The Respondents
Who participated in this study
Primary Role
57%
FOH Eng
Experience
55%
20+ Yrs
Shows Per Year
52%
100+
Key Findings
94%
...cite sound quality as a top-three consideration when recommending systems.
91%
...say personal hands-on experience most influences their decisions.
88%
...regularly work with multiple PA brands.
94%
...cite sound quality as a top-three consideration when recommending systems.
53%
...rate compatibility as very or extremely important.
43%
...say compatibility sometimes overrides other considerations.
Decision Triggers & Priorities
What drives recommendations and specification decisions
What would be the main three considerations when recommending or specifying a mid-sized PA system?
How important is compatibility with equipment you regularly work with?
Does compatibility ever override other considerations such as sound quality or features?
91%
...say personal hands-on experience most influences their decisions.
66%
...first hear about new systems via peer recommendations.
80%
...prioritise technical suitability when recommending to clients.
Influence & Awareness
How professionals discover and evaluate new systems
Which three factors most influence your system decisions?
How do you typically first encounter or become aware of new system options?
How has your primary source of awareness changed over the past five years?
How much does client or end-user brand recognition influence your choice?
Are there specific rider or specification requirements that directly influence which systems you specify?
What proportion of your projects do clients rely primarily on your technical recommendation?
When recommending a system to clients without predetermined requirements, what factors most influence your choice?
88%
...regularly work with multiple PA brands.
91%
...cite sound quality as a top benefit of their preferred system.
59%
...would switch brands over significant reliability issues.
Your Current System
Multi-brand strategies, system benefits and limitations
Do you regularly work with or recommend systems from multiple manufacturers?
What are the top three benefits of your preferred system?
What limitations or compromises do you accept with your preferred system?
Price / Cost (14 responses)
"Price. But you pay for what you get. Weight. But hey there's local crew."
"Constant price hikes."
"Prices always on the rise."
"The value for money factor is a gap that's closing. Other manufacturers are improving their performance without as great a price premium being attached."
"Client budget!!"
"Price. As long as the quality is good."
"Affordability."
"Budget and logistics."
"End price and easy handling."
Software / Prediction Tools (10 responses)
"It is not possible to see / adjust frequency response in d&b ArrayCalc - the only way to see it is to array process. Easier to predict frequency response in L-Acoustics."
"The control software on L-Acoustics leaves a lot to be desired. I love the PA, but I hate that I need a laptop with it and Network Manager is a very limited program."
"All software has major room for improvement."
"Poor software ecosystem."
"Have a better prediction and design software."
"The User Interface."
"Different for different brands - some the software is lacking, some the software is relied upon too much. Most the hardware is good these days."
"Not up to par with current systems from competitors. Still very good, but they need to catch up quickly."
Weight / Handling / Size (8 responses)
"Weight of kit."
"The weight of the system, but sometimes there's no room to play with that."
"System size."
"Size/power, speed to setup."
"Certain requirements for cabling instead of wireless capabilities. Difficult for transportation."
"None that's why I prefer it but they can always be improved - sonic performance, weight and size."
Training / Support / Service (7 responses)
"Lack of local support / service / maintenance of gear."
"Not enough local access and quality deployment options due to lack of training and development options in my region."
"Access to official training and form factor of certain amps."
"Training of people to listen and not look at screens."
"More product line to service specific needs."
Rigging / Infrastructure (4 responses)
"NEXO being a primary, they have a very unfortunate proprietary take towards amping their PA. Not always but typically a NEXO PA won't be, or be at all, as performative without a matching NEXO amp for passive installations."
"Single pick point calculation inaccuracies."
"Infrastructure is sometimes over complicated but I know they're working on how to package future systems."
"I wish manufacturers would design specific front of stage lip fills - instead we usually use a smaller line array box from the same manufacturer, which is okay, but invariably they need to be chocked up."
Availability / Spare Parts (3 responses)
"Availability globally."
"Weight and low availability/high cost of spare parts."
"Using different models within a brand of my preferred is unavailable."
Sound Quality / Deployment (3 responses)
"The results are highly dependent on the SE and/or deployment. The rig can sound amazing in one venue and then be 'ok' in another. Properly deployed, however, and it's fantastic every time."
"I would reduce box density, but not at the expense of sonic integrity."
"Sound quality."
Other (7 responses)
"Always reliability."
"Change in distribution means B2B supplies are no longer possible, creating significant specification problems."
"Load bearing of the venue, cause I'd just bring more stuff."
"Cable patch locks via tie line locks. Update notifications."
"Ease of use/setup speed."
None / Minimal (8 responses)
"None. Otherwise, I wouldn't use it. No system is perfect."
"I generally don't feel in any way limited or compromised."
"Not a lot."
"Non-critical, minor nuances only."
Under what circumstances would you consider changing from your preferred brand?
How important is access to demos in your evaluation process?
66%
...would attend more training at convenient locations.
64%
...stay informed via manufacturer email newsletters.
73%
...rate communication as good or excellent.
Support & Service Expectations
Expectations for manufacturer support and training
How frequently do you attend manufacturer training?
What would make you more likely to participate in manufacturer training?
How do you currently stay informed about firmware updates and product developments?
Is this communication adequate for your needs?
67%
...say software quality is critical or very important.
72%
...prioritise prediction and simulation accuracy.
91%
...say tool quality impacts their perception of the brand.
Software & Tools
The role of prediction software and design tools