Speaker questions

[DJ Oddball]

I am still learning the ins and out equipment and I don't know how to judge good speakers. Just going from a bedroom DJ to an occasionaI mobile DJ. I know you get what you pay for but I wonder things about what size at wattage. What size would be needed for a basic gym dnace or normal sized wedding?

[Allensmusic]

whats your budget?

[Mr.Nightro]

Originally Posted by Allensmusic

whats your budget?

& the waltz continues........

[DJ Oddball]

Entry level so cheaper if possible. I am looking for used more than likely , but want to know more what to look for and how to rate other than size and wattage. How much wattage is needed for say... a gym or reception area?

[Allensmusic]

Originally Posted by DJ Oddball

Entry level so cheaper if possible. I am looking for used more than likely , but want to know more what to look for and how to rate other than size and wattage. How much wattage is needed for say... a gym or reception area?

wattage has very little to do with decibels. what is your budget? shall I assume by "cheaper" that your hoping for under $100,000?

give an actual budget, and you might get an actual response

[DJ Oddball]

is it feasible to find decent used or managable speakers for school type dances and low budget wedding receptions for 100 to 200 a piece?

[DJ Oddball]

apologies to all. I orginally posted this is the beginner section but it was moved to here. I am very new and am trying to get myself going. I was going to just buy one of those all in one kits that go for 600 to 700 bucks but thought I would come here and find what the norm is.

[ampnation]

Originally Posted by DJ Oddball

is it feasible to find decent used or managable speakers for school type dances and low budget wedding receptions for 100 to 200 a piece?

I picked up a pair of Yamaha S115IV's and a SW118V sub with stands and some cables for $600 used from craigslist. One of the tops had some physical damage to the cab, but not horrible and they still sound very good. They aren't top of the line, but at this price range you won't find top of the line and these are good enough for what you describe, although I might want to add a 2nd sub for outdoor use... haven't used the setup enough to say.

I can power tops and bottoms with a single QSC GX5 sub I bought new (have 2 actually) using my BBE Max-X3 crossover, but if buying today, I'd buy a Crown XTi 2000 or 4000 which has a built-in crossover controllable via laptop or less user friendly front panel. It also has other DSP functions like compression and delay so in the end, it ends up being cheaper.

If you buy used, make sure you listen or even better, have the gear checked by someone you trust and only buy quality gear used. Check out the sticky about brands. Get to know specific models not just brands. Behringer for instance has a pair of powered tops (forget the model number but they have distinctive shaped ports between the woofer and horn) and their EP series amps that have good reps, but not so much on some other things. Of course, you'll need a mixer too. I don't know much about DJ mixers, ck with someone else on that, but I have heard that the Allen & Heath Xone series is very good and I've never heard anything bad about Rane.

One consideration... you mentioned the bedroom. Unless you have a big bedroom, the sub might be prohibitively large. Typical subs are about 28" per edge cubes (although hopefully not a perfect cube) If you want decent, but not great bass and don't have room for subs, look at 15" 2-ways. If you're always going to be using the tops with subs, look at 12" 2-ways. If you're gonna use them sometimes with, sometimes without, its a judgment call.

One more space saving consideration... think about powered speakers so you don't need an amp rack. I don't pay a lot of attn to powered speaker models so can't help you much there.

Don't just compare specs either, especially when comparing equipment from budget companies vs. quality mfg. (e.g. Kustom or Nady vs. QSC or EV) because the bottom feeder companies use misleading ratings and even exaggerated ratings. You'll notice that the better companies list more than one rating on speakers with different standards having to do with range of signal, THD, etc. so the user can make an informed decision. Kustom on the other hand lists RMS and Peak with no numbers aside from the rating itself.

Once you have some models in mind you like, look for a deal and come here and ask for an opinion on a specific deal. If half or more of the people like it, it is probably a good deal. If everyone likes it, it's probably a great deal.

[DJ Oddball]

thanks awesome feedback!