u/AttackHelikopteer

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on buying PA speakers for a small band setup.

We don’t use modelers or in-ears — everything is pretty traditional:

• vocals through mics
• guitar amps mic’d up
• drums acoustically

We’re also planning to eventually mic basically everything (full band through PA), so we want something that can handle that direction long-term.

We need something mainly for:

• band rehearsals
• small gigs (clubs / small venues, backyard gigs ~100 people)
• clear vocal projection over a loud full band mix

Right now the main problem is that vocals often don’t cut through the band properly during rehearsals, so we’re already running into balance issues with what we have.

Budget is limited, so I’m mainly looking at used gear.

So far I’ve seen things like:

• Alto TS212
• EV ZLX-12P
• Behringer / other budget active speakers

What would you recommend in this price range?
Is it better to go for cheaper active speakers or save for something like EV / Yamaha / RCF?

Also: 12” vs 15” — what makes more sense for vocals in a band context?

Any real-world experience would be really appreciated.

Thanks!