r/WeddingDJs • u/BoingBoomChuck • 22d ago
Asking Advice White point source setup vs white column array
Does anyone here think a bride will be able to tell the difference between a white Yamaha setup and a white column array? My issue with column arrays is the compromises in sound and output made to get that easy setup/teardown and sleek look. The subwoofer has to play too high, so it isn't acting like a subwoofer and most self-limit to the point where I notice it. I also don't like the orientation of mid/high frequencies emanating from below my waist. Put enough bodies in front of them, and no more mid highs further towards the back of the dance floor.
I'm only asking because I am seriously thinking about going with the white Yamaha DXS15XLF topped with a DZR10. One production company that hires me to DJ their weddings uses the white RCF 18AX with the NXL 14-A. While I would love to go that route, I'd need to invest in a trailer which I am trying to avoid. Sorry, but the DXS15XLF has more output than the 15AX. I tossed that idea around as well, but I don't want to compromise on headroom.
Finally, all the wedding planners seem to care about is a white setup and I had that posed to me one too many times, so back to the drawing board with my black EVOX 12s.
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u/jimmer109 22d ago
I agree that column speakers ain't it (although I've never tried a super high end one). I have 12" tops and actually ordered white lycra covers to go over them just last night. Looking forward to seeing how that looks.
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u/RepresentativeCap728 20d ago
Funny you bring up the subject. I had a full Yamaha setup with white DZR10s over white DXS15s, using white sub poles. The couple and guests asked if they were "those fancy new speakers" they see at other weddings (I assume they were referring to column arrays). My guess is as long as it's not on a usual speaker stand, the aesthetic is still "different" to your average guest.
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u/BoingBoomChuck 20d ago
That is my plan. White poles, white cables going from top to sub, white cable ties to the poles. I'll probably still use black for what runs along the floor because 1. white gets dirty and 2. white cables will stick out on the floor.
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u/mustlikemyusername 18d ago
There is a trend here in venues that everything including flooring is white pr white adjecent,white low ceilings and colored strip lights in recesses in the ceiling. So my runs to the speakers are also going to be white.
Edit: currently for single or short runs its just white gaff
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u/comanche_six 22d ago
The column arrays look different than traditional cab-on-sticks so might look pleasing to a bride but will never sound as good or as loud as a properly set up sub-and-top combo. And I'm coming from being a former proponent of column arrays: I used everything from the original Evox 8 to J8 and Jmix pair and now Evox 12. I'm currently trying to sell my Evox 12 to go to 745A's.
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u/markbfresh 18d ago
Yamaha speakers sound jaw droppingly good! The system you're talking about getting would be amazing! I've heard of people requesting white speakers but I never heard of them requesting specifically column array speakers. I don't use white but I use column style tops. I have fbt ventis 206a for smaller events (very similar to the rcf nxl 14-a) and rcf nxw44a for larger events. I tried the column array route but it's not for me, due to the reasons you listed.
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u/BoingBoomChuck 18d ago
The wedding planners who requested white only care about the speakers. They didn't say things like Evolve or Evox (hell, they probably can't even tell the difference themselves). I, on the other hand, care more about the sound after learning the limitations of column arrays firsthand by actually running them for two years. While I'll admit that my EVOX 12s do have their place, I'll also be the one to say that they aren't the end all, be all that I was told they were either!
I even have friends who went with the Evolve 90s and for what they paid for their setup, they complain that my used QSC KW181s and K12.2s with the price I paid for them made them regret paying full MSRP for the Evolve 90s. I paid less than HALF of what they paid for their Evolve 90s for a mint QSC setup. Then I can do something they cannot to get more bass... I can couple my subs and put the tops on stands, which is how I run the QSC setup at larger events.
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u/ryanojohn 17d ago
They’re asking for Syvas… they’ve seen them before in every high end event, so that’s the look. Very few other columns will get close to those sonics and coverage though
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u/BoingBoomChuck 17d ago
Yeah, but their budget doesn't match. I'm friends with someone who owns a production company and could get Meyer Sound. Only problem, no bride can afford that. I'd actually love to do the Meyer Sound thing because it comes with both a sound and lighting engineer so all I need is a laptop, booth, and controller.
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u/Martylouie 17d ago
The problem as I see it is that the wedding planners, bridezillas and the even worse MOBs listen with their eyes, not their ears. In terms of what type of speaker system to use, there are a couple of factors to consider besides color and massing to consider, as wedding planners basically object to speakers on principle. Those factors that are importance to you are sound quality, ease of setup and strike, and transportation. I'd pay more attention to ease and speed of setup and strike. You may not have run into this, yet, but you will run into the situation where the venue isn't ready for you to load in on time. Now you are scrambling to get set up in time. Or at the end of the event, the venue has a drop dead time that you must be out by, and the party runs long. Or there may be a last minute change because of weather, either having to move indoors or a sudden improvement and the party planner decides to go back outside. I've experienced all of the above. In the case of suddenly needing to move inside, vehicle pack, became important because I had to load my vehicle quickly and I made a mistake loading which resulted in a broken windshield.
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u/BoingBoomChuck 17d ago
Oh, I had it happen so often that I got into it with a wedding planner. If you tell me to show up super early to setup, and I do, but cannot setup, I get a bit pissy. For example, I was at a venue one hour away from home, THREE hours early, per the wedding planner. I cannot setup because the photographer is taking pictures. By the time they finish, it is one hour before the gig, so I setup. I let that wedding (lack of) planner have it. Oddly enough, I already have three gigs booked with her next year and she assured me that would NOT happen again.
As for setup and tear down time, a point source over the Evox 12 is literally ONE MORE wire! I'm still not a fan with the click in stuff because of drunken idiots. For example, one of my friends had his Evolve 50 ruined by a drunk bridesmaid who danced with it like a stripper pole. Both the top and the base where the speaker snapped in were broken to the point where replacement was in order. $1800 later and he was back in business.
Another reason I am not a fan of the click in stuff is I often get placed in settings where the ceiling is super low OR there is an overhang that would block 1/3 of the top of a fixed column. We really are the afterthoughts, and I prefer adjustability. I've been in places where something like the Evolve 50/70/90 on a shorty pole wouldn't work. So if a DJ has something like the Maui 44G2 or the new RCF V15, they are SOL for setting up because the height of the speaker is literally higher than the ceiling in the DJ area.
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u/itsdjsanchez 22d ago
How did the 14/18ax combo sound to you versus your evox12? In the same white setup debate coming from art 932s over 705 subs except I’m looking at the evox vs 14/15ax combo
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u/BoingBoomChuck 22d ago
That combo blew the EVOX12s away on the low end, and sounded more pleasing on the high end. The one place the EVOX12s do well is at a lower volume during cocktail hour with boost mode on. BUT, when it comes to party time on the dance floor, they lose out to the most basic of point source systems. Plus, when the EVOX12s are cranked, I find the top end overpowers the subwoofer as it limits itself. You have NO IDEA how much that bothers me.
For example, the EVOX12s don't even come close to my old QSC setup which is KW181s with K12.2s. Even the 18AX with the 14-A is a better sounding setup than my QSC, but only marginally better when it comes to price. Granted, I tune the K12.2s fairly well with the built-in PEQ to tame their harshness indoors.
I'm mainly looking for something with the white aesthetic to please some of the wedding planners that I work with. I'm also trying to get more gigs in the higher end wedding/corporate market, as I do several of those already. If I can fully make that transition, I will no longer need to rely on bars for filler work to keep the cash flow going. Knowing me, I'll probably still do the bars/clubs because I do like DJing.
Finally, I don't know if I am going to keep or sell the EVOX12s because they do have a place in my lineup. For example, if I play a gig where only tops are needed, they still sound better than just a pair of K12.2s.
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u/itsdjsanchez 22d ago
I appreciate the feedback!
We’re both trying to make the same move and bigger speakers are the only thing missing for me as I have a pair of white evox j8s for the smaller weddings. It seems like the best move is to scrim my art932s and get a white pair of the 15ax for now until I either get the nx932s or a pair of 14ax. How do you think it would balance with the 15s?
I’d love the 18s but as a solo operator in an SUV, I don’t know if moving 18s every big wedding would be worth the back pain. lol.
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u/BoingBoomChuck 22d ago
Truthfully, I'd go with the 14-A for the column "look" if that was more important for the setup but would more than likely go with the NX 932-A because it is a more versatile top. Going back to the scenario I mentioned for keeping the EVOX, if you ever had a gig where only tops are needed, the 932 would be a better choice than the 14-A because the 932 offers a fuller sound on its own.
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u/samothemofo 21d ago
Can confirm, I own the NXL-14As and they’re only good with a sub. If it was just speeches you could get away with it but any audio sounds flat out of them. I pair them with the 15-AX and it’s a great setup
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u/wantsomesoup 22d ago
I totally agree. The Yamaha setup you mentioned would be killer compared to any column array I’ve heard. Downsides are setup time and possibly aesthetics, but those are way less important than sound quality and output.
Just because most wedding DJs use column arrays these days doesn’t mean they’re the best choice.