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Thread: JBL PRX One Vs RCF ART 945A vs RCF NX 985-A vs RCF ART 915AX

  1. #1
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    JBL PRX One Vs RCF ART 945A vs RCF NX 985-A vs RCF ART 915AX

    I'm looking to have a single unit for a party of about 100 people in a medium size room - I'm thinking one, better quality single unit. Which option do you think is best of these?

    The JBL PRX One
    RCF ART 945A
    RCF NX 985-A
    RCF ART 915AX

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by notapro4 View Post
    I'm looking to have a single unit for a party of about 100 people in a medium size room - I'm thinking one, better quality single unit. Which option do you think is best of these?

    The JBL PRX One
    RCF ART 945A
    RCF NX 985-A
    RCF ART 915AX
    Just one? And with no subwoofer? That is really not ideal. Are you renting these or buying them?

    I mean.. the NX 985-A has the most bass, and also the most output.. so if you are going to have just one speaker, it's.. well.. "the most"... but the downside of this is that, being a larger speaker, it does not sit on a speaker stand.. it's made to be stacked or flown. Now, if you are renting it and will only be using it for this one party, then just find a small sturdy table to place it on and you'll be ok. Or, any large sturdy object to bring it up at least 3-4ft (1M or more) above the dancefloor level. And.. it should be placed against a wall to optimize the bass.

    But generally a smaller speaker + subwoofer is a better choice than 1 larger speaker.

    Certainly if you are buying speakers of this quality, if you only have money for one right now, you should plan to be buying a second one pretty soon... If you can't see yourself buying a second one down the road, don't buy one.

  3. #3
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    Are you selecting these options based on the available price or something? The JBL doesn't really fit the group... it's a Fisher-Price toy next to the others which are Professional PA speakers. That said the JBL may be just fine for your event, and are you considering renting vs buying?
    Paul O'Brien
    Old Tech Guy
    www.Techott.com

  4. #4
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    Thanks for the replies, interesting indeed. To answer your questions:



    This would be for buying, not renting. The reason for this is that I can’t seem to find any place to rent decent speakers. So will buy and store for the occasional party. I also think buying better quality could help if I were to need to sell the speaker later on and getting a decent proportion of the money back… possibly.


    • I have seen a few people say the same, that JBL Partybox / PRX ONE, or anything JBL-like are no match to professional PA speakers – which is why it would seem I’m looking at the higher-end stuff, just less of them. But I may be wrong!
    • I wouldn’t be looking at buying another speaker in the future (unlikely)
    • The reason for one speaker + my thought process (which is based on no experience and just internet research!)
    • Some people appear to buy a single portable column PA system and it seems to work okay for them, like musicians etc
    • Single better quality speaker is better than two of less quality (?)
    • My theory is that I could choose a single PA system that works better than portable PA system, as I do not mind about the portability side of things.
    • Maybe a single, expensive/high-quality PA speaker would have better sound than a single portable column PA speaker like the JBL PRX One
    • Or maybe for the best sound/coverage with one system, is to go with a single PA speaker + subwoofer
    • Maybe something like the RCF ART912-A, + the RCF SUB705-AS II, and the RCF F6X console – but now its getting really expensive




    Any other thoughts are welcome!

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by notapro4 View Post
    I also think buying better quality could help if I were to need to sell the speaker later on and getting a decent proportion of the money back… possibly.
    That is true in most cases.

    Quote Originally Posted by notapro4 View Post
    I have seen a few people say the same, that JBL Partybox / PRX ONE, or anything JBL-like are no match to professional PA speakers – which is why it would seem I’m looking at the higher-end stuff, just less of them. But I may be wrong!
    JBL does make comparable products they would be in the SRX800 or VTX F lines.

    Quote Originally Posted by notapro4 View Post
    I wouldn’t be looking at buying another speaker in the future (unlikely)
    [*]The reason for one speaker + my thought process (which is based on no experience and just internet research!)
    [*]Some people appear to buy a single portable column PA system and it seems to work okay for them, like musicians etc [*]Single better quality speaker is better than two of less quality (?)[*]My theory is that I could choose a single PA system that works better than portable PA system, as I do not mind about the portability side of things.[*]Maybe a single, expensive/high-quality PA speaker would have better sound than a single portable column PA speaker like the JBL PRX One[*]Or maybe for the best sound/coverage with one system, is to go with a single PA speaker + subwoofer[*]Maybe something like the RCF ART912-A, + the RCF SUB705-AS II, and the RCF F6X console – but now its getting really expensive[/LIST]
    As long as you don't care about generating stereo sound then those are all valid points. The equipment you chose should meet two main criteria, it should be powerful enough for the type of events you do while also providing the necessary coverage, if it doesn't meet these parameters then it really doesn't matter how sexy it looks, how much it costs or how good it sounds.. it's the wrong tool for the job.

    The column speakers systems can sound quite nice but in general they do best with smaller sized and lower SPL events, the marketing would have you believe that even one of the tiny little columns with 5 or 6 2.5" drivers can cover a whole room with high SPL fullrange sound, but that is stretching the truth so thin it's almost criminal. To deliver true line array behavour the column of drivers has to be at least as tall as the wavelength of the lowest frequency it is reproducing, and that is 3.43m for 100hz... typically where a subwoofer takes over.

    The RCF boxes you listed have much higher performance capability but they are also quite large and despite that may still require subs to deliver true fullrange sound, so they may not be the correct solution either. In the middle ground between these are more moderate sized speakers, I run a rental business and have stocked it with conventional 12" PA speakers and 18" subs as these strike the balance between portability and performance for me. I cross rent from another supplier smaller or larger speaker systems when necessary, but that is pretty infrequent. This is the balance you want to achieve, the system you own should cover the majority of your events.

    I don't know what your requirements are but another possible solution would be a pair of 8" PA speakers with a single 15" sub, with the two speakers pole mounted on top of the sub on a dual bracket you get much greater horizontal coverage than a singe speaker, proper fullrange sound, and very good portability.
    Paul O'Brien
    Old Tech Guy
    www.Techott.com

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by conanski View Post
    To deliver true line array behavour the column of drivers has to be at least as tall as the wavelength of the lowest frequency it is reproducing, and that is 3.43m for 100hz..
    It's actually 3 wavelengths. Not that you don't get benefit from a shorter array in terms of sensitivity and high frequency dispersion, but to do what Bose claims from the L1 Pro 32 it would have to be three times its height.

    Currently there are no commercial line array systems of that sort that are cost effective.
    Bill Fitzmaurice
    Bill Fitzmaurice Loudspeaker Design
    www.billfitzmaurice.info/forum

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by notapro4 View Post
    I have seen a few people say the same, that JBL Partybox / PRX ONE, or anything JBL-like are no match to professional PA speakers – which is why it would seem I’m looking at the higher-end stuff, just less of them. But I may be wrong!
    ...

    Any other thoughts are welcome!

    OK... now I get where you're coming from.. if I'm understanding you correctly, you've heard the PartyBox.. and with just one of them, it sounded pretty good. It was fairly loud and had a good amount of bass. And you figure that since pro speakers are better quality, just one of them should run circles around the partybox.

    It doesn't work like that. A PA speaker the size and weight of the partybox yes it will go much louder.. but it won't go as deep (bass). For bass you need a subwoofer. They are designed to be used with subwoofers.

    Secondly, the partybox is designed for stereo.. and while the stereo separation is pathetically small, there is some. Whereas a PA speaker is mono. They are made to be used in pairs for stereo.

    So basically, that is why, when you go to some event where there's a DJ, you'll see two speakers.. and usually at least one subwoofer. That 3-piece system is the basic DJ PA setup that you will really want to aim for if you intend to DJ for parties. Go for a good quality 10 inch 2-way top and a single 15 or 18 inch sub and you'll certainly be making a lot more noise than the partybox.

    Just one speaker isn't a good plan at all.

    PS: I should tell you, I have some friends who have tried to DJ using portable speakers.. and sure.. it works.. if you don't want to go very loud. Fine for a BBQ. But when you crank them up you will soon see how little capability they really have.
    Last edited by light-o-matic; 08-08-2022 at 04:16 PM.

  8. #8
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    This is very helpful, thank you all!!

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