In 1976 I finally purchased my first high-fidelity sound system including a set of Infinity WTLC speakers with intentions of using it both as a home stereo and as a live-performance sound system. The system was way out of my budget at the time but I had just begun composing and performing tunes and songs of my own creation and wanted a sound system with plenty of wattage and a decent pair of speakers which both looked and sounded great for listening to records at home and to begin performing my own music through wherever I could on the road.
This happened shortly after returning to work following my first year in college. Scrimping on groceries in a big way, I bought the system at a sound shop in the college town I had previously been living in. My hands were shaking as I carried it all out to the car and loaded it up. I was as nervous about damaging the components as I was about spending so much money on them, but it turned out to be one of the best impulse purchases of my life. It wasn't engineered for road travel but I didn't care. It looked and sounded fantastic, making performing with the kit a pleasure, even if it did involve more work.
I had that system fifteen years and it provided innumerable hours of fine listening and served well for the small performance venues I worked from those first days back on in the workforce, throughout my remaining decade in and out of college between jobs working as a common laborer until the second year into my first marriage a half-decade later. That's when my lousy choice of a spouse decided she didn't want the stereo system in the house any longer and had it hauled away by trash collectors while I was working overtime at the office. The system had by then more than paid for itself and I had been contemplating replacing or at least upgrading it by adding another pair of speakers, a better amp and a five-disc CD changer, but I'm glad I hadn't yet gotten around to doing that. She would probably have thrown the new equipment out with the old too. I was completely flabbergasted by her callous treatment of that fine sound system and of me, sensing for the first time that I really didn't want to be around the thoughtless bitch any longer.
Regrefully, I stupidly attempted to convince myself the sound system was just a collection of objects, nowhere nearly as important as a marriage, but I was wrong about the marriage being worth anything at all. It was a pointless waste of time, effort and resources beyond compare of anything I have wasted time, effort and resources on in my entire life. Trying too hard far too long to make it work without success, it was finally over half a decade later and I was free again at last. The world opened up brilliant and full of vast opportunities again.
I immediately purchased a new JBL EON Power 15 system with cables and stands built specifically for solo acts like mine, as well as my first digital recording rig. And once again I began to enjoy listening to and producing my own tunes and songs using that new sound system which served me well for twenty-seven years, until it was destroyed in fire this spring just past. Holy fucking hell.
The fire was started by the United States Forest Service exercising their powers to commit negligent arson and was every bit as destructive as that first marriage was, decimating in a single damned day decades of fine, useful assets acquired through extensive application of personal time, effort and resources. Holy fucking hell, part two.
I miss the first sound system, especially the Infinity WTLCs a lot and would still be using them if they were still in my possession. I miss the JBL sound system too. But one of the best activities involved in recovering from life disasters such as these is shopping for replacement gear, and eventually a new performance sound system will be selected and put to good use–possibly something much better than I've ever used before.
Maybe a K-Array Pinnacle-KR202 Mark II:
From what I've read about it so far the subwoofers are pretty light, the array columns connect, fold and unfold easily. Looks like transporting, setting up and tearing down at small venues with these would be easy.
A KR202 II system consists of:
1x Thunder-KS2 I self-powered subwoofer
1x Thunder-KS2P I passive subwoofer
4x Kobra-KK102 I pure 2" line array column
4x K-JOINT3
2x K-FOOT3
Total wattage is 400W, total system weight is about 100 lbs per assembled unit.
Not too much to handle for an aging performer working alone on the road, and especially not too much to put to good use in a static venue.
