There are two phrases which routinely raise flags at first mention, when I’m initially working with a new client – “powered speaker” and “line array”. Having been in this industry for well over 30 years now, it takes a matter of seconds for me to assess a prospective customer’s level of technical knowledge. How many times, has a dialogue begun with ” I need a pair of powered speakers” or “do you rent line arrays?” Of course my initial response is “yes, yes we do!” After further screening, I often come to find that someone’s brother-in-law made this recommendation, or maybe a given manufacturer’s marketing budget was slanted toward that latest greatest product, in the recent DJ magazine. People are often surprised when I say ” Did you realize that powered speakers typically require MORE cabling than unpowered speakers, and are often more complicated to set up? Or perhaps I might respond ” A line array is NOT the right tool for your event”, because as we all know (wink, wink) line arrays have been around since the dawn of pro audio. To the point – forget what you know when shopping for production, and find a company you can trust to provide proper guidance. At Pleasant Valley Audio, we have a reputation for providing quality counsel to our clients and for not overselling. Remember too, knowledge has value. When you shop for a rental vendor, cheap price sometimes means cheap, or poorly maintained product. To further extrapolate on the myth of best, fastest, and cheapest, don’t expect to get premium service and dependable knowledge from the cheapest vendor. Opinions abound, so be careful who’s you listen to.

Audio legend Paul Klipsch was known for wearing a lapel button, which simply said “bull#$&%” !

In closing, watch out for that glossy advertising, and maybe, just maybe….don’t listen to your brother-in-law.