Picked up a powered speaker for my hd500x

[Bmicona]

So GC had their big sale so I grabbed a V2212 from their house brand Harbinger. It's a 600w peak, 180w RMS class D.

 

Just curious what settings you guys use on your pods for using a powered speaker. I set the output to studio/direct so I can use the cab tones and am using a balanced out into the speaker. I selected mic level on the speaker. 

 

Problem is, anywhere close to "loud" the input stage clipping LED lights up. 

 

Do I have something wrong? I realize that 180w and class D aren't the most amazing specs but I should be able to crank it up, right?

[pianoguyy]

clipping involves input, not output. 

Turn your Pod down, turn the amp up. 

[Bmicona]

Doing that doesn't give me enough volume to make it worth it. I tried turning the master nearly all the way down on the pod and raising the master on the speaker and it just wasn't loud enough. (Sweeping volume levels on both pod and speaker to see if I could get a combo that worked)

 

I'm not planning on using it as a reference monitor live, but I know that tons of users go direct to FOH and have a powered speaker as a monitor on stage. I can't get anywhere close to that amount of volume.

 

Maybe it's just a cheap not very good speaker. :/

[codamedia]

I wouldn't expect that powered cabinet to have an abundance of power, but it should have enough to keep up in most situations. 

 

18 hours ago, Bmicona said:

and am using a balanced out into the speaker. I selected mic level on the speaker. 

 

The balanced out on the HD500 is suppose to be mic level, so that selection should be correct. 

 

Set the input gain on the speaker so it never clips no matter how high you turn up the HD500. Then run the MASTER VOLUME on the speaker at FULL and use the volume on the HD500 to adjust how loud it is.

 

There should be enough power there without clipping. 

[Bmicona]

Ok I'll give it a shot diming out the master on the speaker tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

At least I know I'm not hooking it up wrong. Worst case I return the speaker, and the search for the next deal continues.

[cruisinon2]

Don't want to start an ugly war of words here, but imho, red-lining the master volume on any powered speaker is a universally bad idea, for one very simple reason... it's WAY too easy to screw up and inadvertently crank the input stage volume, too. Next thing you know, BOOM!...you've earned yourself a free one-way trip to Blown Speaker, Wisconsin. Big, low-torque knobs get nudged easily. All it will take is for the a cable getting caught around the POD'S master volume knob while moving around on stage, or some drunk fiddling with your gear between sets. 

[codamedia]

12 hours ago, cruisinon2 said:

Don't want to start an ugly war of words here, but imho, red-lining the master volume on any powered speaker is a universally bad idea, for one very simple reason... it's WAY too easy to screw up and inadvertently crank the input stage volume, too. Next thing you know, BOOM!...you've earned yourself a free one-way trip to Blown Speaker, Wisconsin. Big, low-torque knobs get nudged easily. All it will take is for the a cable getting caught around the POD'S master volume knob while moving around on stage, or some drunk fiddling with your gear between sets. 

 

OK... maybe I'm confident that I will never blow up my gear... and a drunk will not have the chance to...  but I see your point.

 

OP: Let me rephrase how to get your product loud enough (if it is capable). You never want to clip the input stage... so you need to make sure that is set to a safe limit.

• Turn the master all the way off for now so you don't damage your hearing or your speaker.
• Turn the HD500 all the way up... then adjust the input gain on the speaker until the clip light shows...then back it off a couple of notches and make note of the setting. This will give you full play on the HD500 volume if needed. You can turn the volume on the HD500 down if you want, but turning it all the way up should NEVER clip the input of the speaker.
• Now turn up the master on the speaker until it is loud enough. Don't be bothered if you think you have to turn it up to high... it doesn't do you any good if you can't hear it.

 

[pianoguyy]

But the goal is to find the "happy medium". 

We already know he can't turn up the Pod. So the alternative is to turn up the speaker. 

 

[Bmicona]

Hey thanks everybody for throwing their 2 cents in.

 

I've tried every combo of knob turns and switches, xlr cables, 1/4, line level, mic level. 

 

Meh. Still clips the speaker.

 

It's going back. 

 

But if one thing came from this experience, it's that I do really like the sound that I got out of it. It just wasn't loud enough with this particular speaker. You get what you pay for.

 

Thanks again everyone.

[JTSC777]

Harbinger stuff is not made for this application. Altos are ok.I use 2 QSC K10.2s .Beautiful speakers and worth every cent I paid for them.One used K8 will kill that Harbinger dead.