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What would make good Karaoke speakers?


Coytee

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Talked to my brother in law last night. He's thinking on setting up a mobile Karaoke system. He's also thinking it might be cool to be able to play some live instruments through them.

I think the key word is mobile. I was thinking how cool an MWM might be with a K402 tossed on top... then thought about the KP-600 system. Primarily because I'd love to hear both of them and have access to them [A]

I don't know the model numbers, but how about a pair of the industrial Cornwalls?? I did mention some LaScalas. Since this would be a mobile system he wouldn't need to worry about finding a pretty pair and might find a beater pair on the cheap.

Would you drop down to the industrial Heresy's? I'm thinking this is not a great idea even though they're easier to carry.

If he wanted to play live instruments through them would he need to run a mixing board? I know nothing about the requirements or demands on the system of playing an instrument verses playing back music.

I might add, he's got some fair sized trucks and trailers. Might even have a hand truck. Point being, he's got the infrastructure to store and carry something larger than a Heresy sized speaker. I'm sure in the real world, he probably won't want to wrestle with some MWM's but until he heard them, one never knows.

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Does your bother want to stick with Klipsch?


I would highly
recommend going with a pair of active mains (which are the type that
have an amplifier built into them). This has the advantage of not
needing to carry around an amp rack, and active speakers also have
their own limiters and active xovers / EQ built-in which makes them
very difficult to break and they're going to sound pretty good right
out of the box.


The only thing is Klipsch (to my knowledge) never
made an active pro sound speaker. If you let me know the price point
then I could make some suggestions.


FWIW, I wouldn't recommend
anything smaller than a 15" 2-way. You'll want the speakers to dig at
least to 50Hz and then the maxSPL will be a function of the size of
room he plans to play in. I'd recommend targetting no lower than ~114dB
or so for the smallest of venues. That puts you at a price point of
about $500 for a pair with the Tapco TH-15A, which is a recommendation
I just recently made for a "cheap as possible, but good enough" system:

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product?sku=600299V

If he wants to spend more money though, then there's all sorts of ways to expand on the performance.


If you want to stay within the Klipsch family, then I would
recommend something from the KP series...but keep in mind these are
gonna be heavy boxes and you'll need to run outboard amplification. I've used KP-3002 for years and they are some pretty sweet speakers. If you want something a bit smaller, lighter and more tinkly in the highs, then an EV Force I might be something to compare against. They usually go for about the same price on the used market.

I would recommend against the Pro Cornwall and Pro Heresy for this application. I also think Industrial Lascalas would be way too cumbersome to move around.

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I don't know that he's brand loyal to anything. He was asking me about some CV's and it was me that brought up Klipsch (being the coolaid dispenser that I am [:$])

He's mentioned some CV's and EV's. One of them (probably the CV's) were active.

This is a world that I really know nothing about. I DO think his first option is inexpensive since this is for fun and if I know him, probably more for the enjoyment of others participating than him making any money or participating himself. This is why I thought of the beater LaScalas. Perhaps up to the task yet perhaps cost effective with some less than perfect boxes. He travels around a bit to various cities/states. His buying circle would be a larger natural circle than mine since my work world is here local. This would allow him to make a stop in Atlanta... Nashville... something like that.

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Yikes, definitely don't go the CV route... [:o] I think the comparably priced active Mackie's sound much nicer.

The
problem with lascalas is you won't get them high enough in the air
without going with a double stack. Also, coverage is an even bigger
issue in PA settings, which means the beaming you get from the
exponential horns is gonna make it sound different everywhere you
stand.

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Richard: I agree with Doc, especially on nixing CV. I've used them in professional environments and have been quite disappointed every time. I also agree with his recommendation of going with powered, intergrated units. There's lots to choose from: Folks like JBL, Behringer, Mackie, Yamaha and Peavey (Peavey's not my first choice) make setups that are available new and used. Guitar Center featues lots of names and models to review. Shop around for the best pricing. Good luck, Richard! -Glenn

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