Need new party speakers for fraternity

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jigg1ypanda

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#1
My fraternity needs new speakers. These will be used in the basement (big room) so they will need to fill a large area with loud sound. The main goal of this project is to create loud chest pounding and hair moving speakers. While still keeping it cheap. I was thinking of going with either the dayton 15 PA's https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-pa380-8-15-pro-woofer--295-034 in a 2-way or dayton 15 subs in a 3-way https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-dcs380-4-15-classic-subwoofer-4-ohm--295-470. So which one would be the best for this application. Thanks
 
#2
Dayton Audio DCS380-4 15" Classic Subwoofer (2 sub drivers)
Dayton Audio DCS380-4 15" Classic Subwoofer 4 Ohm
4th order bandpass
-3 dB 26 - 65 Hz
-6 dB 23 - 73 Hz
VC = 108.50 L internal sealed, FAC = 40.68 Hz tuning, VAC = 74.12 L second reflex (BR), 94.24 dB/2.83V/m (each)
Port (2x) = Diam: 4" (10.2cm)/L: 11.90" (30.2cm)
L1 = 2.5 mH (power) use one inductor in series with each driver if needed (not active or EQ).
6 db Crossover Table

Dayton Audio PA380-8 15" Pro Woofer (1 main driver)
Dayton Audio PA380-8 15" Pro Woofer
BR type
F-3 dB - 56 Hz
F-6 dB - 47 Hz
VB = 50 L, FB = 44 Hz, ~97 dB/2.83V/m
Port (3x) = 3" (7.6cm)/L: 13.6" (34.5cm)
 

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#6
xrk971 said:
+1 on the Karma series on diysoundgroup. Those things measure flat from 38 Hz to 18khz and are unbelievably efficient at 96 dB for about $400 ea box included.
Click to expand...

From an 8" two way? You must be including a sub? The 8" Celestion is a fine little driver but 38 Hz @ 96 db?

I think he should look at building a dual 15 with Eminence Beta 15 crossed to Selenium 1" 220 in the Dayton conical horn around 1.6K. That should move some air.
 
#9
For real! In my time, if your fraternity didn't have the SPL capability of at least a pair of Altec A7s [~125 dB/4 ft avg.] you didn't know how to party! Strong, deep 'bass' tended to be source limited to ~60-80 Hz though, so today I imagine one would need a serious 'sub' woofer system to match it down to at least to 42 Hz and preferably to at least 32 Hz.

GM
 
#10
GM said:
For real! In my time, if your fraternity didn't have the SPL capability of at least a pair of Altec A7s [~125 dB/4 ft avg.] you didn't know how to party! Strong, deep 'bass' tended to be source limited to ~60-80 Hz though, so today I imagine one would need a serious 'sub' woofer system to match it down to at least to 42 Hz and preferably to at least 32 Hz.

GM
Click to expand...

I bet to get something comparable to Altec A7s now a days you'd have to spend a whole bunch of cash! What did they cost back in the day?
 
#11
With all respect to many fond memories of party nights with the Altec A7's, I think the DIY Sound Group has some great kit offerings and better sound quality, whether you go for a pair or add in a subwoofer or two to the mix. That plus a fantastic way to have fun with friends putting the cabinets, crossovers and all together. Add in an amplifier, tubes if you can swing it, or, TPA 3116 if you have to go on the cheap, and you are going to have one wonderful set up and a ton of life long memories.
 
#12
Agreed, some of those kits would make me think twice about bothering with DIYing if they met my needs close enough, but my intent though was WRT average SPL capability required back then and arguably even higher is required these days in some fraternity locales, which I have doubts that even a stereo pair of simple baffle loaded high power 15" woofers can meet at low distortion, much less with 8" drivers.

GM
 
#13
And they probably need to be able to take a pounding- spilled drinks, using them as chairs, random people randomly kicking them.... At least that's how I remember fraternity days. :drink::drink::drink:
 
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#14
I'd probably go for the Eminence 10" coaxial, plus suitable HF driver, then add a couple of decent 15" subwoofers (>8mm Xmax) in bass reflex cabinets. Aim for ~45Hz - it sounds low, but isn't unreachably so.
Passive crossovers for the coaxial, active for the LF. Give each sub a solid half-kilowatt, and 300w/ch for the highs.


Alternatively, buy a pair of used top cabinets (12"+tweeter preferably), and build as many subwoofers as you need. A single 1x15" can rock a basement if you ask nicely, but I'd go for two as a minimum - you'll be running the single cab to the ragged edge, and it won't last.

What do you have in the way of amplification?

Chris
 
#18
I modeled up the Eminence Deta 15A, rated at 100.3Db, in a 666 Liter vented it came down to about -3Db at some 28 Hz. Mated to a large 15" by 17" horn, 2" throat, crossed at 800 Hz.
The actual performance of the 15 came in at about 98 Db in range it's covering.


__________________________________________________Rick........
 
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#19
For Frat parties!? C'mon these will likely be beer soaked and perhaps even Urine soaked before long.
Go to Craigslist or similar and buy a used pair of speakers.
Cheap and replaceable. Instantly usable for immediate use. No dicking around req'd
DIY stuff takes $$, time, patience and usually double quantities of all that, from what your best initial guesses were.
Besides these become 'Precious'... which really gets in the way of using them for their intended purposes.
If you need "big" sounds buy 2 pairs.
 
#20
Long ago (mid/late 1970s) I was involved in diying a pair of very large bass bins (fairly expensive 15" Lafayette branded PA woofers in ~10 cu ft bass reflex boxes) and a separate HF top section for our frat house. We pounded the hell out of those things in a large common room for a number of years before I left, and they held up quite well and achieved pretty high spls with good bass. And we had a lot of fun designing and putting them together. Recommended experience.. 😀
 
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