Roland fr8x speaker options

[Stevek]

Hi, would like to get some advice from anyone that owns a Roland fr8x and plays it with speakers. I am looking at buying a speaker or speakers to amplify the sound when I have parties and small functions. If anyone has any good recommendations happy to look at those . I was originally thinking of buying the Bose S1 but unsure on the quality of the sound it would provide. Thanks

 

[Chris Laarman]

Hi, would like to get some advice from anyone that owns a Roland fr8x and plays it with speakers. I am looking at buying a speaker or speakers to amplify the sound when I have parties and small functions. If anyone has any good recommendations happy to look at those . I was originally thinking of buying the Bose S1 but unsure on the quality of the sound it would provide. Thanks

I see several reviews of the Bose S1 [Pro] on YouTube. Did you watch them?

 

[John M]

I have a Bose L1 compact that I use with my FR-8X. I am very satisfied with it. It adds a lot to the quality of sound compared to the internal speakers of the 8X. The bass and 6 treble speaker line array give a fantastic sound. If you like the Hammond B3 organ tones of the 8X, you will also want to get a Neo Microvent 122 that simulates the Chorale/Tremolo of the Leslie 122 rotary speaker. The L1 compact may not be available. The replacement is the Bose L1 Pro 8.

John M.

 

[davidplaysaccordion]

I play a 4x. I just got a Bose S1 Pro for use when playing farmers markets and the like. So far I am very impressed, it certainly helps to boost the bass which is a bit limited with the built in Roland speakers. I opted to get the battery as well so my whole rig is mobile.

 

[Valski]

Hi, would like to get some advice from anyone that owns a Roland fr8x and plays it with speakers. I am looking at buying a speaker or speakers to amplify the sound when I have parties and small functions. If anyone has any good recommendations happy to look at those . I was originally thinking of buying the Bose S1 but unsure on the quality of the sound it would provide. Thanks

The various Bose line aray speaker systems are very popular because they are of high quality. When making a decision to purchase this equipment, you have to decide on its exact purpose. The Roland Fr8x gives you amazing stereo sound and if this is important to you, it may require that you purchase two or your speakers because although they can be connected to a twin system they are mono systems out of the box.

The second consideration is the portability of your gear. How much do you want to carry to each gig? I own a small system that weighs 10kg, plus you have to add another 10kg for stands a mixer etc so I try to leave it at home as much as possible.

Just wanted to give you something to think about.

 

[Ventura]

well there is the slight disconnect that comes from
directional mis-match

but now you have me thinking.. i mean for small intimate settings where
you REALLY only need some Bass Boost (which is non-directional)

i am going to experiment using JUST a subwoofer at minimal volume
with a Roland and see how it feels as i stroll as compared to a small, handy
PA system (a tiny Samson) or modern battery powered luggage cart
style Block Rocker

 

[Chris Laarman]

(second reaction)

Me, I have two Behringer PK110A. I do like them. They compare to the Bose S1 Pro in dimensions, but they feature one 10" woofer and one 1" tweeter, as opposed to one 6" woofer and 3* 2.225" tweeters, and they are much cheaper. The frequency band of the Behringer seems better than the Bose's, but that may be a matter of presentation.

Note: I don't have an FR-8x. I have an FR-1xb, but I bought the speakers for general use with my gear. They had me drop my wish for a dedicated bass amp.

 

[JerryPH]

You won't get a bad comment about anything Bose, but what you did not mention is how big of an area you want to fill with sound and what your budget is.

I use a pair of Bose 802-E off a 450 watt amp and can power it to play small festival sized areas. I also have a Roland Jazz-Chorus 160 wattt amp that is more than big enough for restaurant sized areas.

Did you know that there is a setting in the 8X that boosts the power from 25 watt to 50 watt output?

 

[Pbraido]

A pair of Roland KC 300s work great for me and when only playing a smaller venue 1 works well.

 

[Stevek]

I see several reviews of the Bose S1 [Pro] on YouTube. Did you watch them?

Hi Chris, yes found quite a few reviews on the speaker itself, but nothing when paired with a digital accordion . Everyone here has provided some great insight into what they use at the moment , so I will look into these options

 

[Stevek]

(second reaction)

Me, I have two Behringer PK110A. I do like them. They compare to the Bose S1 Pro in dimensions, but they feature one 10" woofer and one 1" tweeter, as opposed to one 6" woofer and 3* 2.225" tweeters, and they are much cheaper. The frequency band of the Behringer seems better than the Bose's, but that may be a matter of presentation.

Note: I don't have an FR-8x. I have an FR-1xb, but I bought the speakers for general use with my gear. They had me drop my wish for a dedicated bass amp.

thanks I will definitely look at these

 

[Stevek]

The various Bose line aray speaker systems are very popular because they are of high quality. When making a decision to purchase this equipment, you have to decide on its exact purpose. The Roland Fr8x gives you amazing stereo sound and if this is important to you, it may require that you purchase two or your speakers because although they can be connected to a twin system they are mono systems out of the box.

The second consideration is the portability of your gear. How much do you want to carry to each gig? I own a small system that weighs 10kg, plus you have to add another 10kg for stands a mixer etc so I try to leave it at home as much as possible.

Just wanted to give you something to think about.

Thanks Valski I will definitely keep that in mind, the Bose S1 pro as a pair might be a great option based on the size and weight of them

 

[Stevek]

I have a Bose L1 compact that I use with my FR-8X. I am very satisfied with it. It adds a lot to the quality of sound compared to the internal speakers of the 8X. The bass and 6 treble speaker line array give a fantastic sound. If you like the Hammond B3 organ tones of the 8X, you will also want to get a Neo Microvent 122 that simulates the Chorale/Tremolo of the Leslie 122 rotary speaker. The L1 compact may not be available. The replacement is the Bose L1 Pro 8.

John M.

thanks John will definitely test out the L1 pro 8 and compare against the S1

 

[JerryPH]

More important, what is the use case for you? How big an area do you want to fill and what is your budget?

 

[Thomas N]

Single QSC K10. Love it.

 

[JerryPH]

My friend Ed (a member here), has a Bugari EVO and sends his sound through a mixer in to a 1,000 watt Mackie Thump powered speaker... I bet that thing gives really good sound too.

I'm still curious as to what the OP's needs are.

 

[Stevek]

More important, what is the use case for you? How big an area do you want to fill and what is your budget?

It will mainly used for small venues and people that have their parties at home , probably between 50-100 people at the most

 

[JerryPH]

It will mainly used for small venues and people that have their parties at home , probably between 50-100 people at the most

Are you looking for a stereo image or mono? If stereo is not important a single speaker setup may be better for you than 2. Example, I always preferred a stereo image, but my friend Ed prefers a single speaker setup.

Venue type and accessibility also plays a role. If you are on a small stage and there is a fixed listening/dancing area, I feel the stereo setup will sound better if properly set up, but if you are in a restaurant where you kind of move from area to area and there is no real fixed performance area, mono is the way to go, one could even potentially have sound in more than 1 area set up.

In terms of flexibility, a stereo setup can be made in to 1 or 2 mono setups, but a mono setup cannot be made in to a stereo set up.

 

[Keymn]

A good mixer is what you need to start with. But stay away from digital mixers and go with the simple analog type. I purchased these and they give a warm tone as an accordion should sound. Then as far as powered speakers, if you have like a Bose L1, set the EQ preset to off…use the Mixer EQ only in the routing…no need for notebook 12fx, but always good to have extra inputs…I was so satisfied with these, that a purchased a second one to use at home, other for gigging…

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Shown here is my accordion setting on channel 1…but may be different depending on powered speakers. Always a good rule is to use EQ to a minimal…but there is no right/wrong way, your ears will make the final judgement…

 

[JerryPH]

A good mixer is what you need to start with. But stay away from digital mixers and go with the simple analog type.

For most people (non-professional or less stringent needs), I would agree... but I would not get rid of my digital mixer for any amount of money... it had flexibility and options that analog did not have that I took advantage of when I was playing at that festival this past summer. I

If I was given more time to set up, I would have plopped down a camera in the audience and recorded my performance on the mixer and synched the 2 together for much nicer videos... thats something that you cannot do with pure analog mixers. I also used a lot of the effects (digital EQ, gates, limiters and reverb). It makes a big positive difference. It also helped that I bought mine pre-Covid and on sale.

If you want to do things like do recordings of yourself or have the convenience of going from venue to venue and just change a "scene" setting so that you don't need to take the time again to go through all the settings, have pre-sets for the accordion, arranger, voice, etc... and so much more, then this is really a waste of money... but every time I use it, I find a feature that adds to my user experience, for me, it is worth it.

If you don't need those things, then its a big chunk of money to put down on things that you do not use.