jdm56 Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 We attended my wife's high school class reunion this weekend, and I've got to say the sound system was one of the worst sounding things I've ever been exposed to. To be fair, I think the room was a lot of the problem, but still, these big old Peavey speakers were boom and screech monsters! They were two-ways with a 15" woofer and a big horn tweeter; probably designed for instrument amplification. And her class paid $300 for the privelege of having their ears assaulted by these hoary things! I couldn't help but wonder what a good pair of la scalas and a klipsch pro sub would have sounded like. Or even the industrial heresy w/sub. I've seen a lot of DJ's use Peavey or similar pro speakers, and they almost always sound like sh1t. Whassup wit dat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Because they're cheap and don't care. The latest assult is wedding DJ's using MP3 files on computers. They save hauling in real CD's and players. One guy even had his cell phone linked up to a service so he could download requests that he didn't have on file. Then they take these grainy, gritty files, play em with el cheapo PC players, run em through CS800 amps into their horrible Peavy speakers. Talk about noise hangover! I've started putting earplugs in my camera bags and when consulting with clients ask them to please not hire these guys. On the other hand, I've got a couple of guys who have JBL subs, Carver amps, Mackie biamped stand speakers and it sounds heavenly. One combo band uses very old Klipsch speakers on stands, has a funny little internal 'sub' that fires into a wedge shaped port. Kinda cool! Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 With all due respect to any Peavey fans....if you're out there; One word: "SHRILL!" I have never appreciated their products. Not even when I was operating on a tight budget back in the late 1970's when I was hauling Perkins cabinets and EV horns around out on the road. What is the point in compromising the sound just to save a few bucks when it's your livelyhood you're talking about? It's just like computers: Garbage In/Garbage Out! Invest some money in your equipment and you'll get a lot more good-paying jobs through word-of-mouth. Not everyone out on the public will notice exceptional sound, but EVERYONE notices CRAPPY sound! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 H ..micheal, you make me laugh .... you Peavey hater ... i sentence you to listen to some SP-3's for 4 hours.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Wouldn't you love to go to a wedding or a reunion, where they've set up tube gear, and the DJ is spinning vintage vinyl on a high-end table? "OK everybody! Quiet down! We're gonna play Rubber Soul!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triceratops Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Fini wrote: "Wouldn't you love to go to a wedding or a reunion, where they've set up tube gear, and the DJ is spinning vintage vinyl on a high-end table? 'OK everybody! Quiet down! We're gonna play Rubber Soul!'" Fini--I've got an even more retro idea. I'm dating myself here, as I grew up in the era portrayed in the movie "That Thing You Do!" Remember when people used to have live music for parties? Lots of events--school dances, birthdays, beer bashes, weddings, etc almost always had a live garage band. Then came the disco era, and all of a sudden people would stand in line and pay big bucks to hear...records? Disco may be dead, but it seems the DJ era is still going strong. But I'll bet in almost every town there are probably a few good local bands that would play a gig for the same or less money than the cost of a professional DJ. Wouldn't it be cool to go to an event and hear some live music--possibly something new and original? And if these local bands got a few good gigs then maybe they would spring for some LaScalas and a decent soundboard! Best in horns, triceratops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david mancuso Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Greetings For the record: I have been using Klipsch/Mark Levinsion/Koetsu (signatures) w/modified 1100's (Tech) and with Koetsu tone arms and shells. No equalizers or any other additional electronics are used...except Mitch Cottier dividing network and passive phono transformers for moving coils. This has been on going for 35 years (see: www.theloftnyc.com ) Went class A in 78' I totally agree that today's dance environment for the most part is a endurance test just to listen and enjoy music properly. My spl reading never go beyond 103-105 db. Average is about 95-100. My mission has always been with respect to the artist's musical intent. Also I do not use mixer...Phono l and Phono 2 back and forth. Use only vinyl. Music is Love d. Ps. We use the same set up in Japan and Tokyo. I am home based in NYC. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 I did have a great Peavy cabinet one. Bass guitar rig with 2x15" in ported cabinet. No chance for 'shrillness' there. But other than that.... Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sputnik Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 ---------------- On 7/21/2005 12:18:42 PM david mancuso wrote: Greetings For the record: I have been using Klipsch/Mark Levinsion/Koetsu (signatures) w/modified 1100's (Tech) and with Koetsu tone arms and shells. No equalizers or any other additional electronics are used...except Mitch Cottier dividing network and passive phono transformers for moving coils. This has been on going for 35 years (see: www.theloftnyc.com ) Went class A in 78' I totally agree that today's dance environment for the most part is a endurance test just to listen and enjoy music properly. My spl reading never go beyond 103-105 db. Average is about 95-100. My mission has always been with respect to the artist's musical intent. Also I do not use mixer...Phono l and Phono 2 back and forth. Use only vinyl. Music is Love d. Ps. We use the same set up in Japan and Tokyo. I am home based in NYC. ---------------- Can Klipsch Forum members get on the "list"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 ---------------- On 7/21/2005 12:21:58 PM colterphoto1 wrote: I did have a great Peavy cabinet one. Bass guitar rig with 2x15" in ported cabinet. No chance for 'shrillness' there. But other than that.... Michael ---------------- I've got one of those. You want it? Heavy as anything but an Ampeg 8x10". I'm using horns now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 ---------------- On 7/21/2005 12:21:58 PM colterphoto1 wrote: I did have a great Peavy cabinet one. Bass guitar rig with 2x15" in ported cabinet. No chance for 'shrillness' there. But other than that.... ---------------- I bet they tried to make that cabinet sound shrill though...and that's why it sounded so good for a bass rig I've been forced to mix on a few peavy systems (if I had known I woulda rented or brought my own gear) and I couldn't believe the torture I was giving the graphic EQs! The speakers were like +-12dB throughout the spectrum! Good thing they were a nice pair of dbx's cuz I was actually able to get a decent sound (well decent enough to convey that the bad sucked too). And why that system had expensives EQ's, I will never know. The last time I mixed with a peavy system I actually turned all the musician's amps around and got most of the sound that way, using the mains to help balance things out to the sides and rear. I seriously think the engineers do it on purpose and find it funny or something...there's no other logical reason. I'm taking summer classes right now in the late evening and when I get outta class Kait is also getting out of work and sometimes we get together and go eat food somewhere. Well TGIF is one of the only places open and they often have DJ's in the bar area. They've actually got a rather decent system in the restraunt, but the DJ's always insist on blasting 100Hz and 10kHz (talking a good 12dB here)...and on top of that the subs are distorting like no other and it just sounds like mega crap. We're sitting over in the restraunt side of the place which has a big wall dividing the two sections and we can barely hear each other talking over the boom boom tweet crap! One of these days I think I might go in there and fix the mix for the guy, but he prob wouldn't want me raining on his parade...I don't think drunk people care too much for the sound anyway, or perhaps they're trying to match the quality of the people singing karioke... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyKlipschFan Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 One of these days I think I might go in there and fix the mix for the guy, but he prob wouldn't want me raining on his parade...I don't think drunk people care too much for the sound anyway, or perhaps they're trying to match the quality of the people singing karioke... So true!!!! Ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted July 21, 2005 Author Share Posted July 21, 2005 ---------------- On 7/21/2005 12:18:42 PM david mancuso wrote: Greetings For the record: I have been using Klipsch/Mark Levinsion/Koetsu (signatures) w/modified 1100's (Tech) and with Koetsu tone arms and shells. No equalizers or any other additional electronics are used...except Mitch Cottier dividing network and passive phono transformers for moving coils. This has been on going for 35 years (see: www.theloftnyc.com ) Went class A in 78' I totally agree that today's dance environment for the most part is a endurance test just to listen and enjoy music properly. My spl reading never go beyond 103-105 db. Average is about 95-100. My mission has always been with respect to the artist's musical intent. Also I do not use mixer...Phono l and Phono 2 back and forth. Use only vinyl. Music is Love d. Ps. We use the same set up in Japan and Tokyo. I am home based in NYC. ---------------- Bless your pointy little retro-audiophile head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazytubepower Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Hey now...they do make nice guitar amps, by nice i mean okay. Nothing like my standel or mesa boogie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Unfortunately bad sound and mediocrity are the norm rather than the exception to the rule. If bad sound were lethal, audio would be the # 1 cause of death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 having used most of the Peavey PA speakers made years ago ......i have to say they sound so freakin' bad ... i wonder, are they all deaf in the South ..???..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Interesting reading this thread! I've encountered some pretty bad sounding DJ/PA systems. It was actually kinda funny one year. A little over a year ago, for my friend's wedding, he asked me if he could borrow some of my equipment to "DJ" the reception. I ended up bringing a pair of RF-5s and my old Yamaha R-V702 pro-logic reciever and set it up in a stereo configuration. I also stuck on an old Yamaha YST-40 sub. And yes, the music was provided via MP3's queued up on a laptop computer. Like people is really going to tell/care the difference between the quality of the MP3 and the CD itself, especially considering this was the usual wedding type fair such as "The Electric Slide" or "Y.M.C.A". The night before the wedding, we setup this thing and tested it out. I was actually pretty darned impressed at just how good those RF-5s sounded with that Yamaha in that kind of setting. They are definitly not "DJ/pro-audio", but they definitly worked! That night, me, my friend, his father and his brother all decided to go hit the local Buffalo Wild Wings for a few drinks. That night, they had a DJ there. That setup they had just sounded like complete $#!+! My friend's brother was telling me those Klipsch that I brought in for the wedding sounded way, way better! It was so horrible that we ended up leaving and going somewhere else. At the wedding itself the next day, I've gotten several comments about how good the music sounded. I ought to see if I can score some industrial LaScalas and do some DJ'ing as a side business (and use CD's as well as MP3's) As much as people diss on MP3s around here, you cannot deny just how convenient they are (you could easily put a full nights worth of music on something like an iPod, instead of lugging huge cases of records/CD's), and most people would not be able to tell the difference in most typical settings anyway - especially if you use higher bitrate encoding. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 As I have done my share of playing music at dances, weddings and anniversary parties, I can say that you have to have a lot of material, and be prepared to break out polkas and waltzes. I am adament about setting up early, regardless if it is a slight inconvenience. There is nothing worse than hauling a pile of gear and speakers past a big crowd of guests, getting all sweaty setting up. I like to be set up well in advance, and also have all the extension cords and speaker cables routed safely and taped down with duct tape. I usually play a few familiar songs to get a feel for the overall sound of the hall. Then I can leave to get showered and dressed up, look like a real professional in dress clothes, rather than a dirty t-shirt and sloppy jeans. Be prepared to do a load-in and load out with minimal help, as people that want to help can damage the finish on speakers by trying to slide them across the floor, or bang something into the edge of a table. Charge a fair price and play what the people want to hear, after all they are the ones paying you. ( regardless if a young punk wants to hear sepultra, you have to respect the older folks as well ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 ---------------- On 7/22/2005 10:12:44 PM michael hurd wrote: Charge a fair price and play what the people want to hear, after all they are the ones paying you. ( regardless if a young punk wants to hear sepultra, you have to respect the older folks as well ) ---------------- Ain't that the truth! As much as I was tempted to go crank up some Queensryche or even Stratovarius, I knew that would not be appropriate. So, it was "Y.M.C.A.", "The Chicken Dance", "Celebration", and any number typical songs often heard at these kinds of things. Still, sounds like something that would be fun to do on an occasional, side-business, type thing. Cetainly would not make any real money doing it, though (and during the winter - forget it! I am already engaged in my other "side-job" as a ski patrolman at one of the local ski areas.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted July 20, 2016 Moderators Share Posted July 20, 2016 Greetings For the record: I have been using Klipsch/Mark Levinsion/Koetsu (signatures) w/modified 1100's (Tech) and with Koetsu tone arms and shells. No equalizers or any other additional electronics are used...except Mitch Cottier dividing network and passive phono transformers for moving coils. This has been on going for 35 years (see: www.theloftnyc.com ) Went class A in 78' I totally agree that today's dance environment for the most part is a endurance test just to listen and enjoy music properly. My spl reading never go beyond 103-105 db. Average is about 95-100. My mission has always been with respect to the artist's musical intent. Also I do not use mixer...Phono l and Phono 2 back and forth. Use only vinyl. Music is Love d. Ps. We use the same set up in Japan and Tokyo. I am home based in NYC. I wish I had seen this at the time, this guy is a Klipschorn god. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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