School me on Portable PA systems

[Rob Channell]

I'm toying with the idea a portable PA system for parties along with some karaoke and hopefully some real music(mains for a small band setup). Compared to the typical lower end stuff I run across I'd like it to be reliable and not have a harsh or muddy sound. I don't need my ears to bleed but I hate distortion unless it's the proper kind in an early breakup type cone driven by tubes.

Pretty much everything I am thinking of I would wait on a decent deal used. Nashville is only 2 hours away so it wouldn't be my first time to drive there for an instrument and they have PLENTY.

I like the idea of an unpowered mixer into some powered speakers. I have thought about the JBL Eon 15, Mackie SRM450, QSC K12. I ran across a pair of MAckie SR1521 but I think they may be heavier than I want to buy.

I searched Pelican and found nothing. Most of the reviews I have found have been on the seller's websites and they all seem to be good(as in yes, we think you should purchase one). I did run across some people complaining about the harshness of the JBL's and the reliability of the SRM450's. It was something about the amp overheating and kicking in the protection circuitry and the horns blowing due to a possibly too low crossover frequency. Maybe this would not be a problem for me as I probably won't be using them at full volume anyway. The comments I ran across on the QSC stuff was all glowing, claiming less harshness and more clarity than the JBL and Mackie stuff. Of course it should be better as it is more expensive. I would tend to lean this way given the choice. I did hear some good things about Yorkville but I have never even seen their stuff and it may be even more expensive.

I like how you can use a sub with a pole sticking out of it for the main speaker stand. It seems like it doesn't take up any more room and you get more bass.

Here is some of the used equipment I have run across:

Mackie 1402-VLZ mixer $200 - I think this would cover me for quite a while. It's got enough inputs for now and the Mackie mixers seem to have a good reputation among the low to what I would call middle end equipment.

I think these may be almost too heavy:
Mackie SR1521 $400ea
Mackie SA1521z $400ea

Mackie SRM450 $375ea - old version, not V2 version so possible heat problems???
Mackie SRS1500 subs $650pr older version but cheap enough to start

QSC K12 $500ea
QSC KSub $600ea

As of now I would probably just get the 1402 mixer and some combo following:
1st choice - Pair ea of QSC K12 and QSC Ksub
2nd - QSC K12 + Mackie SRS1500
3rd - QSC K12 and get sub later (might should be #1)
4th - Mackie SRM450 (V2 if I can get them) + SRS1500

I would probably lean away from the JBL and the Mackie/Tapco Thumps after hearing all the harshness comments. There is some question about the financial stability of the Mackie group but I imagine if they went under that someone would take over the name and hopefully the repair parts.

Any experiences with these brands or parts? What should I look for? What should I stay away from? What should I be thinking of that I am missing?

[nostatic]

I have a QSC K10 and K8 that cover various things. The K8 usually is in the apartment and Calvin's keyboard and V-drums run through them for lessons/practice. The K10 stays in my car as a backup bass amp (in case my primary fails at a gig) and also sees use as a standalone PA as you can run a mic direct into one of the two inputs (the other is line level). For live gigs where I need a PA I use both of them on stands with a Mackie Profx8 mixer. The Profx8 has built-in effects - they aren't world-class but make a big difference vs. no reverb/delay. Nice little setup. If I had more money to throw at things I'd pick up one more cab so I'd have a pair of mains and one monitor. The K10/K12 are nice because you can use them as an angle floor monitor. I find the K10 has plenty of low end. I don't want/need a sub or the K12. Then again I'm only using them for vocals and maybe some sax reinforcement rather than trying to crank full range music through them.