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  #1   Report Post  
MS
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good for
music?

In the computer stores many brands are out to listen to, and they all sound
pretty bad to me.

I don't want 5.1, 7.1, or even 2.1 ( 2 with subwoofer). Just 2 speakers, as
I will need to carry them from place to place.

Obviously 2 small speakers like that will not have as good a sound as a good
home stereo system with floor speakers, but are there any that have a decent
sound for music, and are decently powered, while still being portable?

Thank you for your input.


  #2   Report Post  
Nick H (UK)
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

MS wrote:
Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good for
music?

In the computer stores many brands are out to listen to, and they all sound
pretty bad to me.

I don't want 5.1, 7.1, or even 2.1 ( 2 with subwoofer). Just 2 speakers, as
I will need to carry them from place to place.

Obviously 2 small speakers like that will not have as good a sound as a good
home stereo system with floor speakers, but are there any that have a decent
sound for music, and are decently powered, while still being portable?

Thank you for your input.



Look at studio/PA-shop stuff rather than computer shop stuff?

try a Google for 'powered monitors'


--
Nick H (UK)

  #3   Report Post  
Lionel
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

Nick H (UK) wrote:
MS wrote:

Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good for
music?

In the computer stores many brands are out to listen to, and they all
sound
pretty bad to me.

I don't want 5.1, 7.1, or even 2.1 ( 2 with subwoofer). Just 2
speakers, as
I will need to carry them from place to place.

Obviously 2 small speakers like that will not have as good a sound as
a good
home stereo system with floor speakers, but are there any that have a
decent
sound for music, and are decently powered, while still being portable?

Thank you for your input.



Look at studio/PA-shop stuff rather than computer shop stuff?

try a Google for 'powered monitors'


http://www.edirol.com/products/info/ma10a.html

  #4   Report Post  
MS
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

Actually, I have looked at some of those on the web. In looking at the specs
though, some seem fairly large though, not easy to carry around.

And do they set up similarly to the consumer-oriented powered speakers? Are
they connected to each other, and the input goes into one of them, and it
splits one side of the stereo signal to the other?

Or--does each one have to be connected separately to the source device?

Whatever happened to "Powered Partners? I recall reading before (haven't
tried them myself) that those were the best powered speakers. But now they
don't seem to be available.


"Nick H (UK)" wrote in message
...
MS wrote:
Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good for
music?

In the computer stores many brands are out to listen to, and they all

sound
pretty bad to me.

I don't want 5.1, 7.1, or even 2.1 ( 2 with subwoofer). Just 2 speakers,

as
I will need to carry them from place to place.

Obviously 2 small speakers like that will not have as good a sound as a

good
home stereo system with floor speakers, but are there any that have a

decent
sound for music, and are decently powered, while still being portable?

Thank you for your input.



Look at studio/PA-shop stuff rather than computer shop stuff?

try a Google for 'powered monitors'


--
Nick H (UK)



  #5   Report Post  
Neil
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

" MS" wrote in message ...
Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good for
music?


Budget?

For what purpose?

How big is your audience?

Where will you use the speakers?

How loud do you need?

If you just want to entertain yourself, I suggest headphones.

In the computer stores many brands are out to listen to, and they all sound
pretty bad to me.

I don't want 5.1, 7.1, or even 2.1 ( 2 with subwoofer). Just 2 speakers, as
I will need to carry them from place to place.

Obviously 2 small speakers like that will not have as good a sound as a good
home stereo system with floor speakers, but are there any that have a decent
sound for music, and are decently powered, while still being portable?


Some of the Cambridge SoundWorks speakers are portable and can run
from batteries, as shown below. I haven't heard these:

http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...t&t ype=store

http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...gory=port_spkr

http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...y=mul_speakers

CSW also sells a lot of gear via eBay.com, so you may want to try
there also.

I'm guessing Radio Shack and Sony might be other possibilities. There
might also be some bigger powered speakers available through music and
PA stores.

Also:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...ttery+speakers

http://search-desc.ebay.com/ws/searc...akers&from=R10

Thank you for your input.


Whatever you're interested, if you can't try before you buy, search
Google.com for newsgroup and web info on the speakers. Also try web
sites that have customer opinions, such as (all dot coms) epinions,
amazon, and circuitcity.


  #6   Report Post  
Neil
 
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Default Powered Speakers?

" MS" wrote in message ...
Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good for
music?


You might want to look at the responses you got when you posted this
same question previously in this newsgroup:

http://groups.google.com/groups?dq=&...udio.equipment

In the computer stores many brands are out to listen to, and they all sound
pretty bad to me.

I don't want 5.1, 7.1, or even 2.1 ( 2 with subwoofer). Just 2 speakers, as
I will need to carry them from place to place.

Obviously 2 small speakers like that will not have as good a sound as a good
home stereo system with floor speakers, but are there any that have a decent
sound for music, and are decently powered, while still being portable?

Thank you for your input.

  #7   Report Post  
Todd H.
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

" MS" writes:

Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good for
music?


JBL EON series speakers (marketed at musician/DJ stores) are quite
popular.

Mackie also makes power speakers.

Portable is a relative term. What's your application?



--
/"\ ASCII Ribbon Campaign | Todd H
\ / | http://www.toddh.net/
X Promoting good netiquette | http://triplethreatband.com/
/ \ http://www.toddh.net/netiquette/ | "4 lines suffice."
  #8   Report Post  
MS
 
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Default Powered Speakers?


"Lionel" wrote in message
...

http://www.edirol.com/products/info/ma10a.html



Have you used these? How good is the music reproduction?


  #9   Report Post  
MS
 
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Default Powered Speakers?


"Neil" wrote in message
om...
" MS" wrote in message

...
Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good for
music?


You might want to look at the responses you got when you posted this
same question previously in this newsgroup:


Of course I looked at the responses from when I once before asked about
powered speakers. (I did not actually purchase any at that time though.)

However, that thread was literally years ago, and models of electronic
equipment continually change. For instance, as I mentioned, I believe more
than one person in that previous thread mentioned the "Powered Partners"
brand of powered speaker as the best kind. Now, they seem to have been
discontinued. Brands that were available then are not available now. And
there are many new brands, that weren't available then, and are now.

Actually, although there are probably many more models of powered speaker
available now than there were then (due to the growing usage of computer
multimedia), I would guess that the general quality of them, at least for
music, has gone way down.

So, my question was about models available now, not about models from years
ago when I posted a similar question.



  #10   Report Post  
MS
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?


"Neil" wrote in message
om...
" MS" wrote in message

...
Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good for
music?


Budget?


Undecided.

For what purpose?


I'm an elementary school music teacher. Unfortunately (since the district
only funds one music teacher per five schools), I teach at five different
schools. At some there is a decent stereo I can use. Others not, or not yet.

I am putting more music these days on my PDA and laptop computer, so I think
it might be a good idea to have a decent pair of powered speakers in my car,
that I could use when need be. Therefore, the size should be fairly small,
as I often have a LOT of stuff to carry around, therefore no more than 2
speakers (no subwoofer or anything).

How big is your audience?

Where will you use the speakers?

How loud do you need?


Sometimes in a large hall, a school auditorium. Sometimes with school
choruses, with which I have MIDI accompaniments on my laptop, as many as 60
children or more.

Therefore there has to be a balance between size and power. Often a large
hall with a lot of kids, for which more power would be good, on the other
hand something I can carry around with a lot of other stuff as well. So of
course not as small as the tiny "travel speakers" to carry in your suitcase,
but still fairly small and portable.


If you just want to entertain yourself, I suggest headphones.


I have many headphones, thank you. No, I don't "just want to entertain
myself". (Actually, that was a strange statement. Did it sound like I was
looking for headphones?)


Some of the Cambridge SoundWorks speakers are portable and can run
from batteries, as shown below. I haven't heard these:


http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...t&t ype=store

http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...gory=port_spkr


http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...y=mul_speakers

Thanks for the tip. Has anyone reading actually heard these?

Frankly, I don't know if one can judge from brand name, without hearing the
speakers. Among those junky-sounding ones in the computer section, there are
speakers made by well-known speaker manufacturers (or at least wearing their
brand name) such as JBL, Altec-Lansing, etc. They try to market these to
people by using fancy names, by the looks, and by the quantity of speakers
(7.1, etc.), etc. (Frankly, one decent speaker is worth a million times more
than 8 junky ones.)

(Now I looked at your CSW links above, and none of the systems on those
pages fit the criteria I described. There are the tiny "travel speakers",
such as those by Creative Labs., which would offer the utmost in portablity,
but not put out enough power for my needs. Then there are these new popular
"multimedia" systems with "subwoofers", etc. As I wrote, two good speakers
are enough for me, I don't want three, six, eight, 17, or 100.1. ;-)

I'm guessing Radio Shack and Sony might be other possibilities. There
might also be some bigger powered speakers available through music and
PA stores.


Sony sells some very small ones, again more in the realm of "travel
speakers", for listening to music in your hotel room, not to use with a lot
of people in a a large auditorium.

Yes, there are many powered speakers available these days, probably more
than ever. My question was regarding whether people had heard any that they
thought really sounded good for music reproduction.


Also:


http://search.ebay.com/search/search...ttery+speakers


http://search-desc.ebay.com/ws/searc...akers&from=R10

I don't think I would buy speakers I hadn't heard from Ebay. You usually
cannot return products bought on Ebay.

Whatever you're interested, if you can't try before you buy, search
Google.com for newsgroup and web info on the speakers.


I have done that. The problem with doing such searches (on web sites, at
least) these days, is one comes up with hundreds of hits, 999999% of them
being sales sites, price comparison sites, etc. (Even when the title on the
Google hit says "reviews", when one clicks on that link, there are usually
no reviews, just sales ads, and often not including the product you did the
search on.) Serious unbiased reviews are hard to find.

Also try web
sites that have customer opinions, such as (all dot coms) epinions,
amazon, and circuitcity.


See above. Epinions is more of a sales site than anything else.





  #11   Report Post  
MS
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?


"Lionel" wrote in message
...

http://www.edirol.com/products/info/ma10a.html


Another question about these. There is a model that only has analog inputs
(as most do), the red and white RCA jacks. They also have another model that
has digital (both optical and coaxial) inputs, as well as the analog ones.

If one has a computer that has an optical out port, would there really be
any difference in the sound quality of music played from the computer, if
one connected it to the speakers via the optical digital port, rather than
using the soundcard out port for an analog connection (Y cord-one stereo
mini plug in the computer, to the right and left RCA plugs to the
speakers.)?

Is there really an advantage to having digital in ports on speakers?


  #12   Report Post  
Neil
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

" MS" wrote in message ...
"Neil" wrote in message
om...
" MS" wrote in message

...
Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good for
music?


You might want to look at the responses you got when you posted this
same question previously in this newsgroup:


Of course I looked at the responses from when I once before asked about
powered speakers. (I did not actually purchase any at that time though.)

However, that thread was literally years ago, and models of electronic
equipment continually change.


Not to be picky, but it was last November, and looking at the URLs in
the helpful posts you received then, I see most of the same gear is
still available. So you might want to look at those URLs again:

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e... 6scoring%3Dd

From the posts in the above thread, here are some of the brands
recommended that are also on eBay:

http://search.ebay.com/ws/search/Sal...akers&from=R10

Some brands you might want to look at that might not be mentioned in
the November thread are Edirol and Roland. I think they've got
portable speakers that would be rugged enough for your needs. I assume
they have web sites.

For instance, as I mentioned, I believe more
than one person in that previous thread mentioned the "Powered Partners"
brand of powered speaker as the best kind. Now, they seem to have been
discontinued.


Those were first sold under the Acoustic Research (AR) brand name,
then under the Advent brand name. Assuming they're discontinued, you
could probably eventually find a good used pair on eBay. Recoton owns
Advent now, I think, so you might use that info to search the web for
info and dealers.

Here's another suggestion:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tegory=14 991

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tegory=23 794

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tegory=14 991

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tegory=48 690

Those are the Bose RoomMate speakers. I owned a pair for awhile.
They're rugged enough for your needs. One of the above sellers has the
carrying bag also, which might be good for you to have. The RoomMates
are often available on eBay.

Brands that were available then are not available now. And
there are many new brands, that weren't available then, and are now.


Possibly, but generally speaking, in 11 months, there won't be a lot
of additions and deletions in audio product lines. Speakers evolve
only very slowly, like over several decades, so don't worry about
having the latest models.

Now that I've mentioned that, I'll suggest you also try local pawn
shops and music stores (like Music-Go-Round) that carry used music
gear. Pawn shops always have at least some music and PA gear, IME. Try
calling around and asking if they have what you want.

(snip)

Reading over your posts in this thread, you seem to be rather
particular, as many people are about speakers. I think the best advice
for you might be to visit some music and pro sound stores and buy only
what you can try. Then you'll know you have speakers that suit your
needs and budget.

If you have a Guitar Center store, that would probably be a place to
look, for example. At their web site:

http://www.guitarvision.com/mf/mf_frameset.htm

Then to get some ideas, search for:

powered studio monitor
  #13   Report Post  
normanstrong
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

Neil,

I'd like to ask 2 questions: How do you manage to get an entire link
in your messages without running into trouble at line end? Also, how
would I go about doing paleontology on my own posts?

Thanks,

Norm Strong


"Neil" wrote in message
om...
" MS" wrote in message

...
"Neil" wrote in message
om...
" MS" wrote in message

...
Are there any decent portable powered speakers available

today, good for
music?

You might want to look at the responses you got when you posted

this
same question previously in this newsgroup:


Of course I looked at the responses from when I once before asked

about
powered speakers. (I did not actually purchase any at that time

though.)

However, that thread was literally years ago, and models of

electronic
equipment continually change.


Not to be picky, but it was last November, and looking at the URLs

in
the helpful posts you received then, I see most of the same gear is
still available. So you might want to look at those URLs again:


http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e... 6scoring%3Dd

From the posts in the above thread, here are some of the brands
recommended that are also on eBay:


http://search.ebay.com/ws/search/Sal...akers&from=R10

Some brands you might want to look at that might not be mentioned in
the November thread are Edirol and Roland. I think they've got
portable speakers that would be rugged enough for your needs. I

assume
they have web sites.

For instance, as I mentioned, I believe more
than one person in that previous thread mentioned the "Powered

Partners"
brand of powered speaker as the best kind. Now, they seem to have

been
discontinued.


Those were first sold under the Acoustic Research (AR) brand name,
then under the Advent brand name. Assuming they're discontinued,

you
could probably eventually find a good used pair on eBay. Recoton

owns
Advent now, I think, so you might use that info to search the web

for
info and dealers.



  #14   Report Post  
Mike Dobony
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?


" MS" wrote in message
...

"Neil" wrote in message
om...
" MS" wrote in message

...
Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good

for
music?


Budget?


Undecided.

For what purpose?


I'm an elementary school music teacher. Unfortunately (since the district
only funds one music teacher per five schools), I teach at five different
schools. At some there is a decent stereo I can use. Others not, or not

yet.

I am putting more music these days on my PDA and laptop computer, so I

think
it might be a good idea to have a decent pair of powered speakers in my

car,
that I could use when need be. Therefore, the size should be fairly small,
as I often have a LOT of stuff to carry around, therefore no more than 2
speakers (no subwoofer or anything).

How big is your audience?

Where will you use the speakers?

How loud do you need?


Sometimes in a large hall, a school auditorium. Sometimes with school
choruses, with which I have MIDI accompaniments on my laptop, as many as

60
children or more.

Therefore there has to be a balance between size and power. Often a large
hall with a lot of kids, for which more power would be good, on the other
hand something I can carry around with a lot of other stuff as well. So of
course not as small as the tiny "travel speakers" to carry in your

suitcase,
but still fairly small and portable.


In these larger arenas you will need some 15's. Definately not small or
portable. For the smaller areas some 10's would do good, but auditoriums
you need some good throw that comes only in much bigger, much heavier
speakers, definately not something you would even want to have stored in
your trunk.


If you just want to entertain yourself, I suggest headphones.


I have many headphones, thank you. No, I don't "just want to entertain
myself". (Actually, that was a strange statement. Did it sound like I was
looking for headphones?)


Some of the Cambridge SoundWorks speakers are portable and can run
from batteries, as shown below. I haven't heard these:



http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...=mul_speakers&
item=a1mmbatt&type=store

http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...gory=port_spkr



http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/s...y=mul_speakers

Thanks for the tip. Has anyone reading actually heard these?

Frankly, I don't know if one can judge from brand name, without hearing

the
speakers. Among those junky-sounding ones in the computer section, there

are
speakers made by well-known speaker manufacturers (or at least wearing

their
brand name) such as JBL, Altec-Lansing, etc. They try to market these to
people by using fancy names, by the looks, and by the quantity of speakers
(7.1, etc.), etc. (Frankly, one decent speaker is worth a million times

more
than 8 junky ones.)


Go to a music store and listen to the pro quality (Yahama, Behringer, etc.),
or music quality (Peavey) speakers.

(Now I looked at your CSW links above, and none of the systems on those
pages fit the criteria I described. There are the tiny "travel speakers",
such as those by Creative Labs., which would offer the utmost in

portablity,
but not put out enough power for my needs. Then there are these new

popular
"multimedia" systems with "subwoofers", etc. As I wrote, two good

speakers
are enough for me, I don't want three, six, eight, 17, or 100.1. ;-)


Your desires are phantomware. The products that meet your desires do not
exist. You can NOT get the sound you want in the auditoriums or gyms
without the 15's. You *might* get away with four 12's or even a pair of
double 12's, but you are talking even more space needed than you want.

Also, what are you powering them off of? Do you have a decent mixer to run
the computer through? Your source is not very good unless you have a Turtle
Beach or similar top of the line sound card. You really are not going to
get excellent sound from a computer no matter how good your speakers are.
Therefore all you need are something like a Peavey or Sonic or some such
low-grade powered speaker. Then again, your handling needs show you need a
better quality cabinet that can handle the abuse of being stored in the car,
something that is all-weather to handle the dampness and cold and heat of
being abused while stored in the uninsulated, unheated, unair-conditioned
trunk.

I think your most reasonable solution is to go mono and stick with a single
15.

--
Mike D.

Remove .spamnot to respond by email


  #15   Report Post  
Nick H (UK)
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

MS wrote:
"Lionel" wrote in message
...

http://www.edirol.com/products/info/ma10a.html



Another question about these. There is a model that only has analog inputs
(as most do), the red and white RCA jacks. They also have another model that
has digital (both optical and coaxial) inputs, as well as the analog ones.

If one has a computer that has an optical out port, would there really be
any difference in the sound quality of music played from the computer, if
one connected it to the speakers via the optical digital port, rather than
using the soundcard out port for an analog connection


Depends entirely on if the speakers or the sound card have the higher
quality DAC.


(Y cord-one stereo
mini plug in the computer, to the right and left RCA plugs to the
speakers.)?

Is there really an advantage to having digital in ports on speakers?





--
Nick H (UK)



  #16   Report Post  
Nick H (UK)
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

MS wrote:
"Neil" wrote in message
om...

" MS" wrote in message


...

Are there any decent portable powered speakers available today, good for
music?


Budget?



Undecided.


For what purpose?



I'm an elementary school music teacher. Unfortunately (since the district
only funds one music teacher per five schools), I teach at five different
schools. At some there is a decent stereo I can use. Others not, or not yet.

I am putting more music these days on my PDA and laptop computer, so I think
it might be a good idea to have a decent pair of powered speakers in my car,
that I could use when need be. Therefore, the size should be fairly small,
as I often have a LOT of stuff to carry around, therefore no more than 2
speakers (no subwoofer or anything).


How big is your audience?

Where will you use the speakers?

How loud do you need?



Sometimes in a large hall, a school auditorium. Sometimes with school
choruses, with which I have MIDI accompaniments on my laptop, as many as 60
children or more.

Therefore there has to be a balance between size and power. Often a large
hall with a lot of kids, for which more power would be good, on the other
hand something I can carry around with a lot of other stuff as well. So of
course not as small as the tiny "travel speakers" to carry in your suitcase,
but still fairly small and portable.


If you just want to entertain yourself, I suggest headphones.



I have many headphones, thank you. No, I don't "just want to entertain
myself". (Actually, that was a strange statement. Did it sound like I was
looking for headphones?)



It sounded like you were playing music from your computer. Something
many people do alone, so not *such* a strange suggestion

Nick H


snip snip snip


  #17   Report Post  
MS
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?


"Mike Dobony" wrote in message
...
In these larger arenas you will need some 15's. Definately not small or
portable. For the smaller areas some 10's would do good, but auditoriums
you need some good throw that comes only in much bigger, much heavier
speakers, definately not something you would even want to have stored in
your trunk.


Sorry if I'm ignorant, but what are you referring to with these numbers, 10s
or 15s? Do you mean the watts per channel? The size of the speakers?

Go to a music store and listen to the pro quality (Yahama, Behringer,

etc.),
or music quality (Peavey) speakers.


Do you mean like the powered monitors someone mentioned? Yes, I may do that.

Your desires are phantomware. The products that meet your desires do not
exist. You can NOT get the sound you want in the auditoriums or gyms
without the 15's. You *might* get away with four 12's or even a pair of
double 12's, but you are talking even more space needed than you want.


As I said, there is of course a trade-off between size and quality/power. Of
course there are no tiny speakers that sound better than a full size home
system. Just wondering what might be a good balance--something that's still
fairly small and portable (while of course not being as small as the tiny
"travel speakers"), while having a decent sound for music. (Of course not
the best, at that size.) Wondering whether there are any models that readers
here might recommend.

Also, what are you powering them off of?


??? We are talking about powered speakers, aren't we? They have their own
power source, and plug into AC.

I think your most reasonable solution is to go mono and stick with a

single
15.


Actually, I need stereo. No time to explain in depth now. For instance, in
those choral accompaniments I mentioned, with two part voice parts, I have
one part coming through one speaker, the other vocal part panned to the
other side.


  #18   Report Post  
MS
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?


"Neil" wrote in message
om...
Those were first sold under the Acoustic Research (AR) brand name,
then under the Advent brand name. Assuming they're discontinued, you
could probably eventually find a good used pair on eBay. Recoton owns
Advent now, I think, so you might use that info to search the web for
info and dealers.


I think Recoton has gone out of business. When I tried their web site the
other day (www.recoton.com), always got a page not found message. Same thing
with www.adventaudio.com


  #19   Report Post  
Neil
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

"normanstrong" wrote in message news:FRSlb.8724$Fm2.7212@attbi_s04...
Neil,


Norm, get comfortable, because I'm about to give you more info than
you wanted, but that I think might be useful. I'm using the Powered
Partners in some seach examples too, since there's been some interest
in this thread.

I'd like to ask 2 questions: How do you manage to get an entire link
in your messages without running into trouble at line end?


1. Here's my answer to your first question, with a lot of other
possibly-useful info thrown in:

I don't know if the following makes any difference, but I use
Google.com to read and post to newsgroups. However, I don't know if
posting via Google provides the ability you ask about, or if your
newsreader makes any difference, or some or none of the above makes a
difference!

The advantage of using Google as a newsreader is that anywhere I go,
as long as there's a web connection, I can read and post to
newsgroups. No need to worry about having any special newsreader.
Google.com has newsgroup features that let me find, search, read, and
post to newsgroups.

You can find newsgroups via Google by going to:

http://www.google.com

Then click on "Groups." Next you'll see the newsgroups search page.

Then you can enter the name of a newsgroup, such as
alt.audio.equipment, and search it, which will produce the following:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=al...=Google+Search

From the above, you can read the newsgroup and post to it.

Google doesn't provide service for all newsgroups, unless things have
changed. I don't think Google will work as a newsgroup reader for
newsgroups that carry images either.

BTW, the way I knew the OP in this thread had posted with the same
questions last year is because he used the same title for his post
last November and this October. Because Google works like a search
engine when you use it to access a newsgroup, it puts all posts with
the same title into one thread. Here's the newsgroup again, seen as a
Google search:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=al...=Google+Search

Then you'll see the "Powered Speakers?" thread. If you click on that,
you'll see:

http://groups.google.com/groups?dq=&...oogle%2BSearch

As you can see at the above, that thread includes all posts titled
"Powered Speakers?"

If you ever want to convert long URLs (such as the above URL) to short
URLs, use the "Tiny URL" web site:

http://tinyurl.com/

I haven't used the above method, but I've seen other people use it in
newsgroups.

Also, how
would I go about doing paleontology on my own posts?


2. Just do a Google search for your own e-mail address. For example:

http://groups.google.com/groups?num=...=Google+Search

The above will search all newsgroups covered by Google and look for
posts that include your e-mail address. As you can see at the above
web page, you can tweak things how you like them. Play with it and
you'll get the hang of it. If you bookmark and click on the above URL,
you can follow all your posts in all newsgroups. You can also see any
posts (such as newsgroup responses to your posts) that include your
e-mail address. By that method, you can see if there have been any
responses to your posts, without having to look at each newsgroup and
thread individually.

I'll add that Google owns the old Deja.com database. Deja was another
newsgroup database and search tool, formerly called DejaNews. It was
possible to do all this stuff through Deja, but Google has a better
user interface. I'm not sure how many years back the database goes.

If you start experimenting with Google, you'll see it can do all sorts
of nifty things, like web image searches. For example, try using
Google for image searches of:

"powered partners" advent

And you'll see:

http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...rs%22+ad vent

Which will give you a thumbnail image that will take you to:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...1%26safe%3Doff

Google will do a lot of other stuff, like find phone numbers, but I
don't know all that stuff. Here's an interesting page Google has:

http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html

Google also offers a consumer-info tool, which I haven't used:

http://froogle.google.com/

From the above, I searched for:

"powered partners" advent

And found this:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...ners%22+advent

I tried:

"powered partners" ar

And found:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...partners%22+ar

And:

"powered partners" "acoustic research"

Which lead me to:

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...+resea rch%22

Thanks,

Norm Strong


No problem. I move around and like to be able to look at newsgroups
wherever I go, so as long as whatever computer I use has web access, I
can use Google's newsgroup features to find, search, read, and post to
newsgroups.

One thing I'll add for anyone who wants to try posting via Google: It
will take several hours for your posts to appear in Google newsgroup
searches. So if you post via Google, don't be surprised when your
posts don't appear in Google searches for a few hours.

(snip)
  #20   Report Post  
Neil
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

" MS" wrote in message ...
"Neil" wrote in message
om...
Those were first sold under the Acoustic Research (AR) brand name,
then under the Advent brand name. Assuming they're discontinued, you
could probably eventually find a good used pair on eBay. Recoton owns
Advent now, I think, so you might use that info to search the web for
info and dealers.


I think Recoton has gone out of business. When I tried their web site the
other day (www.recoton.com),


Now that you mention it, Recoton being in some trouble does sound
familiar.

always got a page not found message. Same thing
with www.adventaudio.com


Looking back at your posts, I see you're looking for powered speakers
for use "Sometimes in a large hall, a school auditorium. Sometimes
with school
choruses." The Powered Partners are really designed for desktop use,
although they'd probably be adequate in a classroom.

This audio group is really more about home audio gear (like for home
stereos) than the sort of gear you need. What you need is a small pro
sound system, like maybe a pair of powered PA or musical-instrument
speakers. Gear like that will be designed to put out much more sound
and be more rugged and easier to move than home audio gear.

I figure you could buy a pair of smallish powered PA speakers, then
use one or two of them at a time, depending on your needs. Another way
to go would be to get something like a one-piece guitar amp with a
speaker, which you can find in any pawn shop or music store. You'd
probably need something with at least one 12" speaker. There are also
keyboard amps like this, and I'm guessing they might have a slightly
cleaner sound than a guitar amp.

Here are some examples. I used to work in a music store occasionally
many years ago and didn't sell these brands, so I can't really comment
on the following. These are just meant as examples:

http://www.peavey.com/products/

http://www.peavey.com/products/shop_...de/2G/solo.cfm

http://www.peavey.com/products/shop_...ode/4/usti.cfm

http://www.jblpro.com/pages/mi/mi_prod.htm

My recommendation, given that your needs include playing "Sometimes in
a large hall, a school auditorium. Sometimes with school choruses" is
that you forget about desktop speakers like the Powered Partners, and
instead shop only in places that sell music and PA gear. Take your
keyboards and instruments with you and buy what sounds good to you and
is easy to carry. If the gear in the stores doesn't have wheels, ask
if they can be added.

Another way to go would be to plug into the schools' PA systems and/or
use a microphone held close to your instruments. But I think it would
be nice for you to have your own gear that you know well and are
comfortable with, so you don't have to count on each school having an
adequate and functioning PA system.

Two more thoughts:

Try rec.audio.pro

Use Google.com to search newsgroups and web. I'll bet there are other
teachers out there, as well as entertainers and church musicians,
who've been in your situation and tried and found some solutions.

And speaking collectively on behalf of myself and other parents, thank
you for bringing music and music education to schoolkids! When I was a
kid, my school system had a circuit-riding music teacher like you.
Without her, we would have had almost no music education at all. I
hope you realize that you're performing a very important job to all
your kids. Again, thanks!


  #21   Report Post  
MS
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?


"Lionel" wrote in message
...
http://www.edirol.com/products/info/ma10a.html

I listened to some powered monitors in a music store this afternoon. Most
were too big and heavy for the portability I require, as well as being very
expensive. Also, most have separate inputs per speaker (the speakers do not
connect to each other, each has its own (monaural) input which makes
connecting to a stereo source more complicated, having to split the stereo
source into two long monaural output cords).

I heard a couple very small Roland powered monitors (I think MA8 and MA12).
Although very small, portable, and inexpensive, with a stereo input on one
speaker, which outputs to the other speaker and also rugged-looking, I
didn't like their sound very much.

The store didn't stock any Edirol MA10s. However, they did have an Edirol
MA20 (pair) on hand. I really liked the sound of those, better than any
others I heard there, including some more expensive.

I wonder what the MA10s are like. Obviously they'll have less power (10
watts per channel) than the MA 20s (20 watts per channel), and probably less
bass response. Smaller though. Anyone here used the MA10, and could comment
on their sound? They (MA20) also have stereo input on one side.

One negative I could see on the MA-20, it looked very UN-Sturdy. One fall to
the ground, and I think that speaker would be broken.


  #22   Report Post  
Nick H (UK)
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?

MS wrote:
"Lionel" wrote in message
...
http://www.edirol.com/products/info/ma10a.html

I listened to some powered monitors in a music store this afternoon. Most
were too big and heavy for the portability I require, as well as being very
expensive. Also, most have separate inputs per speaker (the speakers do not
connect to each other, each has its own (monaural) input which makes
connecting to a stereo source more complicated, having to split the stereo
source into two long monaural output cords).

I heard a couple very small Roland powered monitors (I think MA8 and MA12).
Although very small, portable, and inexpensive, with a stereo input on one
speaker, which outputs to the other speaker and also rugged-looking, I
didn't like their sound very much.

The store didn't stock any Edirol MA10s. However, they did have an Edirol
MA20 (pair) on hand. I really liked the sound of those, better than any
others I heard there, including some more expensive.

I wonder what the MA10s are like. Obviously they'll have less power (10
watts per channel) than the MA 20s (20 watts per channel), and probably less
bass response. Smaller though. Anyone here used the MA10, and could comment
on their sound? They (MA20) also have stereo input on one side.

One negative I could see on the MA-20, it looked very UN-Sturdy. One fall to
the ground, and I think that speaker would be broken.



You pays your money and make your choice...

Or Not.

--Or--

You Get What You Pay For

(sometimes)

--
Nick H (UK)

  #23   Report Post  
Mike Dobony
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?


" MS" wrote in message
...

"Mike Dobony" wrote in message
...
In these larger arenas you will need some 15's. Definately not small or
portable. For the smaller areas some 10's would do good, but

auditoriums
you need some good throw that comes only in much bigger, much heavier
speakers, definately not something you would even want to have stored in
your trunk.


Sorry if I'm ignorant, but what are you referring to with these numbers,

10s
or 15s? Do you mean the watts per channel? The size of the speakers?


15" speakers, specifically the woofers, the bass and midrange. Anything
less than 250 watts RMS will be a waste. Your groups will not sound very
good and you will be hunting for something bigger before the year is out.


Go to a music store and listen to the pro quality (Yahama, Behringer,

etc.),
or music quality (Peavey) speakers.


Do you mean like the powered monitors someone mentioned? Yes, I may do

that.

Your desires are phantomware. The products that meet your desires do

not
exist. You can NOT get the sound you want in the auditoriums or gyms
without the 15's. You *might* get away with four 12's or even a pair of
double 12's, but you are talking even more space needed than you want.


As I said, there is of course a trade-off between size and quality/power.

Of
course there are no tiny speakers that sound better than a full size home
system. Just wondering what might be a good balance--something that's

still
fairly small and portable (while of course not being as small as the tiny
"travel speakers"), while having a decent sound for music. (Of course not
the best, at that size.) Wondering whether there are any models that

readers
here might recommend.

Also, what are you powering them off of?


??? We are talking about powered speakers, aren't we? They have their own
power source, and plug into AC.


How are you getting sound to them? Plugging directly in from your
computer/cd player/tape player? You will need something to control volume.
A small Behringer mixer for about $50 would do you well to feed a pair of
B300 Behringer 15" speakers with a plastic cabinet would give you the power
and sound you need, but they are not cheap. New you can get them for about
$700 a pair and the Eurorack UB502, 802 or 1002 for up to $60 at Musician's
Friend, http://www.musiciansfriend.com and get free shipping. You can also
ckeck out Ebay and some other web sites and get it cheaper or go used and
save another $100-200. Much less than this and you will not be sounding
very good at all in the larger sites.

I think your most reasonable solution is to go mono and stick with a

single
15.


Actually, I need stereo. No time to explain in depth now. For instance, in
those choral accompaniments I mentioned, with two part voice parts, I have
one part coming through one speaker, the other vocal part panned to the
other side.



These can be combined with a simple mixer that has both mono and stereo
outputs.

--
Mike D.

Remove .spamnot to respond by email



  #24   Report Post  
Mike Dobony
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?


"Neil" wrote in message
om...
" MS" wrote in message

...
"Neil" wrote in message
om...
Those were first sold under the Acoustic Research (AR) brand name,
then under the Advent brand name. Assuming they're discontinued, you
could probably eventually find a good used pair on eBay. Recoton owns
Advent now, I think, so you might use that info to search the web for
info and dealers.


I think Recoton has gone out of business. When I tried their web site

the
other day (www.recoton.com),


Now that you mention it, Recoton being in some trouble does sound
familiar.

always got a page not found message. Same thing
with www.adventaudio.com


Looking back at your posts, I see you're looking for powered speakers
for use "Sometimes in a large hall, a school auditorium. Sometimes
with school
choruses." The Powered Partners are really designed for desktop use,
although they'd probably be adequate in a classroom.

This audio group is really more about home audio gear (like for home
stereos) than the sort of gear you need. What you need is a small pro
sound system, like maybe a pair of powered PA or musical-instrument
speakers. Gear like that will be designed to put out much more sound
and be more rugged and easier to move than home audio gear.

I figure you could buy a pair of smallish powered PA speakers, then
use one or two of them at a time, depending on your needs. Another way
to go would be to get something like a one-piece guitar amp with a
speaker, which you can find in any pawn shop or music store. You'd
probably need something with at least one 12" speaker. There are also
keyboard amps like this, and I'm guessing they might have a slightly
cleaner sound than a guitar amp.


Absolutely avoid a guitar amp. Their range stinks for the intended use,
little, if any upper end. A keyboard amp has a horn for the highs and is a
much better prospect for playing music from a CD/computer/tape. However
they do not have enough power for the larger sites. For these, 250 watts
RMS is an absolute minimum power level to get a decent sound throughout the
room. 12" woofers are a minimum. 15" will do much better, though they are
mcuh bigger and heavier speakers. They will be better able to fill those
large rooms like the gym or auditorium.

--
Mike D.

Remove .spamnot to respond by email




Here are some examples. I used to work in a music store occasionally
many years ago and didn't sell these brands, so I can't really comment
on the following. These are just meant as examples:

http://www.peavey.com/products/


http://www.peavey.com/products/shop_...etails/item/00
490250/wc/2A2G/fam/2/tcode/2G/solo.cfm


http://www.peavey.com/products/shop_...etails/item/00
486070/wc/1A1B4/fam/1B/tcode/4/usti.cfm

http://www.jblpro.com/pages/mi/mi_prod.htm

My recommendation, given that your needs include playing "Sometimes in
a large hall, a school auditorium. Sometimes with school choruses" is
that you forget about desktop speakers like the Powered Partners, and
instead shop only in places that sell music and PA gear. Take your
keyboards and instruments with you and buy what sounds good to you and
is easy to carry. If the gear in the stores doesn't have wheels, ask
if they can be added.

Another way to go would be to plug into the schools' PA systems and/or
use a microphone held close to your instruments. But I think it would
be nice for you to have your own gear that you know well and are
comfortable with, so you don't have to count on each school having an
adequate and functioning PA system.

Two more thoughts:

Try rec.audio.pro

Use Google.com to search newsgroups and web. I'll bet there are other
teachers out there, as well as entertainers and church musicians,
who've been in your situation and tried and found some solutions.

And speaking collectively on behalf of myself and other parents, thank
you for bringing music and music education to schoolkids! When I was a
kid, my school system had a circuit-riding music teacher like you.
Without her, we would have had almost no music education at all. I
hope you realize that you're performing a very important job to all
your kids. Again, thanks!



  #25   Report Post  
Mike Dobony
 
Posts: n/a
Default Powered Speakers?


"Neil" wrote in message
om...
" MS" wrote in message

...
"Neil" wrote in message
om...
Those were first sold under the Acoustic Research (AR) brand name,
then under the Advent brand name. Assuming they're discontinued, you
could probably eventually find a good used pair on eBay. Recoton owns
Advent now, I think, so you might use that info to search the web for
info and dealers.


I think Recoton has gone out of business. When I tried their web site

the
other day (www.recoton.com),


Now that you mention it, Recoton being in some trouble does sound
familiar.

always got a page not found message. Same thing
with www.adventaudio.com


Looking back at your posts, I see you're looking for powered speakers
for use "Sometimes in a large hall, a school auditorium. Sometimes
with school
choruses." The Powered Partners are really designed for desktop use,
although they'd probably be adequate in a classroom.

This audio group is really more about home audio gear (like for home
stereos) than the sort of gear you need. What you need is a small pro
sound system, like maybe a pair of powered PA or musical-instrument
speakers. Gear like that will be designed to put out much more sound
and be more rugged and easier to move than home audio gear.

I figure you could buy a pair of smallish powered PA speakers, then
use one or two of them at a time, depending on your needs. Another way
to go would be to get something like a one-piece guitar amp with a
speaker, which you can find in any pawn shop or music store. You'd
probably need something with at least one 12" speaker. There are also
keyboard amps like this, and I'm guessing they might have a slightly
cleaner sound than a guitar amp.


We just got done doing a sound install for a church with a sanctuary the
size of a basketball court, maybe just a little bit bigger. That is what I
do for a living, church sound installations. It needed a pair of 12's on
the side walls in front, a pair of 15's hanging from the ceiling in the
front, and a pair of 10's about half way back to fill the area with adequate
sound. Obviously this is more than MS needs, but in no way would a single
12 do very much for anybody except the front half of wherever the speaker is
pointed. A single 15 might in the middle behind and above the performers
might do a fair job for a room the size of a basketball court for what MS
intends. That would be pushing it. The keyboard amp needs to be extremely
big to fill such a room and again, where is it pointing and where is it
located? Put it on the left side of the stage and the right side is going
to be missing a lot of sound. Put it in the middle in front of the
performers and both front corners will be missing a lot of sound.

--
Mike D.

www.stopassaultnow.org

Remove .spamnot to respond by email

--
"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors."
African proverb

Here are some examples. I used to work in a music store occasionally
many years ago and didn't sell these brands, so I can't really comment
on the following. These are just meant as examples:

http://www.peavey.com/products/


http://www.peavey.com/products/shop_...etails/item/00
490250/wc/2A2G/fam/2/tcode/2G/solo.cfm


http://www.peavey.com/products/shop_...etails/item/00
486070/wc/1A1B4/fam/1B/tcode/4/usti.cfm

http://www.jblpro.com/pages/mi/mi_prod.htm

My recommendation, given that your needs include playing "Sometimes in
a large hall, a school auditorium. Sometimes with school choruses" is
that you forget about desktop speakers like the Powered Partners, and
instead shop only in places that sell music and PA gear. Take your
keyboards and instruments with you and buy what sounds good to you and
is easy to carry. If the gear in the stores doesn't have wheels, ask
if they can be added.

Another way to go would be to plug into the schools' PA systems and/or
use a microphone held close to your instruments. But I think it would
be nice for you to have your own gear that you know well and are
comfortable with, so you don't have to count on each school having an
adequate and functioning PA system.

Two more thoughts:

Try rec.audio.pro

Use Google.com to search newsgroups and web. I'll bet there are other
teachers out there, as well as entertainers and church musicians,
who've been in your situation and tried and found some solutions.

And speaking collectively on behalf of myself and other parents, thank
you for bringing music and music education to schoolkids! When I was a
kid, my school system had a circuit-riding music teacher like you.
Without her, we would have had almost no music education at all. I
hope you realize that you're performing a very important job to all
your kids. Again, thanks!



 
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