• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

PA Speakers at home

iamdan

Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2022
Messages
5
Likes
8
Howdy all,

I'm looking to upgrading my current music setup at home, as I've found myself steering the volume knob on my Audiolab 6000A to the right more and more lately. The amp is rated 50W per channel at 8 ohms, my speakers (an amateur DIY project, emphasis on amateur) have a sensitivity of 87 db and it seems it's just shy enough for me to enjoy it to the maximum at my listening position 3m away. I love the 6000A though, it has a lot of features (like functioning as both an integrated amp and just a pre amp), so I don't have any plans of changing it for the time being.

Here's a thought that has been bugging me lately: "Hey, why not bring the concert at home? There's got to be a PA speaker that can both get loud enough and not sound like trash!". So I did some research and found the Turbosound NuQ122. They have plywood housing, a sensitivity of 96db, and a pretty smooth frequency response for a PA speaker (at least compared to the 40-ish other PA offerings I checked during my research). My room is big enough for these, and on top of that a local dealer currently has them on sale for 15% off.

I guess I was kinda looking for an equivalent to Klipsch Heresy IVs, cause I dig their design, but my god they are unfathomably overpriced. That's why I stopped on the NuQ122s, as they demolish the Heresy IVs in terms of specs and frequency response, and most importantly, are less than half the cost.

What do you think? Is this worth a shot? I plan on trying them out at the local dealership, although I'm sure the experience won't be the same as at home. My other concern is how to actually wire them to the amp: the NuQ122s have an NL4 SpeakOn connector on the back, so I was planning to buy an NL2 SpeakON speaker cable, cut it in half (so I have two separate cables), then stick banana plugs to both ends. Would this work?

Have you had any experience with PA speakers at home? How did it go?

Cheers!
 
Last edited:

Rednaxela

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 30, 2022
Messages
2,052
Likes
2,676
Location
NL
Could this be something for you?

 

Rednaxela

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 30, 2022
Messages
2,052
Likes
2,676
Location
NL
I also hear good things about Tannoy V12 speakers.
 
OP
I

iamdan

Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2022
Messages
5
Likes
8
-10dB @50hz
I think you won’t find these satisfying without a sub or two involved.
I should've mentioned that I have two SVS PB 1000 pros, so I've got the low end covered.


@Rednaxela I guess these fall into the same category, although I'm not particularly fond of the looks of both speakers. I like that the Turbosounds don't attract much attention with their basic design.
 

fpitas

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 7, 2022
Messages
9,885
Likes
14,191
Location
Northern Virginia, USA
Those don't look at all bad for PA speakers. Another viable approach is to use EQ to tame a PA speaker's peaks.
 

LTig

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 27, 2019
Messages
5,760
Likes
9,442
Location
Europe
I should've mentioned that I have two SVS PB 1000 pros, so I've got the low end covered.
Then it may be better to look for a similar speaker with an 8" or 10" woofer. Unfortunately the specs did not mention the crossover frequency but I think it is rather high and if this is true not so well suited for a 12" woofer.
 

fieldcar

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Sep 27, 2019
Messages
821
Likes
1,258
Location
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
If their spec sheet is honest, the FR looks great and horizontal directivity looks pretty decent. There will be edge diffraction with that kind of cabinet, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are resonances somewhere that don't show up in their FR graph. But, you can't beat ~96dB sensitivity for getting a ton of SPL per watt and that gut punch from a large 12" woofer.

1669990228217.png

1669990580682.png
 
Last edited:
OP
I

iamdan

Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2022
Messages
5
Likes
8
I'm a big fan of PA gear in the home. Depending on your room you might want to consider a design that uses 90 degree horn.
Interesting! is 90 degree better for larger or smaller rooms? Mine is around 30-35 square meters.
 

Rednaxela

Major Contributor
Joined
Mar 30, 2022
Messages
2,052
Likes
2,676
Location
NL
Some more inspiration...

 

fpitas

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 7, 2022
Messages
9,885
Likes
14,191
Location
Northern Virginia, USA

tomtoo

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 20, 2019
Messages
3,607
Likes
4,514
Location
Germany
Yeah, the frequency response graph smoothing might hide some annoying peaks.

The low bass is poor in speakers like this. But there is absolutly no prob to add 6db at 50Hz. There are maybe more problems that the smothing hides. Buuut, it depends on you, what you enjoy. And some people are just unhappy what a 5inch and a dome can deliver. So from my point of view you can be absolutly happy with a speaker like this if you can EQ. Some enjoy caviar others a grilled 800g angus steak.
For my self, if i could like i want, i would prever the steak. ;)
 

JayGilb

Major Contributor
Joined
Jul 22, 2021
Messages
1,371
Likes
2,308
Location
West-Central Wisconsin
My home rig is composed of DIY speakers that employ PA drivers. I'm a firm believer that emulating a live performance requires
lots of watts and square inches of drivers. While I don't turn it up often, even at a low level I can feel the bass without having to eq it heavily.

Edit: Does Turbo sound have a powered 15" unit ? You may want a 15" driver to help with the low end.
 

tomtoo

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 20, 2019
Messages
3,607
Likes
4,514
Location
Germany
My home rig is composed of DIY speakers that employ PA drivers. I'm a firm believer that emulating a live performance requires
lots of watts and square inches of drivers. While I don't turn it up often, even at a low level I can feel the bass without having to eq it heavily.

Edit: Does Turbo sound have a powered 15" unit ? You may want a 15" driver to help with the low end.

Maybe it sounds absurd, but huge bass drivers give me the impression of more action. The room gets more excited i get more excited. Maybe a psychological probelm of mine. But there is no 5inch driver that can make me happy. Its realy strange. But what ever a 5inch does, it gives me not the impression a drummer is in my room. ;)
 
OP
I

iamdan

Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2022
Messages
5
Likes
8
My home rig is composed of DIY speakers that employ PA drivers. I'm a firm believer that emulating a live performance requires
lots of watts and square inches of drivers. While I don't turn it up often, even at a low level I can feel the bass without having to eq it heavily.

Edit: Does Turbo sound have a powered 15" unit ? You may want a 15" driver to help with the low end.

This is the passive one: Turbosound NuQ152, but I can't find it anywhere. As for powered, I'm looking to replacing my passive speakers to go with the amp and subs, so I'm not currently considering going active.
 

puppet

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 23, 2020
Messages
446
Likes
284
Nice monitor but the 70x70 dispersion would be a deal breaker for me at home.
 

fineMen

Major Contributor
Joined
Oct 31, 2021
Messages
1,504
Likes
679
What do you think? Is this worth a shot?
Depends on what you're looking for. If it was the accessible sound pressure level, then an additional subwoofer may be the relief to all your desires, plus a reasonably done main speaker pair. Normal home fidelity systems have low efficiency due to the bass, that should come from the same little box. Allow for a higher f3 and efficiency rises. That's in part how p/a achieves the goal. The other part is bigger cabinets.

In conclusion, the p/a thing is another set of compromises. That new approach would need an additional sub anyway. If you're interested in an alternative to a full-size p/a installation, please ask. The specimen you suggested is particularly not well suited for home use.
 
Top Bottom