Best products from r/SoundSystem

I think you are better off renting for the outdoor events and just going with a decent 2.1 PC speaker system for the house parties. I've been a hobbiest DJ for 15 years and done several < 20 people house parties on large enough PC speakers.

$500 is just not enough to buy anything worthwhile unless you hit the craigslist lottery.

I'd get Logitech Z623's for DJ practice at home and small house parties. They are loud enough for 12-20 people indoors and plenty loud enough for home practice. A 130W subwoofer on those deliver plenty of bass for the price. You could even get 2 of these systems and hook them up together. At $260 they would cost less and probably sound better than any $500 PA system out there. The $500 PA systems are truly garbage especially for DJing. They are fine for a small acoustic performance at a coffee shop or public speaking events but not where you need thumping bass of dance music.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-980-000402-Speaker-System-Black/dp/B003VAHYTG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421944351&sr=8-2&keywords=2.1+thx


Anytime you do an outdoor event rent and see if the party goers will kick in a few $$ for the sound system. The added benefit is that you'll get some experience with a few common PA brands. JBL EON series are pretty common to get from a rental shop and give you a pretty good introduction to mobile PA systems.

Here's the thing. You aren't going to run all of this on a single amp. I'd say you will need one for each, the bar patio and two (minimum) for the dance floor. You mentioned he wanted 4 speakers on the dancefloor... sounds like a normal 2 full range, 2 subwoofer setup. Again, you can go active so you don't need to worry with amps if that sounds good to you.

Here's how I'd do it:
Mic/CD/AUX/other additional inputs into a mixer. Get a mixer with however many channels you want, maybe one with however many inputs you'll have permanently installed plus a couple extra for DJs to connect their gear so you don't have people fumbling around with the back of your gear, and label each channel fader.

Some mixers have multiple "zone" outs, if you get one of those you can connect each speaker location to a different zone, if not its no big deal. Most will at least have a master and booth output. Run the booth output to the patio amp and this will give you volume control for that location on the mixer.

Run from the master output to the rest of the amps. A lot of amps have link outs, so that you can run the signal into one amp into the next in a chain, but if your amps don't have it don't stress, just pick up however many XLR splitters you need to connect all the amps. Since the dance floor and bar amps are on the same volume fader, you can just adjust the bar levels on the bar amp itself. You don't really need that splitter you linked, it can be done with the mixer and amps.

Also remember to make sure you've matched up all the cables you get to what you need. For instance, the master output is usually XLR, while the booth output is usually either RCA or 1/4, so if the amp only has XLR inputs you'll need a 1/4" to XLR cable. Also, if you decide to use passive speakers, you'll need a crossover between the amps and subs.

I know its a lot to think about, and I didn't give any recommendations on gear because I don't know what sort of budget you're working with, but just search amazon and find whatever gear is in your price range. Avoid anything like Pyle thats REALLY cheap. Buy the best you can afford.


If you have any more questions or want some info on gear you've picked out just inbox me. Thanks for the gold! :)

I'm thinking it's doable for around $1,000. Thanks for asking /r/ZeosPantera!

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What about using basically a karaoke system? Would that work for my needs? It's not going to be the high quality kind of thing you guys normally talk about here, but it may fit what we want.

If so, the best seem to be the Roland B-55 (Amazon link) or the Hisonic PA-687S. They only support two wireless mics at a time, but I could probably make that work. The key reason why I like them is because they support line out. Which I could then plug into a computer via an adapter (like the Behringer UFO202 Audio Interface). I honestly don't know if this would actually work though.

Could I use a mic/amp and audio interface setup like this as audio for software like Skype? I just don't want to spend this much money and find it doesn't work.

^Edit: ^Added ^the ^second ^amp/speaker ^option

Thanks! I have been using some extension chords that work. Definitely going to get a triple tap though.

Yep! I think the cheapest place for XLR cables is amazon... I have prime so I'm looking to order them from there. I looked for stands and right now Im eye-ing two of http://www.amazon.com/PYLE-PRO-PSTND2-Tripod-Speaker-Stand/dp/B000E0PPG0/ref=sr_1_9?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1348433900&sr=1-9&keywords=tripod+speaker
Also I know this may be unpopular, but I find that Setting the speakers on the floor, and if they are in particular hollow environments, enhances the bass... So I might be running my set up that way until I get a sub.

Yeah.... was just looking at that, though it would be nice to just get them right away from the store. Thanks for all the help djscsi! This subreddit has been a lot of help

Okay. So from what you told me I have put together this so far:

I envision a 4-way speaker system with two speakers aiming at about 45 degrees to the front and sides. And then two speakers aiming to the rear.

If I got 4 of these speakers: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BZFSYA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

This amp: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N5T0T4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ADCZTTE1BO460

This power supply: http://www.batteryspace.com/LiFePO4-Prismatic-Battery-12.8V-40Ah-512Wh-10C-Rate-without-Balancing.aspx

Then what else would I need? The most convient way to source music is from our phones, so we have been usin a male 3.5mm to 2 RCA cable. What would be the best option for a mixer or receiver to control volume etc.?

Thanks a lot for your help. I really appreciate it.

That's actually a pretty big pavilion. I'd go rent some PA speakers and a real amp. Five little wifi speakers aren't going to work for a pavilion like that with more than a dozen people in it.

As far as connecting an iPod to the amplifier, I'd go with a dock that has an unamplified stereo output (something like this). If you want to go wireless, use a bluetooth receiver instead. Either option will work with any standard amplifier that you can rent.

FWIW I used to DJ in clubs and did a couple of weddings as well. It's easy to underestimate how loud those events get and how much power you actually need for a sound system. Better to have too much than not enough.

I'll be honest man, I've never had anything but passable (at best) to terrible sound from 1/8" outputs to a PA system. In the industrial band I play with, we had keyboards running off a portable PC and then a track from another PC and it was a damn nightmare of buzz and hiss until I started stepping in on some technical issues.

My advice, ditch the on board audio completely and Use one of these instead

Windows should detect it without additional drives, just make sure to set it as your audio output device then run 2 XLR cables to your mixer. You're never going to believe how much this can clean up your sound vs using the 1/8" cable.

There are other interfaces you can use but most of those are more aimed at recording. This does one thing and one thing only and is super simple, its been perfectly reliable for about 3 years. Sometimes there is something to be said for a device that just does one thing.

they're great speakers - they aren't the best (overall, I'd say the RCFs might be a little better), but for the price, they work well.

If you're looking at that price range tho, might I also recommend these: http://www.amazon.com/RCF-FD12A-Powered-DJ-Speaker/dp/B00I00MX4I

Better low end than the ARTs from what I hear (never heard them myself). Still no HPF for the tops tho...

I'd get two of these, specifically. The B212D's if you can afford them, they'll be significantly louder & more bass (but still won't be very strong, you'll need a sub for that).

As for cables, if you might want to hook up a mic or multiple things or need an easy volume control (each speaker will have its own, but you may be able to use your laptop's), get a tiny cheap Behringer mixer. If it's just one device, you can use a cable like this (since those speakers have 1/4" inputs, cheaper than XLR), and extensions like this if needed

Strongly consider speaker stands if needed, they should be about ear level.

You could grab cheap speakers from Bic America for most of your gigs. Their RTR line has pretty high output for the price. Something like the RTR 1530 (292$ for the pair). They output low enough (33Hz at -3dB) you shouldn't need a sub.

For an amp I might suggest an Audiosource for about 126$.

Or the SMSL SA-50 50Wx2 (66$), its a digital amp so it's super efficient. Any criticism people have about distortion in the highs is irrelevant because most dj equipment (like the 1530's) don't actually have especially accurate treble.

Best advice I've got.

[this would be fine if it works but its cheap as fuck and will probably break fast as hell](http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Pro-PTA1000-1000-Amplifier/dp/B0010K6TXQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1377287013&sr=1-1&keywords=500+watt+amp "yay china"). Split up the center speakers, wire them in series parallel if you can, and get a splitter from your source to input the second amp an that should boost your volume pretty decently.

Not quite the right sub for this, but any Logitech speaker setup should do fine for your room. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VAHYTG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1