SUB advice for Wedding Band

[brothermalzone]

Hi all,

So my wedding band has recently acquired the RCF 732A'S which are great and we're looking to add a sub or 2 to add some lowend.

We're a 5 piece and everything goes through our XAIR18 mixer - Bass, guitar, vocals, drums etc.

Ive narrowed it down to the following...

1 x RCF 8003/8004-AS-II
1 x Yamaha DXS18XLF
2 x RCF 905-AS-II

Im wondering if 1 x 18" will do us or would we better with 2x15" like the RCF 905? Our budget won't quite stretch to 2x18" at the moment.

Typical venue size is around 75-150 people.

Thanks!

[Wonks]

I'd go with 2 x 15" subs for better coverage. Unless you crossover at say 80Hz, there's still some stereo information down to about 80Hz that a single sub can slightly confuse when playing back stereo tracks (e.g. interval music). You also don't seem to currently be playing larger venues where 18" subs may be of some extra benefit. In smaller venues, they could have a bit too much bass extension for your needs.

[Sam Spoons]

I'd go for a single 15" sub, unless you are doing metal or EDM I don't see much advantage in using an 18". You can always add a second 15" later if you decide you need it. I would go for the 'matching' RCF Subs, they have been designed to work with the tops you have.

Bear in mind you need subs with a crossover (or an external crossover) as your tops don't have an HPF built in. The subs you list do have crossovers but many don't.

[brothermalzone]

Thanks for the responses, seems like 15" are the way forward.

Do you think we'll notice an improvement upgrading to these from our current Alto TS215S?

https://www.altoproaudio.com/products/ts215s

Thanks

[Sam Spoons]

In my experience Alto kit is pretty good but even a single high end sub from RCF or Yamaha should go louder and sound better.

[DanR]

Hi
I have 2 x RCF 905 ASii subs and 2 x RCF HD12a for my function band. Great rig and covers all our gigs, small to large.
Good thing about the 15” 905’s is that they’re light compared to say the Yamaha DXS15.
Crossover built in so you have a stereo system from one sub.
They are quite pricey but best stick with RCF to go with your ART 732’s.

[brothermalzone]

Hi
I have 2 x RCF 905 ASii subs and 2 x RCF HD12a for my function band. Great rig and covers all our gigs, small to large.
Good thing about the 15” 905’s is that they’re light compared to say the Yamaha DXS15.
Crossover built in so you have a stereo system from one sub.
They are quite pricey but best stick with RCF to go with your ART 732’s.

Thanks for info.

What kind of set up do you have with the 905s ie do you run everything through them? Also what size rooms do you play in?

One thing we've noticed about our ts215s altos is that we're lacking bottom end and the tops seems to be taking a lot of the lows. They're obviously cheaper subs though...

[Sam Spoons]

If the tops are taking the lows you don't have the crossover/HPF/LPF setup correctly. With the tops fed through an HPF they won't be getting much LF (below the Xover frequency what they get will be rolling off at 18 dB/octave or greater).l

[DanR]

Thanks for info.

What kind of set up do you have with the 905s ie do you run everything through them? Also what size rooms do you play in?

One thing we've noticed about our ts215s altos is that we're lacking bottom end and the tops seems to be taking a lot of the lows. They're obviously cheaper subs though...

Setup is 6-9 piece band with brass for 9 pc.
Everything through PA. A&H QU16 mixer, WIFI mixing with soundman on larger gigs.
Fo small functions, hotel rooms we can often just use the tops or add a sub depending on
room size and audience numbers.
Marquees require one or both subs due to non reflective acoustics.

Occasional outdoor use too. These tend to be town centres, squares where surrounding buildings help the sound.

The 905s have selectable crossover frequency. We leave ours on 120Hz.