What PA-speakers should I bring to Burning Man?

May 27, 2008 2:55 PM

What speakers should I bring with me to Burning Man? I'm looking for powered PA-style speakers, preferably less that $250 each, that will withstand the dust and heat. (hopefully for more than one year :)

Last year we brought a mish-mash of crappy speakers and crappy amplifiers, most of which died in one of several dust storms. I'm looking for something that's not too expensive, but isn't too cheap, since they must survive. Also, for simplicity's sake, they must be self powered. I'm considering the Behringer B215A, or something similar. Help?

posted by darkshade to shopping (8 comments total)

Your needs are mutually exclusive - you likely need a higher budget.

In my experience, Behringer makes about the least sturdy gear around, and I grimace every time I come across anything made by them.

I hate the way they sound, but your best bet might be old JBL EONs. The first series is getting pretty long in the tooth and might be able to had used close to your budget. The one great thing about those was their indestrucability, so they're both a good candidate for used AND for playa gear. Plus... you really don't want to bring new stuff out there.

The eonIIs are probably easier to find, but certainly cost more than you're willing to spend.

I suggest bringing along some extra flat sheets and wrapping your speakers in them. It doesn't help with heat dissipation, but will at least filter out SOME of the dust.

(Last year dust storms were also pretty intense - those were by far the worst I've seen in the past 6 years)
posted by flaterik at 5:25 PM on May 27, 2008

I can't recommend some JBL Eon IIs enough. We have many of them at work and they are nigh indestructible. Ive seen them get dropped like 6ft many times and come up fine. They are also some of the hardest speakers i know to blow. Out of you price range? probably, worth it? TOTALLY.
posted by DJWeezy at 5:32 PM on May 27, 2008

Ok, this is the kind of information I needed to hear! I'm willing to pay a bit more to avoid total crap. :)
posted by darkshade at 5:46 PM on May 27, 2008

So, this is starting to look like a price range similar to the Mackie SRM450s, which are certainly well known, but maybe not necessarily as durable? I really know nothing about this class of speaker.
posted by darkshade at 5:49 PM on May 27, 2008

I third the JBE eon's especially the Eon 10's. Notas heavy as the 15's, not very bulky and built like a tank, and boy do they crank! We own 40 or so in our current rental stock and they are just great. I too would also recommend some kind of supplemental exterior wrap. We are JBL dealers and at the risk of sounding like a salesman we do occasionally turn out some of our slightly used gear that might be getting a little too scuffed up for our very particular corporate clients. I too would also recommend some kind of supplemental exterior wrap. drop me a line and we'll kick around some options.
posted by HappyHippo at 9:57 PM on May 27, 2008

I'm curious if any of y'all have used the Fender Passports. That seems like an ideal setup unless you need more wattage, and is close to darkshade's price if buying used.
posted by adamrice at 6:11 AM on May 28, 2008

My crew went through the passports in the first couple of gigs but we move hard and fast when we need to, so something VERY robust is important. The Fenders seem to be made of some very brittle plastic and are kind of a weird awkward shape, which makes them kind of want to topple over when not attached to that mother ship of a mixer/amp. They are passive speakers and the mixer amp is powered, which doesn't yield as much flexibility IMO.
posted by HappyHippo at 10:57 AM on May 28, 2008

I still prefer the way the mackie's sound, but the eons have a better reputation for durability.

I've run my srm450 for many an hour in the desert with no problems, and the only overheating issues I had were indoors in sweaty warehouses with little ventilation. I've also had one bounce out of the back of my pickup when I hit a bump too hard and broke my tailgate with my amprack without any issues... but my experience may be anomolous; I have heard more people complain of issues with the srms than with the eons.

(no experience with the passports. I primarily use powered speakers as monitors, I still prefer good 'ol amp racks for mains)
posted by flaterik at 11:47 AM on May 28, 2008