Hi-Fi and Pro equip. like Mackie, Stewart or JBL


Hi folks,

I've asked the same question before, I looked around
(maybe not enough) but I am still puzzled.
I need to play music (Classical,folk) into a room with
100 to 150 people on cultural gatherings of an association I belong to. Some people told me home Hi-Fi equipment will
not do it. I went to a store and they showed me equipment
like Mackie, Stewart and JBL with 400 to 600 watts of power.
I did not have a audio CD or cassette tape to try them out.
How close to "good sound" these type of equipment come to?
Comparing them to home hi-end audio equipment these ones are very cheap! How good much of sound can they produce?
Will these equipment do it or I need a 'Cello Duet 350' or better?
Please, help!
diavlos
The short answer is that pro sound reinforcement equipment is not sonically comparable to high end home equipment. The pro equipment is more ruggedly built and is designed to withstand abuse that would destroy a typical high end equipment. Unfortunately, they are not the last word in sonic refinement. Nothwithstanding the above, there are several manufacturers who straddle the pro/hi-end boundary. You might consider Bryston, Chord, Manley or Hafler amps.
not all pro-audio equipment sounds bad. wayne of boldercables.com, is pleased w/his qsc audio amp - read it about it on the qsc forum on harmonicdiscord.com. i'm considering a pair to use w/my subwoofers. also, the art di/o dac is a pro audio unit, & it embarrasses many audiphile-grade dacs. all of the above are available at fullcompass.com, at prices a lot less than already-good retail prices... joel at x1116 has always been very helpful & friendly... i imagine there are other pro-audio retailers w/competitive pricing.

doug s.

JBL Pro drivers will work fine if matched with something like a Bryston. Try to get something with tubes to tame the sound...
It will depend on your budget and the spl level your needing to project into the room. 100 to 150 people is not a small gathering and sometimes the din of conversation will raise the noise floor pretty substantially. Is this a quiet gathering of people intent on listening or a social event? How many time are you going to do this? Does this warrant a fair investment. As with the home hi fi market, the professional market has different price catagories with an improvement in clarity or other attributes at each increasing level. Feel free to email me with your answers to the above questions and some possible solutions.
pro gear sounds good in a large room. most high end audio will fall on it's face trying to fill that large of a room. jbl srs with a good amp are a bargin, hell i am running sr 4732s and a 4719 sub in my theater. tubes on top crown macro reference on sub. it is overkill for ht though.