Low volume, stereo amplification

[dansnord]

Hi, I have read a large number of threads on here about amplification. I have very modest needs I'm trying to fill right now. I simply want excellent, low-volume sound in an acoustic environment. And lightweight is good too! I'm only playing in friends' living rooms with acoustic guitars. No mics. 80% of what I play will be Stage 3 pianos. Volume is simply not an issue. But I'm completely distracted (snobbishly so!) by bad sound. I do not want to compromise on the quality of sound. In summary, this is what I feel like I'm hearing from folks on this board:

1) The SpaceStation v.3 is intriguing, and something that can/might work. But it requires lots of tweaking and correct placement. Not necessarily the simplest setup even though it's one box. My question: In a living room, is there enough room for the v.3 to "breathe" and sound good? I would imagine it would be placed right behind me.

2) The consensus here is that a pair of CP8s should sound very good, and what I'm leaning towards simply due to price, size and my needs. But is "very good", good enough? Or should I bite the bullet (and the Advil for my back) and step up to a pair of...

3) K8.2. Universally discussed as the gold standard, within financial reason. But they're bigger, heavier and much more expensive. If I start playing in a band, and need the volume, I would not hesitate to buy them. But right now, I feel like it's a lot to pay for something that I currently will underutilize.

I guess the question boils down to this: at low volume will the CP8 sound good enough? Or do the K8.2s sound so much better, even at low volume, that I should buy them just because of their sound quality, and forget about wasting 80% of those 2,000 watts? Is there some other, smaller, cheaper solution for my needs right now? I'm happy to buy the K8.2 in the future, when in a band, but for now, it's a big expense for jamming in the living room with friends and their acoustic guitars!

Thanks, as always, for the excellent advice!

[wtibbit]

I have a SpaceStation XL and it is perfect for stage use, or non-stage applications where you can place the amp more than 6 to 8 feet away from your ears. The smaller SpaceStation will work fine for piano. Placement is important, but it's not hard to find the best spot and orientation; frequently the best location is in a corner, with the front of the amp facing that corner. I've sometimes found it best to lay my XL on its side, turned to the back wall of the stage and tipped up to point at the top of the wall. I've spent just as much time positioning and tweaking a pair of QSC speakers as I have spent setting up my Spacestation. It's not more difficult,it's just different.

If you don't have the room for a SpaceStation, I'd suggest a good pair of near-field monitors that would be suitable for a small recording studio/control room. Placement is still important and you might find that placing them on the floor (tilted or on their backs) under the piano will give you the best sound at the piano, somewhat similar to the presence of an acoustic piano. Such monitors would likely not work as the main sound for even a small performance venue, but they would continue be very useful for many purposes at home.

[cphollis]

For what it's worth?

If you are playing at living room volumes with acoustic guitars, singers, etc. I would offer that all three of your choices are overkill. APs are a pain on the SSv3. You *might* be able to tell the difference between K8.2 and CP8 at low volumes.

Instead, I would strongly consider something designed for living rooms -- sound bars! There are nice, battery-powered units with impressive sound quality and range, limited only by your budget

[anotherscott]

As cphollis indicated, SSv3's weakest area is piano (though it can sound fine with some EQ). Powered PA speakers like the K8.2 are good, but their real strength this in throw distance and volume. If you don't need those things, you can probably get better sound quality for less money. I haven't heard the CP8, but it is again about being able to keep up with an electric band at a gig, which you don't need. In that lower price range, I'd go for the EV ZXa1, or even the Alto TS408, but again, if I'm not playing with live drums and electric guitar, I'm not sure any speaker with a horn is really what I'd want. I'd look at things like the JBL 305P MkII, or even the iLoud Micro Monitors.

[ajstan]

If you were setting up in a fixed spot in your home and friends were coming to your house, then the JBL 305P MkII would be great for monitoring and to work with other musicians in close proximity. If you position them correctly and adjust the boundary EQ and High Frequency Trim to fit the room, they can sound very good.

Since you're traveling to friends' living rooms, you probably want something that doesn't need a stand, sounds good at lower volume, doesn't have the hiss or fan noise you may get with PA speakers, and is quick to set up. I would suggest a pair of Bose S1 Pro speakers. They sound good at lower volumes and can be used for acoustic gigs in smaller rooms. For living room jamming, you can set them on the floor and tilt them back, and if you charge them beforehand, you won't even have to run power cords. There are additional inputs if you ever want to add a microphone for a singer, and Bluetooth if you want to stream music to play along to. Plus, they are easy to use individually or as a pair on the deck, around the campfire, or as the sound system for a party.

[dansnord]

The S1 Pro is seeming better and better to me. They are in stock nearby with generous return policy. I should probably give a pair a try. While I don't need the battery, I guess I can see how that makes things easier sometimes. But would the CP8 be a better fit if I truly don't care about the battery in the S1? Or does the wider dispersion of the S1 make it more ideal? Thanks again for the input.

[DJKeys]

In my opinion, the SSv3 is not good for acoustic piano at all. It is possible to get an acceptable sound, but since you are doing mostly piano, I would rule this one out. I agree with cphollis that either the CP8 or K8.2 is really overkill for a living room situation. The difference in wattage won't matter at such a low volume, but the CP8 is 6 pounds lighter than the K8.2. I think the new Alto TS408 would be a good choice, very inexpensive and you could use them in a band situation as well. The studio monitor route is also a good option, and maybe something you could set up and leave at your friends house. Moving them around a lot is kind of a pain, as they have no handles.

Of all those choices, I think the Alto is the best choice, and only $289-

-dj

[dansnord]

Just another data point: last night we played in at my friend's house (living room) and I used her son's pair of JBL 306P MkII. I thought it sounded pretty bad. Could have been placement. They were on the floor, angled steeply up, on either side of me. A couple of times I swore my Stage 3 was out of tune. I was hearing some odd overtones on the bass piano notes that sounded terrible. I would really like something better sounding than that setup. Would the difference in function of the TS408 (studio monitor vs. more general use powered speaker) improve the sound vs the JBL? They sell them on Amazon with free returns so I can try them and find out!

[DJKeys]

Nearfield Studio monitors are not designed to be put on the floor. They are made to be ear level in a triangle facing your head, a few feet away at most. I could imagine they would not sound good in that situation.

-dj

[dansnord]

Nearfield Studio monitors are not designed to be put on the floor. They are made to be ear level in a triangle facing your head, a few feet away at most. I could imagine they would not sound good in that situation.

-dj

Yes, I completely understand that. That's why I'm hoping that more purpose-built speaker like the TS408 will hopefully sound better than those JBLs even though they seem to be in a similar price point. Really the only question now is, would the CP8 be better in this situation than the TS408, or would it be a wash given the low-volume needs?