So I have finally saved up enough money for speakers so I am not always borrowing someone else's. I have about 600 - 700 dollars to spend I have no idea which direction to walk in. Can someone with knowledge or idea help a guy out? :D
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So I have finally saved up enough money for speakers so I am not always borrowing someone else's. I have about 600 - 700 dollars to spend I have no idea which direction to walk in. Can someone with knowledge or idea help a guy out? :D
What size crowd will you want them to handle? Active (powered) or passive (separate components)?
You may need to save up a little more. Decent powered speakers are around $1000/pair. You will also need stands and cables ($100-200 for stands and $25-40 for cables). Better IMO to get quality the first time.
You may be able to find used in your budget by watching Craigslist.
Mackie Thumps are mentioned alot as a budget powered speaker about $700/pair. I think in the middle price range JBL and RCF are good.
I saved up and got RCF 312's and am saving now for a sub.
crowd usually outdoor house parties of 70-100... and im looking for passive because I do have and amp. If I do go the craiglist route is there a certain brand or type... I just dont have much knowledge in this and have been trying to gather info
Sorry I did some research on active speakers and I know diddly squat about passive speakers and amps etc.
I do know you will need to let people know what kind of amp and the specs so they can help you out.
ok cool thanks my friend...
I have used JBL JRX115's for the past 6 years. They have handled most of the abuse I have thrown at them. Should be under $300 per speaker. I do lots of events both indoors and outdoors. For 75-100 outdoors, they have been great. They aren't the lightest speaker, but the build quality of the cabinet is reassuring when loading in and out.
Keep an eye on the tweeters, I replaced both of mine eventually with better alternatives after blowing both of them at bigger events. I have run them off of different amps, mixers and they sound nice.
IMO passive are bad for any "live" scenario. You could have 4 speaker wired to an amp, but if the amp doesn't work, it doesn't matter how many speakers you have because none of them will work.Quote:
Originally Posted by Devour
Active speakers, no problem. One of them blows, the rest run independently.
Just like VanGogo, I can offer insight on active, but not passive.
Active speakers are also optimized for the load and the speaker config so you get more dB for the bucks. With Neos the speakers are pretty light, as well. Unless you want to save money go for a modern active speaker system. I assume we are talking about PA speakers
this, Active is the way to go. If you dont want to worry about upgrading the speakers or amp in the next few years I would sell the amp and look at active speakers. Also running a Passive system correctly takes a lot more planning then simply buying a few active speakers.Quote:
Originally Posted by tokenasianguy
seems like active are the way to go.. are there any that (In your opinions) are optimal for my price range?
I love my thumps. 2 brand new are right in your price range
Quote:
Originally Posted by tokenasianguy
You do realize most large scale "live" shows use passive gear, right? Passive gear is also less of a hassle if it breaks. You can't field replace an active speaker - but if a passive amp goes, you slide it out and slide the new one in - or quickly re-wire your system so that another amp helps power that speaker.
Passive isn't always cheaper when it comes to low end gear, but it's much more cost effective and flexible as you start getting into high end consumer and low end commercial grade sound.
If you can afford a back up amp that might be the way to go, but Active is a lot less hassle for a mobile DJ to set up
As a trained live sound technician I'm aware of this, but we're not talking about "large scale". On a small scale, you're better off going active. If you're talking about a large scale show like a Rolling Stones concert where there's ample time to do sound checks, not to mention multiple amplifiers (this is key), it's a completely different scenario. There are ways around having one non-functioning amp, having more than one amp offers the flexibility for a workaround. But as a small setup where one amp is all you have, you're putting all your eggs into one basket.Quote:
Originally Posted by sss18734
This statement is completely subjective. Where is this "hypothetical" amp that you replace the "broken" amp with? What if there isn't one available? I don't think this is a very good reason for passive being better. If you have 4 powered speakers and 1 breaks, as long as the 3 you're running are good quality and loud enough to handle a little more volume, that 1 non-working speaker should be negligible...So really, you shouldn't have to find another one.Quote:
Passive gear is also less of a hassle if it breaks. You can't field replace an active speaker - but if a passive amp goes, you slide it out and slide the new one in - or quickly re-wire your system so that another amp helps power that speaker.
You're attempting to say that passive is better because you can use any amp, assuming that you have a backup readily available...But the same could be said for having an active speaker readily available as a backup...They're both completely IDEAL scenario's. I suppose it's more likely that someone would have an amplifier in their home rather than an active speaker, but that's still hoping for the "ideal" scenario. As a mobile DJ, you can't hope for the best, you either have to have your back up in place (bring an extra amp with you), or use active and hope that if one breaks the rest are good enough to carry the party without any problem.
Are you looking to get two or one? Good quality or cheap quality? If you're a mobile DJ, and you do weddings and corporate events, I would say quality is key, not because anybody will notice the sound quality (because let's face it, a large majority of them won't), but because you don't want something crapping out on you on and having the client make a BIG deal out of it. If that's the case, I would recommend, Yorkville NX55P's, or E10P's (for something smaller, although they're about the same price around here). RCF's, QSC's, Yamaha DXR, or DSR line, JBL PRX (the powered line, not passive if that's what you're looking for).Quote:
Originally Posted by Devour
If it's just for fun, to do friends events or the odd house party, I guess anything will do, because if you're DJ'ing for free, or if it's for friends, they won't get their panties in a bunch. For that I would suggest the already mentioned Mackie Thumps, various models of Behringer can be had for $700/pair, Samson's, Alto, Or even the Mackie SRM V2 line which can be had for a little more. The SRM V1's as far as I know, were once made with RCF components, but are now made in China and so they've taken a serious hit to their sound quality and build quality...But some people still consider them to be good quality.
To the OP, to be totally honest, since you have an amp, this might be your best bet. That is, if you care about having a back up. If you don't, just get some speakers and rock out with your amp. If you do, maybe consider this before buying a set of powered speakers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emery
This is why it's generally a good idea to use an amp that works.Quote:
Originally Posted by tokenasianguy
Yea that would help.Quote:
Originally Posted by djproben
I think of it this way. With a 4 speaker passive setup, when the amp goes the floor stops. You unhook everything in the middle of you set, and replace the amp - about 5mins of silence.
With a 4 speaker active setup, one speaker (or amp) goes and you have 3 more running fine and no down time. just carry on and worry about it at the end of the night
KRK's may not be the best out there for what you can get with that much money, but they are a well known brand and therefore have decent warranty and let's face it... They wouldn't be well known if they weren't good. Go with 2X KRK Rokit 8 G2 and once you've saved up, buy the KRK Rokit 10 Sub.
KrK's for an outdoor party with 70-100 people?? Why? They are studio monitors.. If you're going to spend the money get some PA speakers
My bad, didn't realise he was talking about an outside party. I thought he was just talking for Bedroom DJing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emery
Ha all good. Yea krk's are nice for bedroom dj, I use the 5's and they are great. I would not recommended for producers though
I use the KRK 8's for producing, and they are nice. But I was using them for Bedroom DJing before I even got into producing, so hopefully going to be looking for something better soon.
Yea I have always heard that Krk's are too bassy for a serious producer. I personally like the extra bass for DJ'ing though