Deluxe model. They have less expensive models as well. Everything is included except speaker stands.

Fender Passport Deluxe 250

Hey thanks!

Some other places I went totaly bashed it to bits. Well this one guy in particular; called it 'typical sizzle and thump.' The rest seemed to have liked it for what it is. I mean, we're most likely not going to cover Benatar or Missing Persons again.

I'll have another look at the Fenders, though I was thinking of something with 6-8 channels maybe, in case the band grows unexpectedly. In our small little circle there's quite a few folk who might sit in from time to time.

Thanks again for taking the time. :)

DemoEtc

Here is what I recommend. It is what I own. The Behringer PMX2000.

Behringer PMX2000

It has 10 channels so it can handle a lot. It is 2 X 250W @ 4 Ohms, 2 X 180W @ 8 Ohms. It has two 9-Band EQ's and 99 effects.

This is what I used at the 2004 Riverside Jam. I think we had as much as 16 musicians on stage at one time. We were running 7-8 mics all night. I forget how many amps were on stage, but at least 4 or 5 at all times, drums, bass, keyboards. My PMX2000 was plenty powerful and provided nice clean sound all night. It was heard clearly above all that mix. I had a few problems with feedback early in the evening, but that was due to my inexperience with so many musicians and instruments on stage at once. Once proper volume, eq's and mic positions were found, it worked flawlessly all night. I have used this for probably 100 gigs and it's never caused me a single problem. It is powerful and clean sounding. So I would recommend it to anyone. Best buy out there, period.

The only downside is you have to buy Speakon speaker cables which are expensive, but if you shop around you can get them cheap. I bought two 25' cables for $16 each on E-Bay.

For speakers I would get two of the Peavey PR-15's. They are super-lightweight and provide quality sound. They get rave reviews.

Peavey PR-15

You could go with 12" speakers and save money, but if you are going to have a bass player playing through the PA you really should go with 15's.

You could use just one speaker at most gigs. I know a electric Blues group that does this now. Use the other for a monitor pointed back at you, or FOH for big crowds.

These are QUALITY speakers, not junk. You will get GOOD sound.

As for mics, well Shure SM-58's are the standard for vocals, and Shure SM-57's are the most popular for micing instruments. But you can save big with the Behringer XM8500 mic. They get great reviews. Many say they are every bit as good as the SM58. They are probably not as durable. But if you take care of your gear they will be fine. Unbelieveable low price.

Behringer XM8500 Mic

Anyway, you could get all this for about the price of that Fender Passport. It would handle just about anything you throw at it. This setup will provide quality sound.

And it is small enough you won't break your back! 8)

I study this stuff all the time. Read the reviews. This is good gear for a great price.

Thanks again. The Behringer's looking better and better!

Oh yeah, Behringer is a good product for a GREAT price. And check this out, the PMX2000 is $50 less at Music 123!

B- PMX2000 @ Music 123

Get it while you can. :D

Here is some Speakon to 1/4" 25' speaker cables for under $20. You can even find them cheaper on E-Bay. Most soundpeople will recommend 12 Gauge cables, but for runs under 50' 16 Gauge will work fine. It is also far more flexible, which makes them easier to pack. Most sound equipment is coming out with Speakon connectors today. They are superior to any other type connector. But those Peavey speakers only have 1/4" connectors. So you have to make certain of the exact type of cables you will need before you buy.

Speakon to 1/4" 16 Gauge Speaker Cables

Whoa, incredible prices. $300 for that mixer/amp?

I count 9 3-prong mic connectors on that picture though. Is that the way it looks?

Yes, so you could have as many as 9 microphones going into it. Channels 1-6 are mono, channels 6-9 are stereo. Channel 10 is stereo and has RCA jacks. I use channel 10 to play music at gigs. I use a simple little walkman. It has a line out, but you can also use the headphone out. I bought a little adapater 1/8" to RCA's. So, I just hook it up to channel 10. Works great.

All channels (except 10) also have 1/4" inputs for guitar or bass, channels 7-9 have two 1/4" inputs for stereo devices like a keyboard.

I think at the Riverside Jam we were using every single channel. It still had plenty of power. I think some manufacturers exaggerate the power of their amps. Not Behringer. If anything, I think the power of the PMX2000 is underrated. It is really powerful, surprisingly so.

At one time my bass player's amp was on the fritz. So for about 2 months we just ran him through the PMX2000. You know bass is what really sucks power, but it handled it easily. I think it sounded better than his amp.

Probably the only negatives I can say about the PMX2000 is that it does not have a mute or pan button, and you have to get speaker cables with at least one end Speakon connectors. This is not really bad, Speakon connectors are the best, but they are expensive.

Thanks again Wes.

Not having a mute or pan is no problem. Pretty much mono, live, anyhow, and mute - well it's handy, but not essential.

This thing is looking better and better. I'm also looking at the Carvin powered mixers - some of them have 3 internal amps, but I'm thinking "Do I really need more than 200 watts?"

Probably not for smaller venues.

The only thing that's a consideration is shipping costs. I'll prolly check if Guitar Center has these units. I'm sure they do as MF and GC are sibling companies. Of course for me that would put sales tax in, but it might be less than shipping bulky items.

The speakon cables are really the latest; Carvin's including them too, though their powered mixers also have 1/4" outputs next to the others. See, with me, I'm in Los Angeles, so I can just drive down to a Carvin (Hollywood's the closest now that they shut down the Sherman Oaks one) and throw stuff in the trunk, rather than waiting for UPS.

Except GC's right down the road too, so I think maybe I'll be giving them a call about their Behringer stuff.

The other, smaller things like the cables, can be got from the links you supplied; it's just the oversize stuff I'm thinking about.

Thanks again. I'll let you know how it turns out. Gotta have something by April or so.

DemoEtc

You probably don't need over 200 watts, but that's ok, go for all the power you can get within your budget. More power just means more clean headroom.

Carvin is good gear. We used to play regular at a small club with a Carvin house PA. We loved it, never had a single problem with it and it sounded great. If it's right down the street......

Whatever you get let us know. :D

Wes

Will do man, and thanks again for taking the time. If someone printed out this thread alone it would be a great buyer's guide to PA systems!

Best