Need Speakers for Parties

[avgjoe]

Okay I need speakers for parties that would be loud enough for a school gym. I'm looking for decent sound quality nothing fancy because the source is going to be mainly mp3s. The price range is as cheap as possible. Thanks in advance for suggestions!

[topspeed]

Cerwin Vega's are always at the forefront of "party" speakers because of their high efficiency and power handling. If you can find a nice used pair of Klipsch Heritage series speakers, you'd be doing well. Cornwalls, LaScala's, or Forte II's.

Hope this helps.

[avgjoe]

Would getting a pair of these be sufficient?

http://www.cerwinvega.com/VE8F.php

On the other speakers you mentioned what exactly should I be looking for? Specifics would be awesome but if you could mention price it would be even better.

These Cerwin Vegas I mentioned above would set me back about $300. Unfortunately, audiogon doesn't have a used pair available and craigslist doesn't either. I'll go to my local dealer and check out the speakers as well.

[anamorphic96]

This is more of what you would probably need in a gym.

http://www.cerwinvega.com/CLS215.php
http://www.cerwinvega.com/VE15F.php

[topspeed]

Depends on how big of a room we're talking about. If you're planning on using these for a PA system in a high school gym, then the answer is a resolute NO! The only speaker that will do that justice is a professional monitor. Maybe something from EV or JBL.

How big of a room are we talking about here and what will you be driving it with?

[avgjoe]

It turns out the school I was going to be using these at doesn't have their parties in the gym. They're going to be using a library. The closest thing I can describe this school's library as is a decently large 2 story house but instead there's only 1 story (high ceilings). I'll research JBLs. The school isn't really willing to shell out that much cash.

[avgjoe]

This is more of what you would probably need in a gym.

http://www.cerwinvega.com/CLS215.php
http://www.cerwinvega.com/VE15F.php


What about these?
http://www.shopcerwinvega.com/product_detail.asp?T1=CER+CLS%2D10
http://www.shopcerwinvega.com/product_detail.asp?T1=CER+CLS%2D12

[avgjoe]

What JBL models would you guys suggest? Damn I was really hoping to keep this around 300 or less.

[avgjoe]

So I was snooping around and found this site where they sell DJ speakers - dunno what that means...

http://djtools.com/gemsoundtr150.html

http://djtools.com/gemsoundtr120.html

http://djtools.com/gepx2sy1.html

http://djtools.com/gemsoundtr300.html

All of the above mentioned speakers have dBA of approx. ~100.

[royphil345]

Pro DJ speakers would probably be the best for your application. Home speakers in a large room with many people in it tend to get muffled and sound too "dark".

For $300.00... Your options are a bit limited... but...

There are many cheap DJ speakers out there from unknown brand names in your price-range. Many are total garbage. These aren't so bad... http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Kustom-KPC15-15-PA-Speaker-Cabinet-with-Horn?sku=600816

You should have at least a "good" 100 watts RMS power at 8 ohms to get the best sound out of these. Using a cheap receiver (even if it's rated at 100 watts) would sound a little weak and may damage the receiver or speakers if you play them too loud for too long due to high distortion during peaks. Playing a low powered amp beyond it's capabilities will damage speakers much more quickly than feeding speakers too much CLEAN power. A decent pro amplifier with a little headroom would serve you well if your preamp / receiver has preamp outs... or you could buy a simple used stereo preamp.... or just go all pro sound with an inexpensive mixer as the preamp... I'm sure a school could use a decent all purpose PA setup for all kinds of things. You may be able to fit something into your budget since these cabinets are priced so low.... or you could spend some money on pole stands... http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Musicians-Friend-SS36B-Speaker-Stand?sku=452004

EDIT: Yeah... You're on the right track for your budget and application with your last post I didn't see yet...

The Kustoms are supposed to be a little better than the GemSound... Most people complain the GemSounds are too bright sounding and require some EQ. Duribility of the Kustoms looks like it may be a little better too...

Maybe you could talk them into a package with a powered mixer if amplification is going to be a problem. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-PMH1000Kustom-KPC15-PA-Package?sku=630270

[avgjoe]

Thanks man! Lots of interesting info and options!

[avgjoe]

After I voiced my predicament to the school, the school has decided to up the budget to around a $1000 dollars. However, I also found out that their current amplifier isn't in that good of a condition. Can you guys suggest a decent amp along with speakers for a $1000. Thanks!

[markw]

After I voiced my predicament to the school, the school has decided to up the budget to around a $1000 dollars. However, I also found out that their current amplifier isn't in that good of a condition. Can you guys suggest a decent amp along with speakers for a $1000. Thanks!There are a lot of pretty durn good "packaged" systems for this purpose that come in around that price (and over and under)

We use a couple of Fender packages in our church and they do a very good job overall. They do havetheir limits, but they do pump out a lot og clean sound, and the convenience is undeniable. This example is a bit larger (and a bit more expensive) than the ones we use.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-PASSPORT-PD250-Portable-PA-System?sku=481129

Likewise, Beheringer is a well-respected name in this area as well.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-PMH5000B1520-Pro-PA-System?sku=600712

They may seem to have more features than you are expecting, but in the long run, it's better to have 'em and not need 'em (now) than to need 'em (later) and not have 'em.

Don't ignore Peavey, either.

These are just a few sugestions. Play with that Musicians Friend site for many more of these. They are very viable products.

[avgjoe]

The only thing is that this is only going to be used for music and hence i was favoring the cerwin vega. We're talking about high school kids, people so the simpler the better! BTW I will lookinto that musician site. Lots of interesting stuff! Thanks again!

What about this guy?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gem-Sound-XP350-Stereo-Power-Amp?sku=481216

Seems damn cheap but then again I can buy a nice pair of cerwin-vegas and that should be great. Keep in mind people that most of these kids can't really tell the difference between good quality and bad quality sound. Although, as a high schooler I started out my audiophiling, I don't think the majority will give a damn as long as there's lots of BASS and its LOUD. Agreed this is a generalization but i think the teenagers who this is for will be more interested in atmosphere than the SOUND Quality.

[royphil345]

Some of the cheaper pro amps are decent. You'd want to get a little more power than you need. A cheap amp won't have tons of headroom over it's rating for peaks. It will end up being damaged or damaging your speakers. Bass won't have the authority you're looking for. Crown makes great pro amps. You can get off cheaper, but buy a little more amp than you'd think you need. Check user reviews to screen for products with obvious reliability problems...

CVs would work fine. They aren't as efficient as pro speakers (even if they say they are). You'd probably want a bit more than the cheapest 100 watter amp with those... The CVs are going to be more prone to damage and damage by being moved around... The smaller ones don't have stand mounts. As far as sound quality... they're great with GOOD AMPLIFICATION behind them. 100 watts with no headroom won't give you that dance hall thump you're looking for.

There are several excellent Yamaha setups in the $700.00 range with nice powered mixers. Probably the route I'd go... God forbid we teach a high-school student to use a mixer and get him / her interested in a career... Even if you only use 1 stereo input on it... you have a nice EQ (you may need)... a decent amp... versatility for the future... The mics and cables are darn near free in these package deals. It's not too complicated if thats what you're thinking. You'd figure it out in about 10 minutes.

Adding speaker stands to that first combo I linked to would probably be a real nice sounding setup.

[avgjoe]

Thanks roy for your response! I think they already have a mixer. I just noticed that their amp which is a mono Yamaha from god knows when might be worthy of replacement. So I'm only looking for speakers and possibly an amp depending on what the head of school decides to go ahead with. He might just go with speakers which would really make my life easier. My only slight reservation with a PA system would be possibly lack of sound quality. Now I know I mentioned that sound quality is my lowest priority but I want it to sound decent at least. Would 160W be okay and if so would this Behringer amp be good (160 on 8ohms on stereo).

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-A500-500W-ReferenceClass-Studio-Power-Amplifier?sku=480780

A cheaper solution would be the Gem Sound Xp - 550 which dishes out 300W/ch RMS @ 8 ohms stereo.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gem-Sound-XP550-Stereo-Power-Amp?sku=481218

Even cheaper would be the Nady XA-300 Stereo Power Amplifier which is about 120W on 8ohms stereo.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Nady-XA300-Stereo-Power-Amplifier?sku=482059

In terms of storage and moving around, these speakers will be handled by the school janitor who I know personally and who, believe it or not, is an audiophile himself. Also these speakers will be locked up so no dumb freshmen can mess with them. Therefore if I get CV floorstanders, I don't think stands are necessary.

[royphil345]

Hmmmm....

I'd be tempted to try the Gem Sound amp... Looks more powerful. The Behringer ratings don't even say RMS anywhere. Might be underpowered. You might have to spend a little more to go with Behringer. I doubt the Gem Sound puts out what it says... But, that's the point of buying an amp with a higher rating than you need when buying budget equipment. Would probably work out fine.

Sounds like it will turn out great if you go with the CVs or look at slightly better pro speakers like Yamaha, Peavey, etc... I think you'll be satisfied no matter what. I've heard some great sounding PA setups with Yamaha speakers. You may actually get a little more bass out of the CVs at the expense of some volume and projection. Stands are really nice with single bass driver low floorstanders in rooms full of standing people. Many people use them even with taller dual 15" driver cabs.

I wouldn't buy any amps or speakers frrom Nady. Seems like the "bottom of the barrel".

Also check out ZZounds for any bargains. I've actually had better luck with them actually having the items they advertise in stock. I've had to wait for a couple backorders from Musician's Friend on "in stock" items. http://www.zzounds.com/ You could also check out Music 123 http://www.music123.com/?siteID=d5QQitKXBqA-A95Y7rWI4KJf6AH0saPMbg and Sam Ash http://www.samash.com/ for any bargains.


Good luck!!! :)

[MikeyBC]

Klipsh lascalas were what my high school used....quite successfully