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At 1:03 PM -0500 8/10/06, Jeff Larson wrote:
> > From: Krispen Hartung
>>
>> What am I getting in a boutique acoustic guitar amp for $1000
>> that I am not getting in a decent powered full range PA speaker?
>
>I've also become interested in this recently. The JBL EON10 G2
>looked nice, but I was thinking of getting two of them for stereo
>which would be more than I want to spend. I saw the Roland CM-30
>CUBE Monitor which is cheap enough to get two, but it only has 6.5"
>speakers. Does anyone have any experience with these?
Yeah, I've actually got experience with both.
First, the electronic music collective in which I play (M.E.M.E.)
uses the JBL EON's for our monitors. They do sound very good, and
are worth the money if you're willing to spend that much cash on a
pair. Not much else to add, other than if you can afford to spring
~$1200 for a pair, they're worth it.
Alternately, I came to the exact same conclusion you did, and instead
use a pair of the Roland CM-30 CUBE Monitors myself. They sound
good, but with some caveats. You're going to have to compensate for
some frequency loss at both the top and bottom of the spectrum. For
the top end, it seems like they start to roll off at around 14-15k.
For playing out live, I don't really mind this all that much (most of
what's lost seems merely to be hiss and noise) but if you A/B them
against flat frequency monitors in the studio, you will notice a
difference.
More concerning is that, as you might expect, they're a little light
on the low end. The Roland's do a pretty good job down through the
low-mids, but don't expect earth-shaking bottom end from them. One
good thing is that when confronted with a source signal containing a
large amount of low frequencies, the speakers don't pop or fart in
trying to handle it. Rather, the audio merely comes across a little
light in the lows.
Build quality is excellent, and they're very light and portable.
They're also LOUD. Even individually, the CM-30's sound like they're
louder than a mere 30 watts. And when you've got two set up to cover
the left and right halves of the stage, you're going to find them
more than adequate for most solo gigs. If you're using them for a
standard instrument signal (like guitar) they should work pretty well
for a full-range [sic] solution in-and-of themselves.
However if, like me, you're using something that has a good amount of
bass information (I'm running synths and Chapman Stick though my
setup), you're going to need to add another component. In that case,
read on, pilgrim...
For a true full-range solution, I'm using my pair of CM-30's in
conjunction with a single Gemini GX-350 powered speaker to form a
makeshift 2.1 configuration. This works out great, since the Gemini
is an excellent affordable powered speaker. I'd put the Gemini stuff
up against the Mackie's any day, but I don't think it's up to the
level of the JBL's. (And if it's not already apparent, I consider
the Mackie's over-rated and not worth their inflated price tag.)
However, when I let the GX-350 handle the low-end and use the CM-30's
for the mid's, high-end, and stereo separation, it sounds great!
The best part is that I was able to put the whole 2.1 setup together
for less than what a single EON would cost. :)
--m.
--
_______
"Now Simulcast on Crazy People's Fillings"