As a guy who is into car audio, I have no idea about PA systems. My friends and I are moving into a new house and we like to throw a large parties. We are looking for speakers that are loud enough for up to 200 people, and are within the $2000 range. The loudness, bass, and excitement are the priorities of this system. I noticed so far that a lot of companies advertise how lightweight their pa speakers are for travelling. We do not care about mobility, so we are wondering if there are more cost effective speakers that are heavier and less mobile. We will be running them off 120 V AC. I appreciate any recommendations that would suit this type of setup.
Jay
Jay
No, are you planning to BUILD the speakers, amps etc?
Is this to be a permanent installation, as in the speakers are set up and ready to go all the time? Or will you set it up for parties and then store it otherwise? That is a consideration when they discuss portability. Light weight is a selling point, but many manufacturers are switching to SMPS power and digital power amplifiers, both of which cut way down on weight. If I buy a new model digital amp, I will be buying it for performance, but the fact that a 1600 watt amp weighs less than 10 pounds is also a big plus, at least to me.
How many of these parties do you think you will have in a year? One a week? One a month? Twice a year? The reason I ask is that if you do this relatively infrequently, you should consider renting a system for the party. You can rent a system for a day or two a lot cheaper than buying one. And it will come complete with matched components and necessary accessories.
And while we may have some sage advice for you here, have you discussed your needs with a local music store or sound contractor? If you are looking for a thumping disco sound, then you almost certainly want big powered subwoofers to go with the rest.
One bit of advice, you will be shopping for a system, not a good amp, a good speaker, a good mixer, a good etc. In other words a well planned sonic meal, rather than a trip to the buffet.
Is this to be a permanent installation, as in the speakers are set up and ready to go all the time? Or will you set it up for parties and then store it otherwise? That is a consideration when they discuss portability. Light weight is a selling point, but many manufacturers are switching to SMPS power and digital power amplifiers, both of which cut way down on weight. If I buy a new model digital amp, I will be buying it for performance, but the fact that a 1600 watt amp weighs less than 10 pounds is also a big plus, at least to me.
How many of these parties do you think you will have in a year? One a week? One a month? Twice a year? The reason I ask is that if you do this relatively infrequently, you should consider renting a system for the party. You can rent a system for a day or two a lot cheaper than buying one. And it will come complete with matched components and necessary accessories.
And while we may have some sage advice for you here, have you discussed your needs with a local music store or sound contractor? If you are looking for a thumping disco sound, then you almost certainly want big powered subwoofers to go with the rest.
One bit of advice, you will be shopping for a system, not a good amp, a good speaker, a good mixer, a good etc. In other words a well planned sonic meal, rather than a trip to the buffet.
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g196/dkleitsch/PatsPA_zps297453f4.jpg
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g196/dkleitsch/sub-2way2.jpg
Make it look the way you want (I don't care for rat fur myself).
http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g196/dkleitsch/sub-2way2.jpg
Make it look the way you want (I don't care for rat fur myself).
djk: $2000 is our budget for the entire system including the wood and electronics, although we are flexible with the budget if we have to be. That setup in the picture looks exactly like something we are looking for. I'm assuming those drivers are not self powered and need amplification. Do you have any recommendations of amps for them and a ballpark cost?
Enzo: We would prefer not to build any enclosures for the drivers (cutting wood) but are willing to do anything else that needs built. The speakers will not be completely stationary come to think of it, as they will be moved between inside and outside. I agree now that the lightweight will be a plus.
Renting is definitely something to consider. We would be having parties about once a month. It would be nice to have the system for regular use, but we could buy a much cheaper system for daily use and just rent when we need the massive sound. Do you think $2000 is enough for the type of system we are thinking of?
Enzo: We would prefer not to build any enclosures for the drivers (cutting wood) but are willing to do anything else that needs built. The speakers will not be completely stationary come to think of it, as they will be moved between inside and outside. I agree now that the lightweight will be a plus.
Renting is definitely something to consider. We would be having parties about once a month. It would be nice to have the system for regular use, but we could buy a much cheaper system for daily use and just rent when we need the massive sound. Do you think $2000 is enough for the type of system we are thinking of?
Hi,
Creating a massive sound outdoors is a completely different
kettle of fish to doing it indoors, its very much harder to do.
rgds, sreten.
Sreten: different just because more power is needed or are there different aspects to it? Because the system will be used indoors and outdoors depending on the occasion.
Is your house in a remote area or in a built up residential area? Any of the systems mentioned here would get the cops calling in a matter of minutes in a residential area.. even with it indoors. I rented a a pair of SRM450s on stands to a bunch of college kids for a house party and they had the cops and the bylaw officers pay them a visit and ended up with a nice fine... and that was in a part of town where most houses are rented to college kids.
That said, my suggestion for speakers would be to browse the classifieds for some old PA speakers or even a complete system with amps. You will likely end up with some very large cabs but it won't take much power to get lots of output from these.
That said, my suggestion for speakers would be to browse the classifieds for some old PA speakers or even a complete system with amps. You will likely end up with some very large cabs but it won't take much power to get lots of output from these.
Hi,
Different because of the very different acoustics. No room
gain for the bass. No room Rt. No critical distance outdoors.*
A much bigger system is needed for "massive" outdoors.
rgds, sreten.
* CD divides the room into two areas, one where the level
appears the same wherever you are, the other it depends
on how near the speakers you are.
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Ah I see. So I guess the best option is to get as much power as we can afford and put it outside anyways. The bass will suffer a lot but I'm thinking the highs and mids will be quite loud enough outside.
I second this suggestion if you're not planning to build your own cabinets. There has to be something decent in the GTA.
just my 2cents. while i find it strange that 2 srm450s can get the cops knocking, i would not try to create amassive sound outdoors in a residential area, because the bass gets bent around walls and will cause the people to get upset even >100m m away (what the srm450s cannot do in my opinion). anyway, a "massive" sound outdoors has to do with a bugdet of $2k about as much as a formula 1 car with the budget for your children s tricycle.
It was an indoor party in an old row house style apartment block... neighbors everywhere so it doesn't take much.
ViennaTom: we are out in the middle of nowhere. No worries for sound. If the cops get called it would be impressive.
I own an old farm house on 20 acres of very rural land. The center of the property is a bit of a hill, and every memorial weekend we used to host a three day party on the hill. had a pig roast up there, we rolled folks down the hill in a tractor tire for fun, and we occasionally had a band. I ran 750 feet of mains wire up to the hill for the purpose. (One year I put a juke box up there, just to make it surreal). Closest neighbor was 300 yards or more.
One year with a band, someone said a couple obscenities through the PA system. To we revelers, a couple F words was nothing. But over a quarter mile away, lived a preacher and his family. They came over and complained.
One year with a band, someone said a couple obscenities through the PA system. To we revelers, a couple F words was nothing. But over a quarter mile away, lived a preacher and his family. They came over and complained.
Nah, we just said our apologies, turned down the master a little, and asked our guests on stage to be more family-polite. And we invited that neighbor family to join us. The parties were legend, and meant to be fun for all. We were not into making any us versus them situations.
I only told the story to indicate that sound can travel farther than you might think.
I only told the story to indicate that sound can travel farther than you might think.
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