Where Have All The Watts Gone?

[DJ Ramon 0]

Don't know if this has come up before, did a gig in a venue I last worked about 25 years ago, back then I was using a Fal stereo deluxe deck (100 x 100 watt stereo) with Sounout 2 x10" speakers which back then seemed more than adaquate for this venue and just about every where else . Last Saturday night used my trusty Citronic ISIS deck with a 300 x 300 watt stereo amp and a set of 15" speakers and it did'nt appear significantly any louder, now I know what you'll all think, 25 years on you're deafer?, It just seems to me that back in the day we all used lower powered amps and they were more than enough, I knew guy who had a big haze deck 200 x200 watt, though that was the dogs for power, I must be getting old!

[superstardeejay 0]

When I was at 'little school' our Christmas party music was supplied by a Dansette record player..though to be fair it was rather quiet.

 

By the time I reached highschool we had a grampian record player connected to a couple of column speakers either side the stage and it was just fine. (That was the mid 1980's).

 

 

[Norfolk DJ 0]

I used my powered Citronic Avon 115w + 115w until 2001, and over 17 years of use the power was ample. I just avoided the very large venues.

[UKHero 0]

I know what you mean when I started my Deck was a mono 50 Watt I then up greaded to a 2 X 100 Watt and never saw a red light (mind you dont think it had one lol) Then I got a McGreggor Mosfet 2 X 200 Watt and used that for about 5 years did ball rooms the lot..

 

Now I use a studio master 700 for tops and a 1200 for subs or my two new Mackie srm450 for the smaller venues and still sometimes see the odd red light....

 

I know RMS and watts is exponencial and on a logarythmic scale so a 200 watt amp is not twice as loud as a 100 watt amp but I do agree we seem to need more power nower days... I wonder if it is to do with less efficient cabs as in the 80's I had some big bins and mid tops massive they were now my cervin vegas are just about managable on my own.... As we know most power goes to the subs and I think with demands from users to reduce the box size we have had to increase the watts to move the same amount of air...

 

 

Nik

Edited November 12, 2008 by UKHero

[supersound dj 0]

When I was at 'little school' our Christmas party music was supplied by a Dansette record player..though to be fair it was rather quiet.

 

When nik Was A likkle Schoolboy he was impressed with the waxed cylinder and the big ear trumpet.

 

Pity there was always a dogs head stuck up it,no wonder it was quiet.

 

 

Sorry nik Couldent resist.

 

Paul

[Lag1Rich 0]

I know a guy who still uses an old Citronic doble record player with the built in tape player in the middle!!

Me I prefer my Numark CDN 88s

[Kingy 0]

I was only thinking about this the other day.

 

My first deck was a FAL Super Mono deluxe, which had a mono 100 watt bi-polar driven amp. I used a pair of 2 x 12" speakers, no horns or tweeters, but was easily able to do functions for 100 people plus at a very adequate level. When I added a Mcgregor 100 watt slave and a pair of Simms-Watts 2 x 12" and tweeters I was easily able to do the local leisure centre with 300 + kids running wild.

 

Happy days......... (which if I remember were in black & white!!)

[Dukesy 0]

Happy days......... (which if I remember were in black & white!!)

 

Is that from the time where people rode on bikes with the really big wheel at the front?

http://academic.evergreen.edu/curricular/adaptation/pics/PennyFarthing.jpg

[Kingy 0]

Is that from the time where people rode on bikes with the really big wheel at the front?

http://academic.evergreen.edu/curricular/adaptation/pics/PennyFarthing.jpg

 

Speed enforcement cameras in the early twenties tended to catch the startled cyclist easily!!

[TonyB 0]

Watts are like Mars Bars, they seem to get smaller as you get older smile icon

 

I still have a Fender mixer amp that is now over 10 years old and has a total output of 300w (mono so its 150w per speaker). I also have a homemade pair of 12" cabs with piezo tweeters that I used with it and they will still fill an average sized hall with around 100 people with sound.

 

I bought a Warrior DA500 a few years ago to save lugging around a great big mixer amp. At 8 Ohms a channel it gives out 190w. My reasoning was if 150w per channel was loud enough then 190w would be plenty. How wrong I was. The Warrior amp will not produce anywhere near the volume that the Fender does and struggled with a group of 50 with the same speakers.

[DJ Ramon 0]

I was only thinking about this the other day.

 

My first deck was a FAL Super Mono deluxe, which had a mono 100 watt bi-polar driven amp. I used a pair of 2 x 12" speakers, no horns or tweeters, but was easily able to do functions for 100 people plus at a very adequate level. When I added a Mcgregor 100 watt slave and a pair of Simms-Watts 2 x 12" and tweeters I was easily able to do the local leisure centre with 300 + kids running wild.

 

Happy days......... (which if I remember were in black & white!!)

 

Kingy were your 2 x 12"'s FAL as well, I had them as well as the FAL three bulb sound to light boxes with the diffuser bits out of false ceiling lights, from me best mates Gratton catalogue! tongue out icon happy days.

[Andy Westcott 0]

I think it's largely down to the efficiency of the speakers.

Years ago, big wattage anplifiers were very expensive and so the epeaker drivers and cabinets tended to be designed to be as efficient as possible. (There are trade-offs, but that's another subject.) Don't forget too that a 200 watt RMS driver was a real beast!

 

Up until surprisingly recently I used 4 X 15 inch 100 watt HH bass drivers, and the quoted efficiency was 101dB/1 watt/1 metre. This high efficiency was borne out in practice as I used to run 200 watts a side and this was easily capable of leaving your ears ringing well after a disco in a venue suitable for 150 or so people.

 

In fact it is only due to my persuance of deep bass reproduction that I changed them at all - I still have those HH drivers, which incidentally had a lifetime guarantee on them, and may yet re-box them and put them back into service for gigs where smaller cabinets are in order. Almost museum pieces now, but still perfect and undamaged despite many years of gigs, many of those being teenage events where the amp was often run into clipping.

[Kingy 0]

Kingy were your 2 x 12"'s FAL as well, I had them as well as the FAL three bulb sound to light boxes with the diffuser bits out of false ceiling lights, from me best mates Gratton catalogue! tongue out icon happy days.

 

Yes they were, mine came from a shop in Manchester.

 

My first lighting was an apprentice project. I constructed a sound to light from scratch (4 chan) and made some basic column boxes.

[buskersball 0]

I'm sure I read somewhere that the definition of a watt had changed????? Sounds a bit daft, but would account for it. My first set up was a Citronic Hawaii with two 120w power amps, and it was an immense sound. I also play in a band and remember when we had a Carlsbro Marlin 150w PA amp, which the band used to all go through, couples with a pair of Carlsbro 2 x 12"...we used to play big gigs and still had power to spare...nowadays I got a 2.5k rig and can't tell any difference.

I blame the Hadron collider!

[Norfolk DJ 0]

Kingy were your 2 x 12"'s FAL as well, I had them as well as the FAL three bulb sound to light boxes with the diffuser bits out of false ceiling lights, from me best mates Gratton catalogue! tongue out icon happy days.

 

I still have a set of these somewhere :dan:

[Kingy 0]

I still have a set of these somewhere :dan:

 

Give you 50p for them.... tongue out icon

[skillganon 0]

i don't know if ive done this right

the picture should show my set up 20 something years ago the deck was a soundout cheater 200 watts aside plus a h&h 100watt for the 2 fal 2x12" which could cope with almost any occasion notice the 3 buld light boxes these were badged linier but were made by fal

 

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee276/andycoleman/th_olddisco1.jpg

[djshyboy 0]

Hi all

what ever happend to fal my local shop sold all fall stuf when he closed down he smashed all the stuff to bits i now as i worked there for 2 yrs never whent with the times so falled

firstbase in southharrow the northolt it was could

 

andy t

dj shyboy

[flash911 0]

i don't know if ive done this right

the picture should show my set up 20 something years ago the deck was a soundout cheater 200 watts aside plus a h&h 100watt for the 2 fal 2x12" which could cope with almost any occasion notice the 3 buld light boxes these were badged linier but were made by fal

 

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee276/andycoleman/th_olddisco1.jpg

 

 

AHHHHH the good old days . dont you just miss them

[skillganon 0]

AHHHHH the good old days . dont you just miss them

 

 

missed them enough to start up again :joe: been back a year now and still having fun

[UKHero 0]

i don't know if ive done this right

the picture should show my set up 20 something years ago the deck was a soundout cheater 200 watts aside plus a h&h 100watt for the 2 fal 2x12" which could cope with almost any occasion notice the 3 buld light boxes these were badged linier but were made by fal

 

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee276/andycoleman/th_olddisco1.jpg

 

Woo Hoo a real disco not an excuse for a coat hanger and one light lol :Thumbup:

 

Nik

Edited November 18, 2008 by UKHero

[Kingy 0]

Woo Hoo a real disco not an excuse for a coat hanger and one light lol :Thumbup:

 

Nik

 

Oy! That's modern technology in Wolverhampton!!!! tongue out icon

[skillganon 0]

cheeky lots of hard work there borrowed me dads tools too!!!

[biggav 0]

i did a kiddies party (4 yo) and started the music at my usuall "background" level which had 2 younglings in tears and most of the others with hands cupped round their ears.

 

I all honesty, with the rig we use for the band, it doesn't sound any louder weather on 1/4 or full power but it feels louder!! i think thats where all the power now goes as people demand more bass than they used to. We have a 1200W Front of house with 18" bass and 8" kevlar tops and 2X 150W backline amps (2X12 in each) used as monitors (on top of our own instrument amps) The backline sometimes sounds louder depending on the venue i think it also has something to do with sound pressure.... whatever that means... The front of house speakers are "soundlab" ebay specials (reconed top) and the back line are Vintage Marshall cabs bought for £10 on ebay!

[Dukesy 0]

i did a kiddies party (4 yo) and started the music at my usuall "background" level which had 2 younglings in tears and most of the others with hands cupped round their ears.

Yikes! :sad: