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I have a regular gig that will have 10-40 people in the audience some times out in a field and sometimes in a dining hall. We are doing acoustic music, background mostly during dinner but often folks start dancing later in the evening and we turn up.
My existing powered mains (QSC k10.1) tend to sound to loud in some spots and not loud enough in others.
I want to build something that will go on a pole and give me a better spread. I am thinking line arrays? But in the picture it looks like the drivers in the SLA Pro are all on the same face? What wo Would the Omni 8s be better dispersion ? Would it be advisable to alter the SLA pro with some angled shims where the drivers bolt in so they are not pointing in the same horizontal direction? I have used the Bose compact line array before and besides having that brutal bose mid-frequency scoop that they are mad expensive for what they are. But I do remember the tower having the drivers all pointing at slightly different angles.

Coverage is determined by horizontal dispersion, but also the setup. Those QSC 10s are 90 degrees. That's about what you'll get with a point source speaker.

But remember, dispersion is related to the frequency. The lower frequencies coming out of the woofers become wider and wider the lower you go. I'm sure that you are looking for more dispersion in the higher frequencies where the clarity is. The SLA is going to probably be in that 90-100 degree dispersion zone. To get more clarity, examine your setup. Where is the crowd? Are they left and right? And if so, are they complaining that they can't hear you well enough? I would kind'a doubt it.

If you are placing the speakers fairly close together, say 12-15 feet, you can try to crossfire them. Have the left speaker toed in to hit the back right corner of the room. Point the right one at the left back corner. If it's a big room, you can't exagerate that even more. Works really well in a wide, shallow room where most of the crowd is on the laeft and right.

Turning the speakers out will be horrible in the middle. The other option is to have the speakers very wide and leave them forward.

It can be different in each room. But, don't forget that some of the crowd sits where they do because the don't want it to be loud.

I don't think you'll see a noticeable difference in dispersion without going to a melded array in an OT8 or OT10/12 - that'll get you over 100 degrees.

Personally, I'd build the sub and work on the setup before building more speakers hoping for better coverage. If that doesn't do it, then try another approach.

The width of the cab/array/drivers has a direct relationship with the off axis response, dispersion. It's the only contributing factor between the the differing dispersion angles of the QSC K12, K10, and K8. It's also why the column arrays (not just Bose) are so popular with karaoke... more of the frequency spectrum is able to wrap around off axis negating the need for monitors in many cases. If you want fuller sound off axis, particularly in the higher frequency range that gives intelligibility, go with the thinnest solution.

IMHO, even the 2x6 SLA Pro option would be enough for those size gatherings, indoors or out. Other than the slight cab width difference, peak output between the SLA Pro and the OT8 will be about the same. The biggest difference between the two is how much power it takes to get there, the SLA Pro requiring much more.

Colorado Hick wrote: ↑Mon Aug 18, 2025 1:00 pm My existing powered mains (QSC k10.1) tend to sound to loud in some spots and not loud enough in others.

Depending where these spots are, it could also be a function of comb-filtering. If they're off axis, left and right, dispersion. Anywhere between the speakers, comb-filtering or just plain room acoustics causing cancellations. If it's not off axis, a single more central array will eliminate comb-filtering and perform well, although it won't appear traditional.