WHICH AMP AND SPEAKERS???

[desperatedan 0]

Hi Return to dj after a 3 year gap have managed to get a set up together via ebay and dj shops, stuff kept from before.

presently have Acoustic Sounds 125w speakers & SkyTech PA2150B amp which i know will only work well in small venues ie pubs for karaoke etc..

Looking to get a bigger system to cover most venues any suggestions the cheaper the better as only just strating back out on the road and also in a new area so it's like starting from scratch.

 

Have seen a AH1000-500wattper channel amp for £159.00 which seems a good price what size speakers would be best for this amp i was thinking 400watt ??

Have read the post on amp about ohms and bridging etc.. but all could be in a differnet language to me.

 

I was quite lucky before when working I had a regular pub with a regular function room so never really had to move and I m sure I use to run a 200watt amp & speakers.

 

 

ANY HELP ???

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Many Thanks

 

Desperate Dan (DANDY DISCOS)

[YourBigEvent 0]

First of all, welcome to the forum, you have come to the correct place for help, advice, and good banter.

One of the techies will be along shortly to advise you better, but 500w/ch running 400w speakers seems OK to me, as long as the speakers are rated at rms not peak power.

Will let someone else explain becuase they will do it better than me, I will just get you more confused with my warbling http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif

[ChrisPointon 0]

Hi, you'll get different opinions on this from different DJ's, and so I can only really advise what combination has worked for me over the years. If you search the forum, then you will find lots of interesting advice.

 

One helpful and informative thread can be found Here

 

You may also find the following articles helpful:-

 

RMS and Peak Values

 

Ohms and Speaker Impedance

 

Amplifier output values

 

Welcome to the forum http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/042.gif

 

 

[desperatedan 0]

hmm speakers i has seen on ebay where 400w max power per speaker not RMS Value !!!.

What size amp and speakers would anyone recomned for a disco and karaoke set up.

Ideal for doing all typical disco events ie weddings,birthdays etc..

Wont be doing many massive venues so a decent size sound system is really what I am after any recomendations ?? What size amp do you guys use ??

 

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[ChrisPointon 0]

Again, my personal advice is to go for a pair of 300W - 400W RMS value speakers rated at 8 Ohm Impedance for use with the AH amplifier mentioned. You do have to excercise care when choosing speakers and if the rating looks a little too good for the price then they are probably using Peak or Maximum figures so always check the specs for yourself or on the Manufacturers website.

 

I recommend the Ohm RW Series, and the RW3 (300W RMS) or the RW 5 (350W RMS) are both good buys. If you have the budget then also consider adding a pair of RWS bass bins (300W RMS) which work very well together with the full range cabs for larger venues and will also give you the full combined (4 ohm) rating for your amplifier. Of course the bass bins don't need to be used at every gig, the Amp will happily run the RW3 or RW5 on their own.

 

Also do a search for 'Proel' on the forum, a lot of DJ's here highly recommend them.

 

As for the Amplifier, no problems there and the price is very good. The Audiohead are identical to the C-Mark series reviewed Here - incidentally I have two C-mark brand new 700W RMS x 2 Amplifiers left to clear at £169.00 + delivery each if anybody is interested?. Email me if you are.

[norty303 0]

Snap them amps up people! I've got the t.amp branded version and they're £200+ normally. Been superb for the money on my monitors

[desperatedan 0]

thanks chris you are being a bid help hence the reson for join here originally.

The set up I have already do you think this would surfice for smaller gigs ??

Live in a small house so havent really been able to test out the loudness of speakers I have at mo.

May have to scoure ebay for some speakers those ohm recomended look nice but price was trying to get away with spending a little less if possible.

 

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[Digital discos 0]

Chris I'd be interested..........

 

Is this C-Mark the people who are now bust? OR is that c-audio?

 

 

[desperatedan 0]

on this same topic what do people think about powered speakers and forget the amp ??

Is this a better option or not as safe didnt have this option when i used to dj.

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[ChrisPointon 0]

To my knowledge C-Mark are still going, they are a Chinese Company and their amplifiers are marketed under various OEM branding and at various prices, Audiohead being just one of their many guises http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif . Currently they are being retailed to the trade by a fairly large well known company, although it's not their own design. Their Previous UK Distributor - Active colour systems did disappear some time ago and it was nice to be able to buy these amplifiers again, they are a really good - cost effective and reliable amplifier.

 

Desperate - again opinion is divided on powered versus passive debate, personally I prefer to have seperate amplifier and speakers, so if things go Awry I can swap and change if a fault developed in either Amplifier or speaker at a gig. however there are several people on the forum who have used powered speakers for years and never had any issue, it is literally personal preferance. However whether you use powered or active speakers it makes sense to always have some form of back up available should something go wrong at 10.30pm on a Saturday Night http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/fear.gif .

 

The general consensus when reading the various DJ opinions, is that if you buy powered speakers then try and invest in something like Mackies or Opera DB's - both of which have a good reputation for reliability in the DJ and P.A industry.

 

Whatever you decide on, I personally put sound equipment budget above that of lighting for obvious reasons, so I would buy the best that you can afford, which equally is not OTT for the size of venue. You can always upgrade your lighting as you go along but with Sound Equipment it is better to get it right first time, than flounder along with something which isn't suitable for the size and type of function. In other words, better to have a high quality 1000W P.A than a loud, blaring tinny 2kw system just becase it happened to be on sale at the time.

 

Equally if you are only doing the average sized village hall, or pub, or Hotal function room, then a 1kw system is all that you need, although keeping an extra pair of speakers or bass bins or actives for marquees and larger functions will probably pay for themselves in time.

 

Because choice of sound is such a personal preference and because what may suit one DJ may not suit another, I would advise that you perhaps borrow / hire a system before you buy. Sound Equipment may sound very good in a warm, carpeted showroom when fed from a £3000 mixing desk, but out on the road in a DJ environment in a high ceiling town hall with 300 people it may sound totally different!. Even £70 to hire your Mackies / Ohms / JBL's / Proel may sound a waste but if you decide that their sound at your functions is not for you, then it's just saved you a £1000 investment http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif . Sound is really one thing that can be advised, but not demo'ed in a forum environment http://www.dj-forum.co.uk/html//emoticons/smile.gif .

[YourBigEvent 0]

I have both a passive, and active set up.

 

Passive because of the flexibility, and greater sound possibilities, adding a amp or two to set of passive is both easier, and cheaper, but for easy I use the powered set up, especially for smaller gig/kids parties/quizzes etc.

 

If I have a marquee I may use both set ups at the same time, using the actives half way up the marquee as sound reinforcement

 

Also like CP says ideal to keep in the van as backup.

 

So it is horses for courses I have had HZ powered for 5 years and cannot knock them, but have got back to passive as my last buy, only so I have the combination.

 

If you want a listen to the HZ's and you are close, or I am gigging near you let me know.

[desperatedan 0]

Thanks for all the advice just waiting for redundancy cheque to come thru then i think I have decided to but ah 100w amp as previously mentioned and then a pair of soundlab 300w rms per side. from ebay (for approx £150). blue carpeted versions.

Should be plenty of sound for now just need to start trying to filling the diary very hard as now based in a new area. Cant call on any of my old clients or old venues.

Have set up website, tracked down a old customer for a referance and had business cards made up.

 

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[tonyj 0]

QUOTE (desperatedan @ Apr 7 2005, 12:17 PM)

a pair of soundlab 300w rms per side. from ebay (for approx £150). blue carpeted versions.

may i suggest for about another £50 or so you can get the ABS plastic 300watt soundlabs, they sound alot better and look the business too.

[desperatedan 0]

are the blue carpeted soundlab 300w rms speakers not worth it then ??

[John Kidd 0]

Deltec Speakers and QSC amps you cant go wrong.

[desperatedan 0]

Doing the usual searching for cheapest possible amp & Speaker set ups.

Just seen on ebay

 

Brandnew PA-amplifier Hollywood 1200 Watt „Impact-600“

&

2 OMNITRONIC+DX-1222 3-Way Speaker, 1200 WATT *NEW (300w rms per speaker)

 

Any Ideas / Views ????

 

both with p&p for £227.90 Seems a but good to be true !!! (New by the way)

Where's the catch ??

 

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[norty303 0]

The catch is that you generally get what you pay for.

 

Asking for the cheapest amp and speaker setup will normally answer a few other questions too regarding sound quality, spl level, robustness, etc.

 

Whilst buying kit now is getting cheaper and cheaper by the day, investing some time and effort in researching what is available and what others think of things is time well spent. Spending alittle more at the start can mean you're not wanting to upgrade quite so quickly.

 

For cheap, reliable amps the Behringer EP series are very good and decidedly lighter than their T.amp/Audiohead/C-Mark equivalents (I've been lifting EP2500's and their equivalents today and the difference is noticeable)