I am a keyboard hobbyist but I occasionally will play outside of the home at parties and other events. I have an SD-1. I recently bought (and sold) a Peavey Escort 2000 PA system. I quickly tired of the sound. My beautiful SD-1 sounded like a cheap Casio. It was totally my fault. I tried to save a few buck and got what I paid for.

Now I'm looking for a single powered speaker. Although I typically play for less people, I'm teaming with a singer/guitar player for an outdoor party in August with 50 - 100 people expected. I want them to be able to hear how good the SD-1 sounds. From the comments I've read, I'm considering a Mackie 450 or Sona Elan 32. I don't want to buy a mixer.

Are these good choices for small/medium venues or would you recommend something else?

Thanks for you input!

Bob

I have the sona elan32. I bought a pair to relace my elite speakers.I had also used bass bins and so toted around 4 speakers and a lot of weight.The elites are great speakers for their size,but I needed the bottom end at some gigs.The sonas are 36lbs a piece have a fifteen inch speaker and a horn and a built in 450 watt amp. They also have four imputs and an eq which is very responsive.I paid $565 each for them at music 123. The mackies are also excellent,but are more expensive and heavier.The sonas will do the job for a crowd of 100 or more.

Gotta' agree with Terry--the Sona 32-c is the way to go. Unfortunately, their service department sucks. I just purchased a pair of 32-C's and one had siginficant more volume than the other. After a half-dozen phone calls and a similar amount of emails, Barbetta finally replied and said to send both units back, which I did. I shipped them overnight UPS, they arried the next day in California, the transformers were checked, and despite another half-dozen emails and phone calls inquiring as to their status, no one has responded. I'm back to hauling those 90-pound Peavey's around again until Barbetta repairs and returns the ones I've only used twice. The product is only as good as the service provided by the manufacturer.

Good Luck,

Gary

gary,


I have never had a problem with my Barbettas, but wouldn't it have been easier to take them back to the store you purchased them from for an exchange?

I also purchased a Peavey escort on ebay for a greatly reduced amount. Being somewhat aware of the limitations of a system like this, I knew I would have to beef it out, so I have an ebay ART600AS powered subwoofer coming too. It weighs in at 48lbs, so between the two I should get a sound somewhat acceptable and not have to lug too much stuff and can use just the escort when applicable.

Donny,

I would have taken them back to the store, but they didn't have any more in stock, and Tony assured me that he would take care of everything if I just shipped the amp heads to the factory. The speaker that didn't sound right and had 30 percent lower volume was the floor model. I can only hope that Barbetta stands behind their product because for tonight's gig, I'm back to lugging those 90-pound Peavey's and all the other stuff.

I'll give you a call at home.

Gary

I appreciate all of the helpful input. I'll check out the Barbetta's.

Bob

Gary I'm sorry to hear about your trouble with the new Barbetta
powered speakers.
I was wondering how good there service department would be &
where a person would have to take them for repair.
It don't sound like the service is any to good.
I hope you get them back very soon, & that they work good.
Denny

Gary, I agree with you. I owned a Barbetta Sona kb amp 10 years ago and my customer experience with them was very good so it's very disappointing to hear of the unexcuseably SLOW service you're receiving from them now. I urge you to contact Tony Barbetta (Barbetta's chief honcho) directly. If he can't get things RIGHT for you promptly, all faith in Barbetta will be lost. Please keep us posted. - Scott

Hi Bob, I checked the web page I had used for Barbetta,at music 123. They
have indeed raised the price.You might try calling them.1-888-590-9700. and
mention that you have a friend who bought them about two months ago for $565
They say that they won't be underbid,so mabe you can say you saw a quote
elsewhere for less,and the reason you called them is because I was happy
with their service and recomended them. Failing that they also have b stock
sona 31 for $529. I picked the sona 32s because they are also good for
vocals and I am primarily a singer.I have been told that the sona31 are also
fantastic ,and they are even lighter. Good luck. Terry

Bob I tried to reply to your email,but my computer has been acting up all day.It keeps giving me an undeliverable message.I know its not your address because it happened with other emails as well.Hence the reply on the forum.If you contact Barbetta directly,they will supply you with the names of suppliers in your area.Terry

I recently purchased a Berhinger pmx 2000 powered stereo mixer with 10 channels, a built in vocalizer, 3 stereo Line Inputs for keyboards, and monitor outs for a whopping $259.00!!!!

I added two 15" cabinets with horns and I'm very pleased with the result. I had the speakers from any old PA system and they sound just fine.

You might want to investigate this mixer and picking up some speakers. The good thing about a separate amplifier to the speakers is if one goes down, you still have the other and you don't have to ship out both for repair.

Now, let's just hope the Berhinger is tough enough to handle a busy working schedule.

Al

[This message has been edited by kbrkr (edited 06-15-2003).]

Terry,

Thank you for responding to my email on this forum. I'm going to buy the Barbetta and I'll let you know how I like it.

Al, I appreciate your input as well.

Bob

Al,
You point about the self contained amps better addresses the idea of a "spare" on the job. With two powered cabinets ...... you always have a spare on stage. If a one piece PA head goes down ... you have TWO silent speakers. That's what gives me some piece of mind on these hot, sticky, windless days at outdoor parties on the east coast.
Food for thought.

Uncle Dave,

Your point is well taken. The one nice feature of the Behringer is it contains a very quiet cooling fan. Also, since it contains two amp sections, if one goes out hopefully the other will stay lit. Lastly, if it fails completely, I have the luxury of using the main vocal pa to plug into.

I guess the whole idea is not to back yourself into a corner.

Al