Bedroom System (on a budget)...need ideas.

[AlexC]

Not looking for monitors of anything of the sort.

Looking for a more powerful setup, which won't leave the house.
I was thinking two 3-way floorstanding speakers with 12 or 15 inch woofers,
like these: http://www.amazon.com/BIC-AMERICA-RTR-1530-15-Inch-Standing/dp/B00009WBYI/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_0

Powered by something like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000069E2V/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I spin many different genres, from house to 70's and 80's reggae with deeeeeep bass.
I have an Onkyo Home-Theatre receiver rated at a measly 65W per channel right now, powering 2 3-way floorstanding speakers with 10-inch woofers + a JBL 10" 150W sub (which struggles and gets muffled) and I find myself wanting more.

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.
Budget is around $600.

[Unknown DJ]

Should be in the Amps/speaker section.

theses can be had for less than $300
http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?4888-M-Audio-GSR-10-Review

Then save a bit more and pick up a used powered sub on craigslist.

[uncut69]

get speakers from seismic audio. just check out their website, they have a lot of great deals on already great prices. I own a pair and they sound awesome

[AlexC]

The dual 15" pair on Seismic Audio's site for $315 intrests me...but wouldn't PA speakers be overkill for such a small space?

[AlexC]

I was also thinking about going with like 2-4 bookshelf speakers (8-inch) paired with a sub. But I'm kinda wary about using a home theatre sub, when mine worked it always seemed like the bass was too deep and unnatural. I mostly used the sub at about 50% and the more I cranked up the main volume the more I had to turn down the sub to prevent damage and distortion. I'd much prefer to go with tower speakers that provide deep bass while still being somewhat accurate to the recording.
But hey, maybe I just had poor equilization and there's a better way of setting up a system like that.

[jayhwk]

The dual 15" pair on Seismic Audio's site for $315 intrests me...but wouldn't PA speakers be overkill for such a small space?

No, but I wouldn't touch Seismic Audio with a 10 foot (~3m) pole.

Look for a pair of older used 15" loudspeakers like the Electro-Voice SH1502 and pair them up with an a QSC GX3 amplifier.

[akela]

Should be in the Amps/speaker section.

theses can be had for less than $300
http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?4888-M-Audio-GSR-10-Review

Then save a bit more and pick up a used powered sub on craigslist.

I agree. Good sounding speakers for a price that won't break the bank

[ampnation]

In the U.S. I would be looking at the used market for a 3 way 15 inch cabinet unless I wanted to do production in which case I'd just save more money and get a good studio monitor with matching sub.

I'm not sure what's available in Jamaica.

I agree I would consider money spent on Seismic Audio speakers to be worth less than money set on fire because I wouldn't be left with something I had to dispose of with the burned money.

[sss18734]

In the U.S. I would be looking at the used market for a 3 way 15 inch cabinet unless I wanted to do production in which case I'd just save more money and get a good studio monitor with matching sub.

^This. You may find you don't even need a sub for your purposes. A lot of those old house speakers put out a solid amount of bass, even off receiver power.

[AlexC]

I'm more than likely gonna be ordering online, gonna look out here and see what I can find first though. I'd much rather a 3-way 15 inch cab with sufficient bass than having to run a sub. If I can't though I think I'll have to go with some bookshelf speakers and a sub, cause its gonna be pretty expensive to ship 2 large speakers out here, maybe more than the speakers themselves depending on the weight.

[Al Poulin]

Stay away from garbage brands such as Pyle Pro, Technical Pro and also Seismic (who's offerings range from so-so to absolute garbage).

In certain cases, these cheap speakers might get loud, but will generally sound like crap and have inferior components.

There are quite a few compact powered speakers (no amp needed - just connect to your mixer) that sound good and could be had for your budget. For example :

http://www.zzounds.com/item--SAMAUROD412A

These are compact, smooth sounding powered speakers that will get loud enough for bedroom use and even small parties. If you want more deep bass, the Auro 415As are even better sounding than the 412As with much improved bottom end BUT are much bigger in size and almost 15 lbs heavier. The 415s are actually a good choice for small wedding type events that provide a full sound even without subs.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--SAMAUROD415A

Al

[ampnation]

Another consideration might be DIY cabinets. Do you have the room to build? Check out Bill Fitzmaurice's site.
http://billfitzmaurice.com
Pair his speakers with a modest amp and you get fair levels of SPL due to the horn loaded design. I don't normally recommend his tops but in your situation it might work out. And for your small room (compared to a commercial venue) one of the home theatre subs would probably be more than enough.

The reason I think this might be an option is, you can buy wood and hardware locally and just buy the relatively inexpensive drivers online. A pair of Omni 15 Tallboys I bet would be pretty sweet compared to others in your budget. And if you still found the low end lacking, you could add one of the subs like a Table Tuba.

[AlexC]

Al - Thanks for the heads-up. I'll look into those speakers but in the end I think I may have to buy locally in the interests of cost...or go for some cheap 3-way 15" floorstanding home speakers, I just calculated it and it'll cost about $100 to ship each speaker (the 415s). I'd factored shipping outside the budget but that's gonna be too much when I add taxes and other fees. I'll def have to order an amp though...unless I find a good deal on powered speakers out here.

[AlexC]

Ampnation - I was thinking about DIY, not sure I have the skill or craftsmanship required though. :/

[ampnation]

Ampnation - I was thinking about DIY, not sure I have the skill or craftsmanship required though. :/

Many of Bill's designs are supposed to be very easy to build. Take a good look at his website. I bought the full set of plans but haven't built any yet. I'm probably gonna start with an Auto Tuba for my next car and if I like that, I'll consider others. Single plan sets are under $15. The full set of all his designs is $99.

[Unknown DJ]

Many of Bill's designs are supposed to be very easy to build. Take a good look at his website. I bought the full set of plans but haven't built any yet. I'm probably gonna start with an Auto Tuba for my next car and if I like that, I'll consider others. Single plan sets are under $15. The full set of all his designs is $99.

You would be better off with a single 12 sealed or ported than an Auto Tuba.

[ampnation]

You would be better off with a single 12 sealed or ported than an Auto Tuba.

How so? Details man. Details.

[sss18734]

How so? Details man. Details.

You hardly ever see horn loaded designs used in professional car audio. Reason being that it's difficult to fit a proper horn in such a small space. If you can, it's low end extension is severely limited due to a lack of space (using a stock design like BFM). Otherwise, you have to create the horn loaded enclosure from the ground up to maximize the space used in your car - outside of most people's skill range. You'll occasionally see modified horn designs used in large SUV's and truck bed blow throughs, but for the most part you're really better off with a ported enclosure that you can custom build to your vehicle's dimensions. What kind of car are you working with?

Cabin gain exaggerates bass so much in a car that the additional efficiencies of the horn aren't really a requirement for big bass... even off low power.

[ampnation]

You hardly ever see horn loaded designs used in professional car audio. Reason being that it's difficult to fit a proper horn in such a small space. If you can, it's low end extension is severely limited due to a lack of space (using a stock design like BFM). Otherwise, you have to create the horn loaded enclosure from the ground up to maximize the space used in your car - outside of most people's skill range. You'll occasionally see modified horn designs used in large SUV's and truck bed blow throughs, but for the most part you're really better off with a ported enclosure that you can custom build to your vehicle's dimensions. What kind of car are you working with?

Cabin gain exaggerates bass so much in a car that the additional efficiencies of the horn aren't really a requirement for big bass... even off low power.

According to the product page here (http://billfitzmaurice.com/autotuba.html) the FR graph shows a shelf running from about 40 down to 25 Hz at 95db (1w/1m) so if I EQ the hump out of the 40-100ish range I'm thinking I'll be just fine. I'm not looking to enter any db contests. I'm more concerned with it sounding musical.

Don't know what vehicle yet. I recently sold my TL and just using my pickup right now. When I replace the TL, I'll probably get something smaller, perhaps a hatchback or small SUV like a RAV.

[Unknown DJ]

How so? Details man. Details.

From all the research I have done The Auto Tuba can't break 130 DB's. I have heard guesses of around 127DB's. A single ported Alpine Type R 12 that I have seen on sale for as low as $99 with 500 watts of power will do 130+ DB's. The Autotube 8 will aslo take up more space in a car because it has to be boundary loaded and is a more complex build than a ported sub. Sound quality is something I can't comment on because I have not heard the Autotuba but most competition SQ cars use sealed subs with a few using IB or or even a AP setup. Horns in car audio would have been great when people were paying a buck a watt for power but now you can get a 1000 watt amp for around $200.


Quick check on line and i fount this setup:

Sub:http://www.ikesound.com/12_inch
Amp: http://www.ikesound.com/soundstream_pcx2_540
Total: $268

add $50 for the box and you are looking at total of $318.

I would also look at craigslist for some deals.