Speakers Under 400?

**djgringo** · 08-09-2011, 06:06 PM

I do house parties small venues possibly the size of two class rooms. At the current moment i have a 2 channel mixer, a maschine, a x1, and tsp2. (I dont think that was necessary but its ok).. And i own a subwoofer for my houses surround system it plugs into the wall for power ANYWAAAAYZZZ would it be possible to get speakers under 400 for house parties i might do some small school gym later.... Active speakers would be preferable but i can do powered.

**djgringo** · 08-09-2011, 06:09 PM

Also i would maybe go used...

**DigitalDevil** · 08-09-2011, 06:10 PM

Only thing I can think of in that price range would be the Behringer Eurolive series... sound isn't the best but I guess you don't expect that from a pair of loudspeakers under $400. Alternatively you could go for a single Mackie Thump 15.

**djgringo** · 08-09-2011, 06:14 PM

i like the mackie thump 15 idea and just save up for the next one how loud is it? could i rock a house party with just one?

**ksandvik** · 08-09-2011, 06:24 PM

Samson XP510i is 2x250W if that's all you need. Get a sub-woofer later. To get 1000W+ output you ned QSC K12s and so on and it's outside your budget. The XP510i is usually below $700 but I think outside used gear it's hard to find anything for $400, even $500.

I have the Samson XP308i in my garage (2x150W), mostly for my electronic drums and band practices and it's loud enough for that. As a bonus the sound is really good and those are easy to transport.

**Frank112916** · 08-09-2011, 06:27 PM

No, for 400 you cannot get a decent speaker and amp setup. I'm sorry, just not possible. Save up. You'll need at least 6-800 for a decent speaker system that won't sound like shit. Mackie Thumps are reasonable.

If you are good with wood or know someone who is - build yourself a Bill Fitz Maurice system. For about 1200 with an Amp and DSP you can build a system that will rock 200 people. Not club level sound at that size crowd but good enough for your purposes.

**djgringo** · 08-09-2011, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by Frank112916

No, for 400 you cannot get a decent speaker and amp setup. I'm sorry, just not possible. Save up. You'll need at least 6-800 for a decent speaker system that won't sound like shit. Mackie Thumps are reasonable.

If you are good with wood or know someone who is - build yourself a Bill Fitz Maurice system. For about 1200 with an Amp and DSP you can build a system that will rock 200 people. Not club level sound at that size crowd but good enough for your purposes.

You seem quite knowledgeable. For a basement house party for some 18 year olds would ONE mackie thump 15 work and after my gig in october get a second one.

**Frank112916** · 08-09-2011, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by djgringo

You seem quite knowledgeable. For a basement house party for some 18 year olds would ONE mackie thump 15 work and after my gig in october get a second one.

How many people? How big is the basement?

For a basement house party where the basement is say 12x20 with a 7-10 foot ceiling I'd suggest you go with a pair of decently loud computer speakers and sub. Like these -

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-ProMedia-Certified-Computer-Speaker/dp/B000062VUO"]Amazon.com: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified Computer Speaker System (Black): Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41s2wGmIocL.@@AMEPARAM@@41s2wGmIocL[/ame]
Raise up those speakers up to head level, corner load the sub, and you will get decent sound output for the price. Enough to keep a bunch of house party guests happy. I did my friends 21st with them and it was fine.

If you can up your budget 150 dollars to 550 then I'd say save up for these
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Samson-Auro-D415-Speaker-Enclosure/dp/B0042H805Y"]Amazon.com: Samson Auro D415 - 2-Way Active Speaker Speaker Enclosure: Musical Instruments@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41q4ml65tRL.@@AMEPARAM@@41q4ml65tRL[/ame]

if you want to go active. They are cheaper than the Mackies and get great reviews. The Mackies I hear, fwiw, are a bit muddy. You'll almost definitely want to add a sub down the line but you won't be able to add an active one for less than 500 to make it worth it.