Gear Friday: PA Speakers - Shure SX500's and Grundorf Subs

At the heart of the band is the PA system. That's what people are supposed to hear, but guitar players like to turn up their huge guitar stacks while the bass player turns up his 8x10 cabs and somewhere in there the vocals get lost. If that doesn't happen, what people hear are the PA speakers like they should. This is what I'm currently using.

For low end, I have a pair of dual 18 Grundorf speakers. Not really a well known brand, they're built just over the Missouri River from me in Iowa. That means they show up around here a little more regularly than in other areas of the country. They handle 600 watts continuous each and pack plenty of punch.

On top, I use EV SX500's. The 15" / horn combo provides plenty of highs and is quite efficient. I usually only run 375 Watts to each one, and I have to turn them down a bit to get a decent balance between them and the subs. Those things are amazing workhorses that just don't give up.

So, that's what I run for mains / subs. If they were any taller, I'd have to turn the subs sideways so they would fit below the ceiling in my basement.