Dance Floor Audio Setup

jstarks4444 · 7th August 2009, 04:37 PM

Not sure if this is the right forum section to post under, but any help would be greatly appreciated.

I am currently in the design stage for an audio setup in the basement of my house. What I am essentially trying to do is convert a fairly small basement room (not sure of the exact size of this room I can get this info in a couple of days) into a dance floor. The ceiling of the room is pretty low, most people can probably touch the ceiling by extending their arms. I'm trying to figure out how would be the best way to do this. After doing some research we came to the conclusion to go the following route:

Place a Samson Live 612m Powered Monitor (http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/sto...0002_-49991872) in one corner of the room.

Place a Sony STR-DE345 receiver (http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers...-30098275.html) with SA-WMS230 Subwoofer (http://pjcomputers.net/index.asp?Pag...ROD&ProdID=430) and SS-CN230 and SS-V230 speakers and some Aiwa SX-ZR525 speakers (http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-92197815-_JM) that I found, and putting all this on the other side of the room.

Connect both of the above to this Toneport UX1 (http://line6.com/toneportux1/) which is connected to audio source (computer/ipod).

Is this an efficient and effective setup for us to use? Going for a traditional setup of PA speakers and separate amplifier and mixer looks like it will cost too much.

Another route we thought of going was to just have a receiver and speakers in the room, but the question is will this provide the right type of sound quality for a "dance floor". In other words will it be bassy enough, etc. Any help will be very appreciated!!!!

jstarks4444 · 8th August 2009, 07:26 PM

Any advice????

imix500 · 8th August 2009, 10:35 PM

The Samson monitor is probably as good as any similarly priced self powered monitor. Keep in mind that most dj's want their monitors at ear level. I'm not sure small boom box type speakers will work for more than background music levels. They don't tend to hold up well or sound great at high levels. Same goes for the sub. I think it will run out of gas pretty quickly.

imix500 · 8th August 2009, 10:37 PM

I know of some equipment you might be interested in dirt cheap. You don't have private messages enabled, so shoot me an email.

jstarks4444 · 9th August 2009, 12:44 AM

Thanks for the help imix500, I can't seem to e-mail you through here, what's your e-mail?

Someone also suggested getting two of these - http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=3477258

and to use that with my receiver because supposedly those speakers push alot of bass. But would this require me to get an amplifier? Is this a good idea?

imix500 · 9th August 2009, 01:27 AM

imix500 at hotmail dot com (How long until the web bots figure that out anyway?)

So it looks like those speakers have a max output of about 116dB. With a 100W amp clipping you're looking at about 109.5dB. At loud volumes you're not going to have much headroom in the receiver. If you're going with four- one in each corner, I'd really question the receivers ability to drive all channels without shutting down. You could get a decent used pro amp with enough power and a new small mixer for under $400.

I'd still go for a sub as well with those speakers. The specs say they go down to 33Hz, but that could be at -12 or so.

dangus · 10th August 2009, 10:33 PM

You should be able to pick up a used DJ mixer pretty cheap; that's pretty much essential if you expect to have any "real" DJs spinning from vinyl or CDJ or whatever. New prices from Gemini, American DJ, Behringer are pretty low. If you're hosting real DJs, booth monitors are a good idea if not essential. Home speakers (from thrift store or yard sale or basement) may be good enough.

The biggest and most crucial investment is in speakers... efficient speakers will compensate for small power amplifiers. 15" two-way cabinets will thump. Be very careful buying used, though. Listen to them carefully, and if possible do a sine wave sweep and check for buzzes. Make sure they haven't been incompetently repaired or had drivers replaced by junk.

Behringer speakers are probably adequate, but I've never actually used or heard them. They will certainly stomp all over a Radio Shack home speaker for efficiency.
http://www.zzounds.com/cat--Behringer-PA-Speakers--2951

If you'd like to build speakers, take a look at Eminence raw drivers and crossovers. That'll get you close to real PA gear... Eminence makes drivers for some well-known brands.

Adding a subwoofer or two will help if you want serious bass for dubstep, drum'n'bass, reggae and the like. Take a look at the designs at Speakerplans.com. One folded horn in the corner should be adequate. Or look into tapped horns if you can find a reliable design. Or a simple 15" or 18" in a conventional reflex enclosure may be a good compromise. Using subs could mean you can get away with smaller speakers up top... 12" or even 8", which should give better quality midrange.

It's possible my suggestions are going overboard, but I have used pairs of 18" subs for apartment parties and lived.

jstarks4444 · 11th August 2009, 07:58 PM

Well the thing is the room is not very big at all, probably around 1200-1500 square feet and the ceiling is probably 7-8 feet high, and building a speaker is most likely not going to be possible. I don't think we need actual DJing, just some simple work on VirtualDJ or just playing tracks should suffice.

The receiver i currently have pushes 500W total output so shouldn't that be enough to drive those 2 BIC RtR speakers? They're on radioshack.com but are on a lot of other sites as well and they get pretty good reviews. I was thinking maybe use those 2 speakers with my receiver and the powered active subwoofer I have..does anyone think I need more power?

chris661 · 11th August 2009, 08:31 PM

A little concerned about the idea of the subwoofer you suggested. It uses a 6" woofer. Not much air available to move there, so, while it may go low, what will the SPL be like?
I'd suggest a 15" subwoofer, or one per side. And some 2-way 8" speakers, crossed around 80Hz. SPL would be incredible there, as an 8" would need minimal excursion to get to 80Hz, so you'd just need to get some high quality subwoofers, to handle the load on it.

I have used this idea in the past (stop LF going to FR speakers, which saves it a lot of excursion, then use a sub to do the LF), and I was close to antisocial levels with a pair of Mission 760i s and a home made sub.

You may be able to apply the same idea to the Aiwa speakers, then you'd only need some PA subwoofers (preferably active, or you'd need a separate amp)

It would appear the 5.1 receiver you have will push enough power, especially when you consider that bass requires most power, so, using active XO, you could relieve the strain on the amp and speakers, by adding some SPL-capable subwoofers.

Chris

jstarks4444 · 12th August 2009, 02:31 PM

Ah but the BIC speakers have built in 15" subwoofers. I was just going to add my Sony active sub to balance things out a little and put it on the other side of the room with the receiver (have the two BIC speakers opposite the receiver's side in two corners)

Would the bass be enough then?

7th August 2009, 04:37 PM	#1
jstarks4444 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2007	Dance Floor Audio Setup Not sure if this is the right forum section to post under, but any help would be greatly appreciated. I am currently in the design stage for an audio setup in the basement of my house. What I am essentially trying to do is convert a fairly small basement room (not sure of the exact size of this room I can get this info in a couple of days) into a dance floor. The ceiling of the room is pretty low, most people can probably touch the ceiling by extending their arms. I'm trying to figure out how would be the best way to do this. After doing some research we came to the conclusion to go the following route: Place a Samson Live 612m Powered Monitor (http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/sto...0002_-49991872) in one corner of the room. Place a Sony STR-DE345 receiver (http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers...-30098275.html) with SA-WMS230 Subwoofer (http://pjcomputers.net/index.asp?Pag...ROD&ProdID=430) and SS-CN230 and SS-V230 speakers and some Aiwa SX-ZR525 speakers (http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-92197815-_JM) that I found, and putting all this on the other side of the room. Connect both of the above to this Toneport UX1 (http://line6.com/toneportux1/) which is connected to audio source (computer/ipod). Is this an efficient and effective setup for us to use? Going for a traditional setup of PA speakers and separate amplifier and mixer looks like it will cost too much. Another route we thought of going was to just have a receiver and speakers in the room, but the question is will this provide the right type of sound quality for a "dance floor". In other words will it be bassy enough, etc. Any help will be very appreciated!!!!

11th August 2009, 08:31 PM	#9
chris661 diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lancashire Blog Entries: 7	A little concerned about the idea of the subwoofer you suggested. It uses a 6" woofer. Not much air available to move there, so, while it may go low, what will the SPL be like? I'd suggest a 15" subwoofer, or one per side. And some 2-way 8" speakers, crossed around 80Hz. SPL would be incredible there, as an 8" would need minimal excursion to get to 80Hz, so you'd just need to get some high quality subwoofers, to handle the load on it. I have used this idea in the past (stop LF going to FR speakers, which saves it a lot of excursion, then use a sub to do the LF), and I was close to antisocial levels with a pair of Mission 760i s and a home made sub. You may be able to apply the same idea to the Aiwa speakers, then you'd only need some PA subwoofers (preferably active, or you'd need a separate amp) It would appear the 5.1 receiver you have will push enough power, especially when you consider that bass requires most power, so, using active XO, you could relieve the strain on the amp and speakers, by adding some SPL-capable subwoofers. Chris __________________ "Throwing parts at a failure is like throwing sponges at a rainstorm." - Enzo My setup: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi...tang-band.html

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8th August 2009, 07:26 PM	#2
jstarks4444 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2007	Any advice????

8th August 2009, 10:35 PM	#3
imix500 Proud Union Member diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Nashville, TN	The Samson monitor is probably as good as any similarly priced self powered monitor. Keep in mind that most dj's want their monitors at ear level. I'm not sure small boom box type speakers will work for more than background music levels. They don't tend to hold up well or sound great at high levels. Same goes for the sub. I think it will run out of gas pretty quickly.

8th August 2009, 10:37 PM	#4
imix500 Proud Union Member diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Nashville, TN	I know of some equipment you might be interested in dirt cheap. You don't have private messages enabled, so shoot me an email.

9th August 2009, 12:44 AM	#5
jstarks4444 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2007	Thanks for the help imix500, I can't seem to e-mail you through here, what's your e-mail? Someone also suggested getting two of these - http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=3477258 and to use that with my receiver because supposedly those speakers push alot of bass. But would this require me to get an amplifier? Is this a good idea?

9th August 2009, 01:27 AM	#6
imix500 Proud Union Member diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Nashville, TN	imix500 at hotmail dot com (How long until the web bots figure that out anyway?) So it looks like those speakers have a max output of about 116dB. With a 100W amp clipping you're looking at about 109.5dB. At loud volumes you're not going to have much headroom in the receiver. If you're going with four- one in each corner, I'd really question the receivers ability to drive all channels without shutting down. You could get a decent used pro amp with enough power and a new small mixer for under $400. I'd still go for a sub as well with those speakers. The specs say they go down to 33Hz, but that could be at -12 or so.

10th August 2009, 10:33 PM	#7
dangus diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Vancouver Island	You should be able to pick up a used DJ mixer pretty cheap; that's pretty much essential if you expect to have any "real" DJs spinning from vinyl or CDJ or whatever. New prices from Gemini, American DJ, Behringer are pretty low. If you're hosting real DJs, booth monitors are a good idea if not essential. Home speakers (from thrift store or yard sale or basement) may be good enough. The biggest and most crucial investment is in speakers... efficient speakers will compensate for small power amplifiers. 15" two-way cabinets will thump. Be very careful buying used, though. Listen to them carefully, and if possible do a sine wave sweep and check for buzzes. Make sure they haven't been incompetently repaired or had drivers replaced by junk. Behringer speakers are probably adequate, but I've never actually used or heard them. They will certainly stomp all over a Radio Shack home speaker for efficiency. http://www.zzounds.com/cat--Behringer-PA-Speakers--2951 If you'd like to build speakers, take a look at Eminence raw drivers and crossovers. That'll get you close to real PA gear... Eminence makes drivers for some well-known brands. Adding a subwoofer or two will help if you want serious bass for dubstep, drum'n'bass, reggae and the like. Take a look at the designs at Speakerplans.com. One folded horn in the corner should be adequate. Or look into tapped horns if you can find a reliable design. Or a simple 15" or 18" in a conventional reflex enclosure may be a good compromise. Using subs could mean you can get away with smaller speakers up top... 12" or even 8", which should give better quality midrange. It's possible my suggestions are going overboard, but I have used pairs of 18" subs for apartment parties and lived.

11th August 2009, 07:58 PM	#8
jstarks4444 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2007	Well the thing is the room is not very big at all, probably around 1200-1500 square feet and the ceiling is probably 7-8 feet high, and building a speaker is most likely not going to be possible. I don't think we need actual DJing, just some simple work on VirtualDJ or just playing tracks should suffice. The receiver i currently have pushes 500W total output so shouldn't that be enough to drive those 2 BIC RtR speakers? They're on radioshack.com but are on a lot of other sites as well and they get pretty good reviews. I was thinking maybe use those 2 speakers with my receiver and the powered active subwoofer I have..does anyone think I need more power?

12th August 2009, 02:31 PM	#10
jstarks4444 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2007	Ah but the BIC speakers have built in 15" subwoofers. I was just going to add my Sony active sub to balance things out a little and put it on the other side of the room with the receiver (have the two BIC speakers opposite the receiver's side in two corners) Would the bass be enough then?

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