How to set up your Podium Pro Audio Speaker Stands

Scott our technician has recently received multiple calls with buyers struggling to properly set up their speaker stands. In response to this Scott made a video detailing the best way to set your speaker stands. Let's watch...

Crown XTi Series Review

  Whenever you think of professional grade power amps for large concert style PA systems, the name Crown immediately comes to mind, and for good reason. Crown has been making “tried and true” amplifiers since the late 50’s, which has established Crown as one of the leaders in audio electronics. Well a lot has changed in the past 60 years, especially in regards to music technology, but one thing has remained constant and that is Crown’s ability to harness new technologies to provide a quality power amp for just about any audio application big or small. Crown designs several different series of amps; each series usually incorporates 4 different models that offer various power levels but house the same great features. This way there is sure to be a Crown amplifier that fits your needs and budget.

  One of the newer series that offers this great versatility and some staple features that Crown is known for, is the XTi series. Available in a 1000, 2000, 4000, and a 6000 this particular line offers great functions like integrated DSP that allows you to quickly and easily configure crossovers, EQ, limiting and delay, along with tools like a pink noise generator, subharmonic synthesizer, and universal tracking switch-mode power supply, which reduces power draw and waste heat. And as the first line of Crown amps to use Icepak™ thermal modeling software, they are at the top of their class when it comes to thermal efficiency and lightweight portability.

Here is a breakdown of the key features that the Crown XTi series amp offers:

 

•Integrated speaker presets with LCD front panel display

• Accurate, uncolored sound with very low distortion for the best in music and voice reproduction

• Advanced protection circuitry guards against: shorted output, open circuits,  DC,  mis-matched loads, general overheating, high-frequency overloads and internal faults

• Extremely versatile, handling a wide range of speaker impedances and outputs

• Switch-mode universal power supply

• Speaker presets for crossover frequencies, EQ, limiting, and delay

• All products fill 2U rack spaces and weigh under 19 lb (24 lb for XTi 6000); weight sets a new standard in lightweight amps

• Speakon® and binding post outputs, XLR inputs and loop-thrus

• Comprehensive LED status per channel

  With features and functionality like these, the XTi series proves once again that Crown is king when it comes to making great quality amplifiers and sound reinforcement products. Check out the XTi series today to find one that fits your needs! OnlyFactoryDirect.com offers free shipping and a 30-day Money Back "No Hassle" Guarantee.

Support A Small Business Sale

Support A 
Small Business Sale

To show you our appreciation for supporting a small business like us, we made three very special offers just for you. Four days only starting Thanksgiving through midnight Cyber Monday.

Choose from three items for only $29.99

In Ceiling 5.25" Speakers

 

Theater Solutions Pair of In-Ceiling 5.25" TS50C Speakers are smaller affordable speakers for your whole house audio installation. Theater Solution's new TS50C line of in-ceiling speakers can handle 200 watts RMS per pair and 400 watts Max per pair. You don't need an expensive amplifier to power these speakers, they are highly efficient and don't let the price fool you. These in-ceiling speakers are constructed with a woven kevlar cone and a 6db crossover to deliver clear pleasing audio. These little guys deliver quality sound while staying soft on your pocket book. Theater Solutions in-ceiling 5.25" speakers, the perfect choice for your multi-room installation. 

 

 

Computer Speakers 2.1 System

New 2.1 Computer Multimedia Speaker System is compatible with PCs, Laptops, DVD players, Mp3 players, Televisions, and Gaming Consoles

• 200 Watts RMS System Power
• Built in USB memory device input and SD card Player
• Mobile and Modern Design
• Professionally designed built-in amplifier, subwoofer, and 2 satellite speakers

Sycho Sound Car Amplifier  

   

click image for user reviews 

This SY2K is a high performance two channel amplifier will rock your vehicle all day and all night long. 

• Sycho Sound SY2K 500 Watt Amplifier
• Dynamic Power 500 Watts Max
• Class A/B MOSFET Amplifier
• 50 Watts RMS x 2 channels at 4 ohms (bridged) and <1% THD+

 

 

Have an iPhone 4s - Here Is A Gadget You Need

Scott shares some great tips using his SendStation with his new iPhone 4s. Check it out!



Visit OnlyFactoryDirect.com to buy this item.

STELLAService Awards “EXCELLENT” Rating To OnlyFactoryDirect.com

OnlyFactoryDirect.com an on-line audio and speaker store receives recognition for providing top-rated customer service.

OnlyFactoryDirect.com, a leading supplier of home audio and pro audio speakers and accessories, has been awarded an EXCELLENT rating by STELLAService, a company dedicated to publishing objective, in-depth ratings on the customer service performance of online businesses. STELLAService assesses Internet retailers across three main areas: 1) online user experience; 2) shipping and returns; and 3) live customer support. STELLAServices reports that less than half of the thousands of companies they rate pass their meticulous rating  process.

OnlyFactoryDirect.com’s owner Mike Lewis comments, “I am so proud of our OnlyFactoryDirect team; from the day we launched OnlyFactoryDirect.com we focused our energy and efforts on customer service. We lead the way years ago with Free Shipping and our “No Hassle” return policy. We have made decisions at every turn based on how it will impact the customer experience, receiving an EXCELLENT rating from STELLAService, is a direct reflection of our commitment to our customers.”

John Ernsberger, Co-founder of STELLAService comments, “Everyone claims to have world-class customer service,” he continues, “through our comprehensive and objective evaluations of each site’s customer service performance; we’re able to cut through the noise and uncover which sites are truly delivering the best online customer experience. We are excited to highlight leading e-retailers when it comes to customer service while also providing online shoppers with direction to the best sites in each product category.”

Online electronics is one of the fastest growing categories for e-retailers. Forester Research predicts that online purchasing will grow to a staggering 250 Billion by 2014. One of the top product categories that represent more than 44% of those online sales are consumer electronics. Sasha Letourneau, Director of Sales & Marketing for OnlyFactoryDirect.com explains, “Research shows that people are more e-commerce savvy and surprisingly enough, customer satisfaction of online shopping has been rated much higher recently.” Forrester reports that 82% of those who end up buying online are satisfied vs. only 61% who walk in to a physical store during their purchasing cycle. “I believe most consumers are on a tighter budget and realize that brick and mortar stores have more overhead, so their prices are higher and frankly many times it’s difficult to find a human that is an authority on the item you are interested in.” She continues, “It is the perfect timing for a company like STELLAServices to help consumers navigate all the online retailers to find the best product at the best price, with the best customer service. We are very pleased to wear the seal of EXCELLENCE.”

About OnlyFactoryDirect.com

OnlyFactoryDirect.com is an online retailer of home audio and pro audio goods. OnlyFactoryDirect.com offers a 30-day “No Hassle” Guarantee and Free Shipping to the 48 continental states. They will send a pre-paid shipping label and offer you a full refund if you are not satisfied with your audio purchase. An audio technician is available M-F 8am-4pm PST or Chat Live online Tues-Sat.

User Review of Technical Pro Urec5

My name is Shawn C and I’m a front-of-house engineer as well as an active musician near Toronto, Canada.

I had a need to record live performances as well as rehearsals and was looking for a simple solution that I could mount in my road case and connect directly to my mixer. I happened across the Technical Pro Urec5  and it looked to do what I needed done.

 

To be quite honest, I was concerned about the fact that there wasn’t any online user reviews or content about the Urec5 unit. And, the price made me second guess my interest in the product, too– was this studio grade quality? Is it as good as $250 solution or even a $500 solution? After using it for a month or so I say to you, YES to all.  

Upon opening the package and setting it up I was surprised to find out that I had to use an SD card that was less than 4Gb in size. I picked up a 2Gb card at the local Staples wondering if I should pick up another.  THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE! You can record hours and hours of content on this thing with files automatically converted directly to MP3.  For editing, I drag them off the card and drop them directly onto a track in my audio workstation software (Cubase).  The quality is clean with little to no noise.  I get EXACTLY what the mixer is feeding it. 

 

So, where’s the catch? Where’s the ‘it’s not as good as a costlier solution’?

There is no catch. It is what it is.  And, considering no real mechanical parts are required with record-to-chip-memory technology, then one shouldn’t expect a lot in terms of mass.

This is a simple device: record and playback.  There is no search or scrubber capability which means you have to move through a list of recordings one by one and play a song back from the beginning to find something in the middle. Is this a big problem? Not, really but, it’s inconvenient at times, especially during rehearsals where you want to listen back to a particular area of interest.  Too, you can plug a USB drive into the device, as well as the SD chip, and play music during set-breaks which is a big plus rather than having to hang your IPOD off your rig or consume two channels on your mixer for your IPOD.

Operationally, you set the Urec5 device to ‘record’ mode; press the record ‘arm’ button and then press the ‘go’ button.  To play back you disarm it, set to ‘play mode’ and press ‘play’.  The device has its own EQ and volume control so sending it back through your mixer’s TAPE IN saves you from having to consume mixer channels.

As far as construction goes, the container is adequate but I’d be concerned about placing something heavy on top of it.  It works well in a rack situation which, reminds me: the rack ears are packaged separately inside of the Styrofoam supports  so LOCATE THESE FIRST BEFORE TOSSING OUT.  The front panel is solid and there’s a substantial tactile presence to the buttons and knobs.  There’s no ‘click’, per se, when the SD card goes in – it just gets to the point where it won’t go any further so don’t force it.

With respects to connectivity there are both RCA and ¼ unbalanced connections going in and out of the box.  I feed to the UREC from my TAPE OUT and return through the TAPE IN connections on the mixer.  I’ve also sent a feed from the ¼ out (concurrently to the RCA outs, btw) to an M-Audio digital interface which worked well providing you didn’t jiggle the cables which caused a bit of noise. 

Remember, too, that this device will probably be fed from a mixer with just enough output to power a set of headphones.  This will not be the same sound that people hear in the venue you’re playing into.  The fact is your choice of PA drivers, speakers, subs and cabinets all affect the color and tonality of your end-sound.  So, what comes out of the mixer may lack a degree of personality that those other components provide.  Like I said, you get what ever your mixer gives. 

Yes, I’d buy another. Yes, I’d recommend this to a family member. And, Yes, I’d buy from Only Factory Direct again.

permission to republish from Shawn C. for OnlyFactoryDirect.com only

Get a Free Speaker Bag With Any SRM450v2 or SRM350v2

Mackie pushing to finish a strong 3rd Quarter has announced a rebate program for their top selling SRMv2 series active speakers. The SRM series has been a decade long staple for Mackie, recently Mackie re-engineered the series and released the new SRMv2 Series. Mackie’s newly designed SRMv2 Series received rave reviews from their critics, recognizing the sophisticated electronics, featuring separate Linkwitz-Reilly 24dB-per-octave crossover circuits for the LF woofer and HF compression driver. The SRMv2’s electronic crossover circuitry effectively splits input signal frequencies into highs and lows for the transducers, and eliminates unwanted phasing issues. Also, the new Class-D with servo feedback fast recovery amplifier gives the SRM45v2 and SRM350v2  more power (300 W), and pair that with a second Class AB amp (100 W) that drives the new 1.75” high frequency titanium dome compression driver connected to a multi-cell horn and you get more clarity and punch than ever before.

Mackie is offering a Free speaker bag with any purchase of a SRM450v2 or SRM350v2 from an authorized dealer now through October 15th, 2011. Rebate forms are available at OnlyFactoryDirect.com or Mackie.com and must be submitted with receipt by October 31st, 2011. See rebate form for specific details.