I see that the price of the Yamaha MS400
has dropped to $400. Is there anything
negative about this system?
I've read in other threads that the Mackie
SRM450's are top dog sonically, so how do the following compare as far as sound quality and reliability?

Yamaha MS400
EV SxA100
JBL Eon15 G2
Mackie SRM450

Thanks

Vquestor....I'm only good for 2 of the 4

I have personnaly listened to the mackies and JBL's in a banquet hall setting. Big hall, 300-700 people. The Mackies are top notch. In fact the DJ running the JBL's was in the process of trading his in for the Mackies. JBL's sounded pretty good to me, not as crisp and didn't appear to have the fullness and Umph (is that a technical term?)
I think they're fine though. Uncle Dave had mentioned in another thread somewhere that he had either experienced or new someone that had an overheating problem with the powered Mackies. I know a couple of guys up here who use them and they haven't had that problem. Anyhow, that's my limited 2 cents.
I believe Scott Yee, Uncle Dave and DonM like the EV series speakers. I'm sure they'll be here in a while to give you the professional slant along with the other members of this forum. Ain't this peachy? this is like the worlds biggest, most in-expensive search engine...ask one question and in hours, you're full up...Good Luck!!

Brian

I had the original EONs. I liked them, particularly the weight. Actually I believe the G2s are heavier than the originals. The Mackies definitely sound better in a side by side comparision, but the EONs were certainly good enough.
Another powered speaker that, IMO, beats them all is the new Peavy 15s. But they are REALLY heavy.

I have the Yamaha MS400 speakers, I think they are great.
I had FBT maxx4A before & I like the MS400 better, I like the 15" speaker.
The FBT had 12" sub like the Mackie SRM450.
The MS400 handels the HF, & LF as good as the
FBT & handels mid range better. IMO
The Thing that bug's me is I paid $600 ea. for mine.
And that was a good deal at the time
OH well every thing I buy is worth nothing after I buy it
Enjoying the (worth nothing) 9000 PRO
Denny

I have MS400 and it sounds good. 15 is better but a little heavier. The only thing I notice on my MS400 is when I use the 1/4 input my keyboard sound low. But the XLR is louder. What I did is just use a small mixer and use the XLR input. The Mackies looks cool on the stage though. I like that blue LED indicator. But for me Yamaha sounds good with its (15) speaker. I paid $599 when it first came out. I hope it has a wheel caster just like Samson's

HI: Danb
I use a mixer too the Yamaha MX12/6 I never tried the speakers without
the mixer & I also use XLR. I know I can get all kinds of volume,
I have the KB volume set at about 75% & the mixer stereo channel volume at 25% & main volume at 30%-35% & the picture's & trinkets
hanging on the wall's all move around, or fall down.
Enjoying the 9000 PRO
Denny
PS where did you get your MS400 from ?
When I got mine every place was asking $700-$800 for them, thats when
they first came out.


[This message has been edited by dlstarry (edited 02-28-2002).]

Denny - I bought mine in one of the DJ store in San Diego. They usually sell Yamaha speakers, mixers, etc. They don't sell guitars, keyboards and the like. I got a very good deal actually. Most of their Yamaha stuff are cheaper than the big music store who sells instruments.

Just to set the record straight, Yamaha offered us a end of year Christmas special on the MS400's, the MX12/6 mixer and the EMX3000 powered mixer. The deals are all over and only if a dealer has any left will the price be this reasonable.
I have sold many MS400's. Many players prefer the 15" speaker although the size is the same as the Mackie and the high end is not so harsh on the Yamaha. The Mackie tends to have alot of hiss coming from the horn which the Yamaha does not.
I have 2 MS400's left for $400.00 each and the EMX3000 powered mixers are $599.00 each. The retail price of the MS400 is $845.00 and the EMX3000 is $999.00. The EMX3000 is discontinued and has been replaced with the EMX5000 (just a little more Power), but the MS400 has not been discontinued.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

The Mackies I had overheated alot, in fact almost EVERY time I pushed them for any length of time. I doubt that it would happen if I used a separate sub, and kept them up on sticks, but on the floor - near corners, and on carpet ... there is just not a great air flow to keep them cool. Sound is terrific when they are "on". Closest to real studio tone of all 4.
JBL's - a good substitute for the 450's with slightly less high end sizzle. They are also a weird shape to transport, but are a little lighter than the Mackies.
EV sx100a - This is my choice for all around performance. They're easy to stack, carry and set up. They are not as punchy or as brilliant as the other two, but they can be tweaked with pre amps and EQ to an acceptable level. I chose them because of portability vs. sound. They are pretty close in the sound dept, but WAY ahead in the portability dept.
Yamaha's - haven't tried them beacuse they we big and bulky. No sense in going backwards again.
Don is right about those Peavey 15's - they're great, but beastly to carry.
I have a high output party this Saturday, and I'll need to bring my bass rig to round out the EV's. It's a Mother/Son dance at my old High School, and I'll be at least 1/2 a DJ all night because of their ages. I'll definatly NEED the ooomph! I have a Gallien Krueger combo bass amp (12" spkr 150 watts) and a Bag End 15" ext cabt. That works so good to add the extra baSS ON THE FLOOR LEVEL. (stupid caps lok !!!)

(ok - better now)

If you do the one night stands alot, like I do - The EV's are a great choice, but if you are doing larger venues on a regular basis .... you may need a sub. They are not overlt bass heavy. They DO however, have a nice, natural sound that carrys well in moderate situations.

Best overall sound has to be the UNpowered Mackies, with a powered sub - but That's a bugger to set up, too heavy to carry by one hand, and too many pieces for the average solo act. If I was in a band - I'd use that setup. The Mackie horn has the best, smoothest high end of them all.

The EV SXA100's have been working out great for me. Easy to transport & move quickly in/out. I had purchased the Mackie 450's but after two gigs, I returned them because they were not only heavy, but awkward to carry (unbalanced shape). I admit that they sound terrific but it was not worth the aggravation. The SXA100's don't have quite the punch but they have a terrificly smooth clean sound response (abeit a small amount of amp hiss if right up close). For large wedding and corporate venues, I'll augment my setup with the Bose 802's with sub. I prefer to take just the EVs though cuz it makes life so much easier. I'm still looking forward to getting a first hand report (from UD or others) on the Midi-Man 'Audio Buddy' and/or the Rolls 'Playmate' for use with the SX100's and PSR2000. I assume that these are units are much smaller/lighter than even the Mackie 1202 that I use when I need more amplifier gain. - Scott

Sorry Scott,
I just haven't had the opportunity to use the audio buddy yet. I'm recording an album for a client, and all my spare time is spent in the studio. We should be done soon, so maybe early March will provide an open window !

Thanks all for your valuable input.

Hello!!
Has anybody heard of the Bose 802s? Expensive but.....well, I would not trade them for anything out there. Light, portable, excellent warranty, never needed more than 50% volume, plenty of bass response. Two of them will handle the average gig. 4 of them will handle an outdoor concert. Best I've heard for vocals. Don't let the size of the horns fool you. you wont believe the amount of bass response they put out. It's amazing!
Pricey? yeahp! but will pay for themselves in the long run. And if you ever decide to get rid of them, (couldn't imagine why?) they bring the best resale price on ebay. Check it out!, you may find a great pear used(not cheap though).
By the way, has anyone been on cruise ship lately? I've been on 5 cruises in the last 4 years, and all I've seen being used on their "padded" lounges are Bose 802s, if that means anything.
Regards,
Mario

I'm still here . . .

Me too.

First it was Dolly the sheep, then CC the Cat, and now . . . it's Stevizard2 !

I'm offering my mint condition Bose 802 PA system for sale.
http://www.bose.com/products/on_stage/802silvr.html
http://www.djaudiosuperstore.com/detail.asp?product_id=Bose_802Silver

If interested, please email me: scott@scottyee.com

Best 'reasonable' offer accepted.

Scott http://scottyee.com

I used the Bose 800s for a long time in the 80's. Great mid range, but lousy bottom and top. If you see them on cruise ships, you can bet there is a hidden sub somewhere !
I see alot of Mackie 450's in the Casinos in Atlantic City !

As Uncle Dave says, 802's great middle (fab for vocals, I almost sound competant) but if you want fizz and bass you'll need help.

I have a a pair of Mackie SRM 450 and they are loud. They are good for DJs.
However I play digital piano through them for acoustic jazz groups and I find them very cold sounding at lower volumes. They don't display a high degree of sonic detail in the mids and highs, they have a nice bass response. I am looking for smaller speakers with greater clarity and smoother sound.

Wow ..... two years have passed between those last 2 posts! Is this topic stil relevant to the original poster?

No.

You know the Bose 802s are up to Mark III now and the new processor: "Pan Array Digital Sytem Controller" is all new too. They improved the low frequencie response a lot!

ROFL

......and the Oscar for the most concise reply on a message board goes to ...

Best wishes
Tony

I have the Psr2000 ...I have a pair of Yamaha MSP10's with the Yamaha SW10 subwoofer...I am more than satisfied with this combo......SPL is about 115 dcb's at 1 Meter...These are rock solid

I fully agree with Dave's statement....
I had the 450's six months...
overheated 5x on stage,
very embarassing! Sold them immediatly.....buyer beware!

Exactly!