Bedroom Solution for all the Cheapskates

  • This is meant for bedroom low volume type playing only .... and, like me, you spent all your hard earned cash on a Kemper - and rightly so - but now have to save up for a decent monitoring setup... My background: 20+ years of playing and semi-pro gigging as a bassist, drummer and guitarist (anything from Dutch Crooners to Punk and Grindcore)


    I just picked up a secondhand Behringer Eurolive B212D for € 120.


    Compared it to my powered Behringer 2031A and old Roland Cube 60 cab - roomsize 2.50m by 4.00. My verdict:


    1. 2031A powered monitor - 8" tighter bass, more definition
    2. Eurolive B212D - 12" more in your face, semi-annoying hiss, overkill in a residential area
    3. Roland Cab - 12" utter crap, no other decent cab available so no fair comparison there


    If you don't play any other music over your speakers in your bedroom besides your Kemper - I'd choose a cheapo secondhand FRFR over powered monitors. Anything sized bigger than 10" is probably overkill. Or get a 12" if you plan on getting it to rehearsals, small gigs.


    The guy who sold me the B212D and delivered them at my doorstep - who himself played drums and some guitar for over 30 years - was floored when I played a POD X3 Live with a Metallica patch over it. It gave him goosebumps - he said - as I was just churning out some washed out chords and a sloppy rendition of Sad But True. Did not dare go beyond 30% of the volume. The seller jokingly asked for his money before it would explode. So it's an incredibly loud (half-way) decent speaker i would say.


    Sure I want my RCF 12A, Matrix wedge, or whatever quality monitor I can audition locally before buying but - in the mean time - saving up for it I go chugga chugga for 1/10th of the price :)

  • Yeah, I've played through a Behringer Eurolive B210D and it was usable, but way too much power for a bedroom.

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

  • I just bought the RCF NX sma12 and I can tell you they are not really ideal for "bedroom" levels because at really low volumes they seem to render less treble than what they bring out at higher volumes - so if you tweak the settings of your KPA at home with low volumes on a 12" FRFR you might end up with a way to much brittle sound on the gigs.


    I am still happy with the RCF NX sma12 but for a budget solution it might be better to chose a cheaper fullrange active speaker for playing at home plus a more "conservative" poweramp+guitar cabinet setup for the gig (i.e. a second hand clean guitar-amp with a power amp input).

    www.audiosemantics.de
    I have been away for quite a while. A few years ago I sold my KPA and since then played my own small tube amp with a Bad Cat Unleash. Now I am back because the DI-profile that I made from my amp sounds very much convincing to me.

  • Same here with my QSC K10, it sounds darker at very low volume but I just take care to tweak my live tones at rehearsal. But isn't it the same with anything? I always have to tweak my tones at gig volume with any amp or FRFR rigs.


    Pierre