Are 10'' monitors loud enough

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Jun 17, 2012
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I'm putting together a PA system for my band. I already have the mains, now I need monitors (the band is not ready to go to IEMs yet). My question is, I would like to get 10" monitors to keep price down and an easier load in and out. However, it seems like most monitors are 12". Our stage volume isn't too loud. Would 10's be enough. Thanks
 
I'm putting together a PA system for my band. I already have the mains, now I need monitors (the band is not ready to go to IEMs yet). My question is, I would like to get 10" monitors to keep price down and an easier load in and out. However, it seems like most monitors are 12". Our stage volume isn't too loud. Would 10's be enough. Thanks
Depends on the monitor. I have some Yamaha dxr10s that are plenty loud. According to the spec they have a max SPL of 131 compared to 132for the 12 inch version.
 
as long as they aren´t broken, monitors 8" and above should be plenty loud in any case. Except if you´re Motörhead.
The question is: how susceptible to feedback are they? That´s what makes good and bad monitors
 
Pretty much what modulusman said. If the 10s are something like Yamaha DXR10s or QSC K10s then absolutely no problem as monitors. If they're Kustoms or Harbingers you're going to stuggle to hear yourselves.
I'd actually love a set of DXR10s as monitors myself. Plenty loud and extremely light.
 
Put the monitors closer to your ears, then they are louder.
This ^

I have taken that to it's logical limit and gone to IEMs after decades of struggling to hear floor monitors, no way am I ever going back. Even cheap IEMs outperform (by a large margin) any floor monitors that I have ever used.

Not for everyone I know but worth thinking about.

(IMO but YMMV of course)
 
Unless you are in the quietest band imaginable, and they are super high quality monitors..... you're not gonna be happy with em.
 
The most important question is this.

What will you be running through them?

If the drummer uses one and wants kick drum in his monitor, and you use one and want bass in it, probably not for regular consumer grade stuff. If vocals and acoustic is about what you will be doing with them pretty much any mid priced 10" will he fine.
 
I think the key is your stage volumes aren't too loud.

I have both a QSC-K10, and a lighter cheaper DBR-10, once I got the DBR-10 it became my main on-stage monitor, 10 lbs lighter than the K10, and 129db spl. Buy from a store with a nice return policy, dare I say GC's 45-day return policy is fantastic.
 
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Guess you just can't refrain from being a dick.
No just have real world experience with better PA gear than you have ever used. IMO the DXR10 is the best speaker in its price range available. On pro sound web their is a thread doing a speaker shootout and the reviewers said that they were really surprised how good they were for the money. They were comparing them to speakers that cost about twice as much.
I have some EAW powered speakers that consist of a 15 and a horn. When doing a side by side comparison the DXR10 had more bass response when in FOH mode than the EAW. The EAW cost 5 times as much.
 
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