I know what most of you are going to say, anything under 1000$ is crap but I'm looking for something under 500$ just for house parties. I'm not a DJ my roommates and I just throw a lot of parties. Recently the 3rd out of 4 speakers in our sound system broke so I'm looking for something new. I want something very durable and something loud I don't need a mic or stands just speakers and a mixer. Usually the most we get in our house is like 80 people. We've probably broken 200 before but the last thing i'm really worried about when there's 200 people in my house is whether or not the music is loud enough.
Anything under $1000 is crap. $500 will just get you the speaker components - no crossover, wood, hardware or labor. For this application and budget what you want is a big 3-way that you can power with a big receiver or entry level pro amp. Kappa 15LF woofer, Beta 8 midrange, Selenium D220 driver on a small horn for the tweeter. That will eat the $500 and anything under 200 watts per channel can't hurt it. Crossover 500 and 3500 - can get pre made for about $70 each or build 'em yourself for less. By the time you add all the 'extras' to make them look professional you'll drop another $500 - which is why you can't buy something for less than $1k. And if you go but $200 specials you'll just blow them up again because they don't have components of the quality/durability of what I suggested - and recommend if you want to go blasting it.
Secondhand is definitely cost saving.
But do check each piece is working properly.
If you're blowing that many speakers, you need to check your amps for DC voltage on the output. A simple DVM can do this test. More than 100 mv DC, you have a problem that needs repair. Many split supply transistor amps lack an effective speaker protection circuit.
watch craigslist, or in canada Kiji. If you're playing techno or house with electronic sources, a pair of old obsolete Peavey SP2 would give you plenty of bass. These include a 15" woofer cab with separate horn set on top, and run about $300 the pair in my market. They don't sound very good on sources that require accuracy like piano or orchestra.
For accurate sound I picked up a pair of SP2-XP speakers from a band leaving the road, along with CS800s amp, speaker stands, 12 input mixer, graphic equalizer, 4 channel effects box, 100' snake, wedge 15"+horn stage monitor, for $1000. Most components had small problems requiring repair but the speakers were fine. Breakup of a road band is a great opportunity. I tested the speakers and amp at the sellers home with a piano CD. Piano requires huge amounts of power to reproduce loud keystrikes accurately.
watch craigslist, or in canada Kiji. If you're playing techno or house with electronic sources, a pair of old obsolete Peavey SP2 would give you plenty of bass. These include a 15" woofer cab with separate horn set on top, and run about $300 the pair in my market. They don't sound very good on sources that require accuracy like piano or orchestra.
For accurate sound I picked up a pair of SP2-XP speakers from a band leaving the road, along with CS800s amp, speaker stands, 12 input mixer, graphic equalizer, 4 channel effects box, 100' snake, wedge 15"+horn stage monitor, for $1000. Most components had small problems requiring repair but the speakers were fine. Breakup of a road band is a great opportunity. I tested the speakers and amp at the sellers home with a piano CD. Piano requires huge amounts of power to reproduce loud keystrikes accurately.
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What cheap *** speakers were you blowing? What amp?
I like indianajo's suggestion on the old Peavey SP2 speakers, Yamaha club are another option. Building with new parts/new speakers will cost you but there are some deals out there. If you are blasting bass heavy music you will want some subs too.... If you are a real cheapskate you can't get much cheaper than the MCM audio house brand subs, $130 for a pair shipped with coupon code.I would not spend a dime on their tops btw.
I like indianajo's suggestion on the old Peavey SP2 speakers, Yamaha club are another option. Building with new parts/new speakers will cost you but there are some deals out there. If you are blasting bass heavy music you will want some subs too.... If you are a real cheapskate you can't get much cheaper than the MCM audio house brand subs, $130 for a pair shipped with coupon code.I would not spend a dime on their tops btw.
I bet those cheap speakers were "1000W max power" ones, probably PMPO and most certainly 60 to 120W RMS , driven with >200W/ch power amps.
First real world show/party you murder them.
Buy used but "real"stuff.
Can't go wrong with Peavey, of course 😉
First real world show/party you murder them.
Buy used but "real"stuff.
Can't go wrong with Peavey, of course 😉
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