Well at 0 db on the 450 knob that is near 12 oclock (or straight up) I recall, and that should be blowing you out of the room if you had aprox a full line-level signal going into the speaker.

I've just used them a couple of times and with a full signal going into them I had to have the 450 level knob turned down to 9 or 10 oclock, in a smaller place.

The 450 "signal present" light should be on solid almost always with any reasonable signal level going into the box.

The "peak" light should be out and only barely flicker if you are running really loud somewhere that the volume is OK.

Are you using them as the main speakers or as DJ monitors?

Last edited by tvmann on Apr-17-2006 at 04:59

Hey sorry I am a bit confused with your statement, I am using these as main monitors... are you saying I should lower the gain on the speakers to get my 'meters' up?

The speakers should be very loud (probably too loud depending on where you are using them) with the back panel knob at 12 oclock or 0 db and a full signal input. But that 12 oclock setting could be used. Is the "signal present" light on the 450 being lit up fairly steady?

I'd say the signal from your mixer is too low. I don't know why that would be. What kind of mixer is it?

no actually the signal LED is quite low and muttered now that I think about it, its not really solid at all... when its solid it means its going full capacity?

And yea i'm mixing at home

Yes when the speakers are running normally at a good volume (even fairly low) the signal present light should be on solidly. And the light should not be effected by the 450 level knob, according to the manual.

Here is the Mackie manual PDF from their site, in case you don't have a printed one. http://mackie.com/pdf/srm450_om.pdf Page 6 - 9 describes the controls a bit. Maybe you have your mixer output muted or something? Be careful those speakers can really blast! I only had them at full output for a few seconds in my house cuz they're so loud (and clear even at max volume).

Got to go crash now. zzzzzzzz

I get my indicators up to normal level on my mixer, when I literally take the speakers gain down to like -10 db... is this normal?

I have a vestax pcv-275... there are no mute switches and what not so that cant be the problem

So you're saying the volume from the 450s is too low? It should be very audible at 9 or 10 oclock on the 450 knob and extremely loud at 12 oclock if it's being fed a full line-level signal.

I was looking at the PCV-275 manual PDF and it doesn't say a lot about the output jacks - it's a pair of RCAs and a pair of 1/4". Which jacks are you using to feed the 450?

For the 1/4" jacks it does not say if they are balanced (TRS) or unbalanced (TS). I found one place that says the 1/4" is unbalanced TS. That could be important if you're using the 1/4" as there are 2 types of 1/4" outputs - a balanced version that has 3 wires (TRS tip/ring/sleeve on the plug, and unbalanced which is just TS or tip/sleeve. If you're using a cable that has a 1/4" plug on one end and the XLR 3 pin on the other end, the type of 1/4" plug should probably match what the mixer uses.

It could also be a bad cable or maybe the connector is not wired the way the 450s are expecting.

BTW it is possible to run the 450 from RCA outputs, using an RCA-to-XLR adapter but XLR is better for noise avoidance and longer distances.

Maybe you can take your 450s to someone who has a different mixer with a regular XLR 3 pin connector as output and try it there to see how it works. Then you'll know if it's a speaker problem or something related to your mixer or cables.

no it definitely is hella loud at 12oclock, and thats very interesting you mentioned the type of 1/4"... I think the cables may be an issue...

Another thing I noticed is that the meters are always stronger on the left channel and I need to pan right on all tracks, this is a likely sine of faulty cables?

here is an ebay listing of my exact cables

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mogami-2549-XLR...bayphotohosting

Try unplugging the output cables from the mixer and if that makes a difference in the levels shown on the mixer meters or the panning problem goes away then that would indicate something wrong possibly with the cables, or maybe the mixer output circuits. What amp/speaker system and jacks were you using before - did the meters behave more normally then?

To find out what type of 1/4" jack they have used (TS or TRS) you could look in the 1/4" hole with a flashlight and you might be able to see, or open up the mixer case and have a look, although sometimes the jack is in an encapsulated case and you can't easily tell.

Those 1/4" jacks they use in audio are confusing, sometimes you can use a TS plug in a TRS jack (and the reverse) and it works OK. Maybe try to find someone else who has a Vestax PCV-275 mixer and find what output cable they use to connect to an XLR speaker or amplifier.

BTW here's some user notes about the mixer: http://www.harmony-central.com/Synt.../PCV_275-1.html

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Here is how I use the 450 (on rare occasions when I get my hands on them!). Have your mixer outputting at aprox the normal max level just under the pink or red point. The 450 "signal present" light should be solid on. I would set the 450 level knob at about 9 or 10 oclock for practice sessions so it isn't too loud in your house. When you take the system to a bigger party place just raise the 450 knob a little to maybe about 11 oclock and leave it about there for the night. The "peak" light should only rarely blink if at all. You could crank the 450 knob to 12 oclock or 0 db and they can take it and it will be very loud, however just to be easy on them and to increase their life I'd try not to push them that far. But they are tough and will automatically adjust to produce less bass if they get too hot or "peak" too much.

Last edited by tvmann on Apr-18-2006 at 17:07

Hey tv just talked to someone at guitar center, they said its most probably my mixer... and that even if it is an unbalanced port on the mixer for the 1/4" sockets, the balanced cables basically just ignore it...

Last edited by Sound O fTrance on Apr-18-2006 at 19:45