Was looking to add some sparkle to our acoustic trio's live sound. Years ago we played through Bose 802 III with a sub. I always loved the bright sound, but migrated to active tops and subs. We also wanted to "lighten the load" a bit, so began researching portable column array systems. With $1000 +/- as a budget, compared specs from JBL IRX, Maui 11, EVolve, etc. Also, on-board mixing not important as we wanted to maintain the ability to have seperate monitor mixes when needed. (We use a Tascam 12 or a Mackie 16 as needed).Samson Resound VX8.1 came in with the best specs for the $. 8 drivers vs 6 or 4. 12" sub vs. 8" or 10". Simple inputs. 125/130 SPL. (some sources say 125, some 130). Zzounds beat SW price of $799. 1st use was in local club with approx 150 people in audience. I was concerned that it would be loud enough so I threw a powered JBL IRX112 in the car just in case. The Samson system did an absolutely fantastic job! I don't know if our trio was on fire because we could hear so well (I rotated speakers for 200 degree coverage with system placed stage right in front of band), but we received numerous "best yall have ever sounded" compliments from audience.I think the system not only added some crisp sparkle to our sound, but also some intelligibility to the mix. Sounded like we were playing unplugged, just much louder without being distorted or "too loud". It seems that these systems allow the frequencies to travel much farther without having to boost the output.In summary,… read more I think for an act such as ours, at least, a portable column array is the way to go. In particular, the price point of this system, I can easily add another and not be in over $2000, which is the price of some single units.I think the sound quality is superb, with no member of the band being just satisfied, we were all amazed how great it sounds.This in not a unit to settle for, it is a great choice for top notch sound. I wouldn't play through it again if it wasn't an improvement. The compact nature is certainly a plus, but sound quality is paramount.We will use it again in a week and can give more input then. A little heavier than some, but extremely well made and designed and I feel we bought a premium system, for its class! Pull the trigger! You'll love it, especially if currently using tops/subs......and BTW, the IRX 112 sat alone in the parking lot as it wasn't ever needed. (I understand you can augment with active speaker if needed, just wasn't needed)

Musical Background:
30 years semi-pro acoustic duo/trio/band

Musical Style:
Acoustic rock, Grateful Dead, CSN and sometimes Y, lots of 2 and 3 part harmonies.....blah blah read less