PA Help!

[Michaelfishernz]

Hi guys! Noob here.
Would greatly appreciate any advice here regarding care and the capabilities of my first ever P.A system which I'm super excited about:
I've just recently acquired a:

• 1x Peavey 680 powered mixer
• 2x Wharfedale EVP X15 specs

Manuals:
https://assets.peavey.com/literature/manuals/80301911.pdf
http://www.wharfedalepro.com/product-detail.php?pid=86

Questions:

1. How much would you pay for this system in USD? (just want to know if I got a good price)
2. We live in a pretty leaky house here in New Zealand, is humdity something to be concerned about and any tips for looking after my system?
3. I know this system is pretty well matched and the speakers are able to cope with the amp, should this system be able to be maxed out for long periods of time (3-4 hours) and still last years?
4. Will blowing my speaker / amp be a possibility?
5. Can I under power my amp by playing to low volume music? (We're actually intending on using this for a house stereo purpose as well)
6. How do I most effectively look after this daily, eg. do I max out the computer which I'm playing the music off and then adjust sound accordingly or do I max out from amp and adjust from computer or does it not matter at all?
7. Other then the manuals, is there a good place to look for in educating myself about how to run this system and understand things like crossover etc.? (sorry I know I probably sound like an idiot)
8. Finally, any general advice on things to look out for and also any tips on care / running of it would be appreciated?

Thanks so much guys!
Apologies if there's a lot of overlap in the questions.

 

[lovinthehd]

Not that many with PA setups here I'd think....

1. Have no idea but seems it's old discontinued gear, used stuff on ebay in the neighborhood of USD 300 (the mixer/amp); don't see any prices for the speakers
2. Humidity and electronics aren't a good mix. Might think of desiccants or a dehumidifier? May not be a huge concern but that depends what you call humid.
3. Pro gear should be able to run full bore for a while I'd think but the older it gets the less I'd trust it to do so
4. With enough effort maybe altho probably not looking at the specs
5. Low volume shouldn't be an issue, you use as much power as you need for the spl you want (and with 98dB sensitivity, it won't take much to get very loud). Whether the speakers will sound good inside at low volume you'll find out soon enough.
6. Don't even know what that means to max out the computer
7. What do you want to do in the way of a crossover? The crossover for a subwoofer it says that is built into the speaker (which I assume already has a crossover for the existing woofer and tweeter)
8. No idea except don't drop stuff...

Good luck!

 

[Michaelfishernz]

T

Not that many with PA setups here I'd think....

1. Have no idea but seems it's old discontinued gear, used stuff on ebay in the neighborhood of USD 300 (the mixer/amp); don't see any prices for the speakers
2. Humidity and electronics aren't a good mix. Might think of desiccants or a dehumidifier? May not be a huge concern but that depends what you call humid.
3. Pro gear should be able to run full bore for a while I'd think but the older it gets the less I'd trust it to do so
4. With enough effort maybe altho probably not looking at the specs
5. Low volume shouldn't be an issue, you use as much power as you need for the spl you want (and with 98dB sensitivity, it won't take much to get very loud). Whether the speakers will sound good inside at low volume you'll find out soon enough.
6. Don't even know what that means to max out the computer
7. What do you want to do in the way of a crossover? The crossover for a subwoofer it says that is built into the speaker (which I assume already has a crossover for the existing woofer and tweeter)
8. No idea except don't drop stuff...

Good luck!

Thanks so much man! Really appreciate your help/answers! We've not got an overly humid house in the summer but in the . winter we have problems with mould (so not too bad). Don't worry about the cross over thing! Was more just asking where you guys learn all you know about sound systems etc.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

2. Pro gear is less affected by humidity than home audio equipment.
3. Probably.
4. Anything can be blown if it’s abused enough.
5. There is no such thing as “underpowering” an amplifier.
6. There have been books written on gain structuring. The simplest answer is to increase the computer level, the level knob(s) of the channel(s) the computer is plugged into, and the master level knob until you get the volume you want from the system.
7. https://www.google.com/search?q=pro+audio+basics&oq=pro+audio+basics&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.3080j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
8. if you hear distortion, there are problems that could eventually cause something to blow. Reduce the level of the computer, then the level of the channel(s) it’s plugged into, until things sound clean. Don’t do a smiley-face EQ – excessive bass and/or treble can blow the speakers.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[BMXTRIX]

If you hear distortion, at all, TURN IT DOWN!

Some people like audio to be deafening loud. These types of systems can work in homes, but rarely provide the nuances that quality audio systems can provide. They can be loud, they are built to handle it, but that's often it. They were often built around vocals in larger open spaces and sometimes are focused on budget and durability over quality.

But, at the end, if you are happy, then enjoy it.

For the PC hook up, typically about 80% or so of PC volume is 0dB which is about the highest volume you want to push out of it. If it is easier to control the volume that way, you can set all your other audio gear to 0dB, and then just adjust volume inside the computer system. If you are running at 80% and everything else at 0dB, then you want to really watch for distortion beyond that point as you are pushing the gain into positive territory which can overheat gear, and more often, blow speakers. Speakers are analog pieces of gear, and you better believe you can blow them up if you overdrive them. Especially if you under power them.