Scott Waldy Messages: 602 Registered: May 2006 Location: State of Confusion
Has No Life
There is a cool little feature here on the forum called the SEARCH! If you try that, I'm very sure you will find all of the answers to your LA 400 question. Scott W.
"Relax, We'll fix it in the mix....
"I think it takes alot more "SKILLS" to be a Dj than a Sound man." - J. Gop, 2007
Ryan McLeod Messages: 528 Registered: August 2004 Location: Toronto, ON Canada
Has No Life
Hey Shawn -
I have 8 of the LA-400 and enjoy them quite a bit (I have used them for both live productions and DJ systems)
Pro's :
- Very loud on little power (107db sensitivity, I believe)
(I drive 4 with an IT4000, technically twice their rated power of 500W RMS)
- They get directional when properly coupled and used in multiples of 2 or 4 (which may or may not be a Pro....)
- Sound quite good and work well for me, mainly in outdoor applications
- a lot of "oomph" in a package that requires very little amplifier power compared to their output. (read: economical for amp requirements and the electrical requirements at the gig)
- "Dancy" sound.
Cons:
- "Dancy" sound.
- don't do well in a "single-sub-per-side" scenario.
- they don't go as low as, say, a typical dual-18 like an SB1000 or your SRX728's.
- in sets of 2 or 4, they take up more space when in use and in the truck, which for some users may offset the "lower power" requirement.
In a (very rough, off the top of my head) comparison my experience is that you would require 4x SRX728 with 3200W of available power for each to get the same useable output as 4x LA400's driven with 4000W of total power, but the dual 18's will go lower.
Your best option? Beg, borrow or rent a set and compare for yourself to see if they are right for you.
[Updated on: Sat, 23 December 2006 13:39]
"What happens is fact, not truth. Thuth is what we think about what happens"
-Robert McKee
Ryan Lantzy Messages: 2155 Registered: December 2004 Location: Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Has No Life
Sean,
I have 4 LA400s. I use them mostly for rock and blues. I've ocassionaly done some jazz and some death metal with them.
They really work well with the rock and rhythm and blues type stuff. Stuff like Chicago, Wilson Picket, Van Morrison, Motown. I've used them in 800 person rooms (just 4 center clustered) for hard core, metal, and alternative and they do very well.
I powered them with 2x PLX3002 bridged (2 per amp) for a while. That worked very well, but I never got out of -20 on the front panel. From this, I surmised 1500W per cabinet was overkill. I got a good deal on an RMX4050 and now I run that in 4 ohm stereo and each cabinet gets around 700W. It really rocks, and it was after that point that I ran sound for the heavy metal/alternative bands.
I think a really good match for these would be a Yorkville AP6040 in stereo, or a PL 6.0 II. From what I've read on EAW discussion board, if you are properly processing the LA400 with a HPF and parametric EQ, they say you can safely raise the RMS rating to 800W. That being the case, 1500-2000W per cabinet is probably ideal in order to give yourself some headroom. But if you know your limits, 700-1200 watts per cabinet is enough for most applications.
As for a comparison with dual 18's. 4 LA400s will outrun any set of 4 dual 18's in their price category. Which is around $900-1000 new $600-700 used. I wouldn't say they are twice as loud or anything. But noticably cleaner for this price category at full tilt boogie.
WRT how low they go... A set of dual 18's for $900/box is NOT going to go noticeablly lower. I would say that at set of dual 18's for 50% more than that won't go noceably lower. Sure, you will get output, but it will be mostly in the form of distortion. Some people like that, YMMV. In general you have to spend a lot of money go to clean, loud, and low.
As for a comparison to LAB subs. I've heard 4 LAB subs. They do go a bit lower, and are damn near equal to 2 LA400s per box. The LABs will out perform any dual 18 at the price point and probably double.
As I recall from discussions previous to this, the inherent advantage of a horn loaded subwoofer is the fact that it more correctly matches with the impedance of the air. This leads to better efficiency and less distortion.
I also would vehemently agree with Ryan McLeod's assesment. You will need darn near 12,000W of LF power on 4 dual 18's to even begin to compete with 3-6000W of power on 4 LA400s. In equal price categories and even slightly higher.
[Updated on: Sat, 23 December 2006 14:13]
Ryan Lantzy
"In the beginner's mind the possibilities are many, in the expert's mind they are few."
Ryan McLeod Messages: 528 Registered: August 2004 Location: Toronto, ON Canada
Has No Life
Quote:
...vehemently...
I always wondered how to spell that....!
Also, I forgot about the quasi-800w power rating scheme. With 1000W of available power per box, I've been nothing but happy.
(I also enjoy using them at reasonable-size outdoor events in two clusters of 4 or a single cluster of 8 - someone will always tell me that those look like really strange dual 18's during soundcheck, and when I tell them that they are listening to 8x 12" drivers at 100-or-so feet and they feel it in their chest I thoroughly enjoy the look on their face... "What happens is fact, not truth. Thuth is what we think about what happens"
-Robert McKee
Bob Kenton Messages: 724 Registered: May 2005 Location: Sandy beaches of OC
Has No Life
Ryan McLeod wrote on Sat, 23 December 2006 19:37
Hey Shawn -
I have 8 of the LA-400 and enjoy them quite a bit (I have used them for both live productions and DJ systems)
Pro's :
- Very loud on little power (107db sensitivity, I believe)
(I drive 4 with an IT4000, technically twice their rated power of 500W RMS)
- They get directional when properly coupled and used in multiples of 2 or 4 (which may or may not be a Pro....)
- Sound quite good and work well for me, mainly in outdoor applications
- a lot of "oomph" in a package that requires very little amplifier power compared to their output. (read: economical for amp requirements and the electrical requirements at the gig)
- "Dancy" sound.
Cons:
- "Dancy" sound.
- don't do well in a "single-sub-per-side" scenario.
- they don't go as low as, say, a typical dual-18 like an SB1000 or your SRX728's.
- in sets of 2 or 4, they take up more space when in use and in the truck, which for some users may offset the "lower power" requirement.
In a (very rough, off the top of my head) comparison my experience is that you would require 4x SRX728 with 3200W of available power for each to get the same useable output as 4x LA400's driven with 4000W of total power, but the dual 18's will go lower.
Your best option? Beg, borrow or rent a set and compare for yourself to see if they are right for you.
Question,while running a single LA400 per side, you mentioned it doesnt work well, will it out perform a single 18" box like a SRX 718 and not a dual box like the 728? Or does it just not work well by its self and needs to be coupled to get a decent sound?
Just wondering, Ive been considering a pair of these boxes myself and have been doing some searching. I really dont want to have to run two per side right now because of truck room.
Ryan Lantzy Messages: 2155 Registered: December 2004 Location: Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Has No Life
Bob Kenton wrote on Sat, 23 December 2006 17:58
Question,while running a single LA400 per side, you mentioned it doesnt work well, will it out perform a single 18" box like a SRX 718 and not a dual box like the 728? Or does it just not work well by its self and needs to be coupled to get a decent sound?
I've used them one a side for small gigs. You can't expect miracles out of anything one per side. In the end it would depend on the style of music, size of crowd, and desired SPL.
There is a post in the LAB archives from Dave Gunness specifically addressing the LA400 and it's feature set. One of the design criteria he menitioned was that it must work well one per side.
So will the issue a brown note one per side? Probably not. Will they work? Definitely yes, depending on you requirements.Ryan Lantzy
"In the beginner's mind the possibilities are many, in the expert's mind they are few."
Ryan McLeod Messages: 528 Registered: August 2004 Location: Toronto, ON Canada
Has No Life
I should have clarified myself -
Yes, depending on the application and the SPL required, one per side is just fine in many applications. I've done it before, but I have other options I prefer in this case, or I use two LA400's in the middle rather then one on each side.
My main issue is that a one-per-side application for me usually means "a top on a stick", and I prefer to use a pole rather then a stand to use up as little real estate as possible, so I usually use an SBX220 with a K&M crank-up pole.
What's funny is that a pair of SBX220's gets an IT4K, just like four LA400's. I like the VLF of the 220's, but we already know which one is more effiecent...
Bob - I would say that it will outperform an average single 18" box easily (and again, get louder with less required amp power applied to it) and in some cases keep up with an SRX728 - it all depends on the application. Keep in mind that it is not as tall as a 728, so if using the sub as a base for your mid/hi box is an issue....
"What happens is fact, not truth. Thuth is what we think about what happens"
-Robert McKee
hiep nguyen Messages: 132 Registered: August 2004 Location: san diego
Has No Life
The LA400 is a good sub no question, I use one a side many time without problem . I don't know if upgrade from 728 a good decision. What you didn't like about 728?h_i_e_p@yahoo.com
Well, I don't dislike the 728s. This all started as an upgrade/amp issue. I wanted two more subs (728s) but didn't want to carry around four amps just for subs or two very powerful/very expensive amps. So I decided to look into more efficient horn loaded subs and keep the same amount of amps that I currently have. The LA400s were just one choice. I was also leaning toward BFD's Tuba 30s or Tuba 36s amoung others.
John Chiara Messages: 2112 Registered: April 2004 Location: Troy, NY
Has No Life
Sean Brown wrote on Sun, 24 December 2006 13:31
Well, I don't dislike the 728s. This all started as an upgrade/amp issue. I wanted two more subs (728s) but didn't want to carry around four amps just for subs or two very powerful/very expensive amps. So I decided to look into more efficient horn loaded subs and keep the same amount of amps that I currently have. The LA400s were just one choice. I was also leaning toward BFD's Tuba 30s or Tuba 36s amoung others.
So there's the backround info.
I don't know your budget but I am an advocate of the Danley subs. The TH 115 goes lower..also runs on small or large amps..and can be used in singles. Price is at least double the LA 400 but having heard both the TH 115 is a more hifi sounding box..and the impact..I beleive because of the near zero group delay ...is more even across the operating range. "mix is a verb, not a noun" Sooo, as Aunt Bea would say.."Get to it!!!"
John A. Chiara aka. Blind Johnny
Albany Audio Associates Inc.
Troy, NY
518-961-0069 - cell
Mike Butler (media) Messages: 3011 Registered: October 2005 Location: southern connecticut
Has No Life
Hey, I want a t-shirt for all the people I have told about the LA400. Hell, a jacket for that matter! http://www.mikebutlermedia.com
Mike Butler Media * AV/video production * corporate event production * presentation services * marketing support * creative research * graphic design * photography
Tom Shannon Messages: 34 Registered: September 2009 Location: Philadelphia
Should Get Out More
Hello Ryan,
I realize this is an old thread but I do have a question I hope you can help with. I'm using a mix of EAW (subs) and Community (tops) and want to upgrade my subs. I'm considering both the SBX220 and LA400. I lean towards the LA400 because I like the efficiency and the sound quality of horns. However, there are occasions where mounting a top on a pole with a small sub is all you need. Can you relate your impressions of the two boxes. In particular, have you found a room size/situation where the SBX220 was definitely preferable - for example, does the low end from an LA400 develop too far out in the audience to be of use on a dance floor in a small environment?
Btw - I asked similar questions of Joe Fustolo of EAW and his personal preference is the LA400 first, but he thinks the SBX220 is good 'best of both worlds'. I should add the ordinarily I only work in situations where the audience is probably about 350 max, and usually smaller. But then there are those other times - like outdoors.
Forum Home
Login
Forum Search
Register
FAQ
. I don't know if upgrade from 728 a good decision. What you didn't like about 728?
