James Daniels

Line Array systems. Which is the 'proverbial' best?

It's not everyday that we get to do a shootout on line array systems. But to those who have, or at least have enough time on several systems, who do you think is best and why? I can't seem to find any meningful conversations online comparing line array systems.To really make things fair, let's let sound quality and performance share the spotlight with things like durability, rigging, weight, bang for buck, and so on.

Me? I've run on an Adamson Metrix, and Vertec, and X-Array rigs. Among them, the Adamson is the most impressive for it's size, and the JBL smoked the EV system IMO. Although, it was the first generation of X-Array vs. a much newer Vertec system. I've seen a somewhat wider variety in action at shows I wasn't on the desk at. L'Acoustics and Meyer come to mind...

But still, everybody in my neck of the woods screams Nexo. I've heard from a few that they are making the best rigs in the business. Is it hearsay or what?

So let's hear it. What's the best out there so far? Don't be afraid to get technical in the answers...

Tags: Array, Line, Shootout

Views: 371

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Replies to This Discussion

George's Pro Sound CompanyPermalink Reply by George's Pro Sound Company on February 3, 2011 at 3:22pm

I have 16 msl3a and 16 upa1a/c  I run these over EAW bh800s

the biggest issue with this is the physical weight and truck space, but in reality most shows are 3 a side msl3a over 4 a side eaw la400 subs and this FILLS a 2000 seat theater very nicely

 

iI really don't do rock or rap

in fact 2/3 of my work is distributed large scalepaging such as air shows(where you MUST ground stack) and motorcycle race , field band compititions, boat races and public safety 

 

when I do music it is acoustic folk/bluegrass festival situation

 

my entire investment including trucks, wire,shop ,speakers,amps,mic,truss,genie lifts, lights, and the dust on the floor is around 250K and that took 20 years to spend,

my system is paid for and earns money every time it rolls

I mean earns PROFIT, not lease payments

 

I am a Local provider serving events mostly within 100 miles of my upstate ny base

 

Vincent ButtstedtPermalink Reply by Vincent Buttstedt on February 3, 2011 at 3:28pm

I thought you had something bigger, line array style... 

The companies who buy this, do have a lot more shows, and probably at higher payrate as well, with line-array the prices are higher...

In that case, MLA is out of your league yes. But I would say W8LM or W8VDQ are nice little boxes, and not expensive...

 

I see your point, I think that MLA would do other jobs then those you do, however, MLA would do it ofcourse, it's depending on budget for either company and client... 

DorinPermalink Reply by Dorin on February 3, 2011 at 11:02pm

[the smallest system consist of 8x MLA per side, with 4 subs, is not expensive,]

 

do have any pricing idea for configuration above?

Vincent ButtstedtPermalink Reply by Vincent Buttstedt on February 4, 2011 at 2:01am

I would suggest you to contact your local distributor for a price. 

 

Greg said 25000USD per box, that's a bit high... 

And it sold by a plug and play system, with electrical distribution rack, tablet PC, all cables necessary, covers, etc... And a 3-day training...

Mark WakerPermalink Reply by Mark Waker on February 7, 2011 at 4:19am
I wonder how much a Milo box costs? $15k each? And you will need more of them, and that takes up more space in the truck etc. etc. Carbon footprint would definitely be larger for conventional vs. MLA.
wayne TaitPermalink Reply by wayne Tait on February 6, 2011 at 1:48pm
yup i'm on the Milo side. But Nexo Jeo is up next!
Ted GregorekPermalink Reply by Ted Gregorek on February 7, 2011 at 9:45am
Over the last 2 years I've had the opportunity to mix on most of them. Now let me preface this with I've been the bands engineer, usually in the middle of 4 or 5 acts. So If i get a sound check at all I'm happy. I never got to tune the system. Sometimes I got an EQ to tweek a little but rarely, I usually just jumped in and mixed. I was at the mercy of the system tech, if he had it together or not was another question. So I would say the Vertec rig is most prevalent. Adamson, EV, McCauley, L'acoustics were all good systems, My least favorite was the EAW, Harsh sounding in the hi mids. Just my opinion. The two that really stood out were the D&B no suprise there and the QSC Wideline. Maybe the system techs on the Wideline were just that good but I don't think so. It was much tighter in the low mids than any of the others. Again just my opinion. The Bass player from the band had a 5 string with a low B and it was always muddy on the low B but on the wide line it was very clear. So is it my inabilities, could be. But I was the constant same engineer same band, So that's the way I see it.
Ted GregorekPermalink Reply by Ted Gregorek on February 8, 2011 at 12:26pm
Your right about that but the clarity I was missing was in the low mids I had plenty of low low but no deffinition.
Terry HiltonPermalink Reply by Terry Hilton on February 8, 2011 at 2:29pm
I am a little biased as I spend a lot of time with L-Acoustics Line arrays. K-1 rocks. Easy to rig. parts are self contained. That being said all line arrays are as good as the technicians that install and tune them. As in most quality tools they all can perform really well in the right hands. Modern speaker systems are very precise. Most have some sort of predication and modeling software to help determine the angles that would give the best results. I am always surprised at how many times I see line arrays of any manufacturer installed with out the benefit of that knowledge.
Terry HiltonPermalink Reply by Terry Hilton on February 8, 2011 at 3:42pm

Right tool for the job also needs to be considered. V-dosc vers dv-dosc. Depends on the venue. A venue with a short throw, a large vertical  area to cover and limited to 1, 1 ton rigging point would be a good reason to chose dv-dosc over V-dosc. I can hang slightly more than 3 dv-dosc to 1 V-dosc. Better line array action and improved vertical coverage. Add some dv-sub with SB28 and dv-dosc can be a great system for any genre of music.

Another factor is the how the system is packaged by the sound company. When a company I worked with first got Kudo we took it on tour with each enclosure on it's own wheel board and with it's own cover. Kudo rigging system is great but handling each box individually (and covers and wheel boards) took too much time. After 6 weeks we had a break and we redesigned how we packaged the Kudo. Stacked 3 Kudo on a single wheel board. Efficient packaging is crucial. Minutes shaved off install time add up and allow more time for tuning the rig...

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