Need help on choosing speakers

[SyKeD]

G'day all

I'm looking at purchasing some speakers in the near future ( next couple of weeks probably )

But i don't have alot of knowledge on speakers/amps and I'd like some help and honest opinions

about the speakers i have been interested in.

http://www.djwarehouse.com.au/sound/pa- ... ckage.html

$3390

Instead of powered subs use these ( i have been told that an 18inch requires ATLEAST 1500watts

to use it to its potential )

http://www.djwarehouse.com.au/sound/pas ... oofer.html

$635

Amplifier to power the subs

http://www.crownaudio.com/amp_htm/xls_drivecore.htm ( Specifications )

XLS2500 $999

XLS2000 $899

XLS1500 $699 < Could use x2 of them one for each sub?

OR

http://www.djwarehouse.com.au/sound/pa- ... ckage.html

$1990. Then add x2 18's down the track?

When i told Djwarehouse that i was looking at getting these speakers as they are in my budget

they said Why would you want these? They aren't good and Passive systems are old technology and that

i would be wasting my money in purchasing these speakers, that they don't give a good sound and

they are too heavy.

Then they said you would want these.

2x http://www.djwarehouse.com.au/sound/pow ... eaker.html

2x http://www.djwarehouse.com.au/sound/pow ... sub-2.html

And that they will cover like 500 people etc from what they were saying

Virtually that is way over my budget, I wish i could afford that but i can't.

Djwarehouse Pro's & Con's

Pro - You deposit %25 of the total price and then start making weekly payments & you get the items

then and there

Con - You end up paying an extra couple hundred than the original price

For example the first pack x2 JRX115 & 118's I'd be paying extra $700

Other places, I have found are cheaper but don't do the financial payment program.

I have a few friends birthday's coming up with in the next 2 months, At the moment

speakers i have now aren't suitable enough to do it, so pretty much i need the speakers

as soon as possible.

I don't mind paying an extra couple hundred to get them now, but yeahhhh

Sorry it's alot to read but had to explain as much as i could.

What do you guy's reckon ?

Cheers

Chris

[eggssell]

before the experts hop in, you may want to state what you using 'em for.

mobile; house parties; bedroom banging..

[SyKeD]

Mobile/House Parties/bedroom banging

Anything that it can suit

[SourceRaver]

Save your money and buy the powered speakers. Hire some speakers for the parties.

[SourceRaver]

Now I have time to explain my answer...

Speakers connected to an amp are not a good idea idea if you dont know a lot about sound reinforcement. If the amp is too powerfull, or not powerfull enough, you can easily damage the speakers. You need to ask someone in the know if they are properly matched. If not, you may need to buy a whole bunch of extra equipment like compressors, limmiters, sound processors etc to protect and balance the system. Next time you see someone using passive speakers, have a look at their amp rack and you'll be surprised at how much extra gear is needed to do it right.

The best thing about powered speakers is that they have been designed to be matched and the amount of power going to the speakers is just right. They cost more because of the inbuilt amplifier, but you can use them straight out of the box without any additional rack mount equipment (tho its always wise to add a limmiter or similar in case of accidents).

I was a huge fan of Mackie SRM450s but have had a few problems with the latest Chinese versions. The powered JBLs are equally as good and would probably be my choice from your list.

Save your money and buy them outright. Just hire some speakers in the mean time and ask your friends to pay. A couple of good powered speakers will cost maybe $100 for the night and if your providing the entertainment then its a bargain for them. Depending on the size of the venue you may not even need a sub (ie house party). You probably dont even need to buy a sub, just hire one (or two) depending on the venue size.

[SourceRaver]

These would probably suit your needs and are perfect for mobile/house parties/BB:

http://www.djwarehouse.com.au/sound/pow ... nch-1.html

Chances are you'll be able to hire them from somewhere or even find a store that has them on display for a quick demo.

[SyKeD]

Thank you for taking your time to reply source much appreciated

I'm still kinda leaning towards pa

Does any one else have some more opinions on this I'd like to get a wide variety so I can some it all up

[Mitch]

I'd definately go powered speakers. As source said, they are designed to work as is with the amp inside them, less fuss with amp racks etc.

As for what ones to get, if you want to go high end i'd lean towards JBL, mackie and similar.

If you want to go a bit cheaper there is behringer and similar. I don't know too many of the brands as i'm not real up to date with exactly what to get, but you get a rough idea of the different quality levels. By the looks of your budget you wanna go some good quality stuff so would be looking at JBL, Mackie etc.

Don't be afraid to arrange hire of some speaker for a couple of gigs to make sure they are what you want, and even have an in store demo. Worst thing is having buyers remorse.

Hope this helps

[andythemusician]

( i have been told that an 18inch requires ATLEAST 1500watts

to use it to its potential )

Mate, I would remove this from your brain as soon as possible. This is complete rubbish, spoken by someone who obviously hasn't had much audio experience.

My $0.2:

Powered speakers. If you are new to audio, go powered. If you can't be bothered setting up lots of gear, go powered. If you need quick solutions, go powered.

Passive is still great - it still whips the ass of powered with the current technology available. I'm talking high end of course. And a lot of new people will go passive because it seems cheaper - however, they don't count the extra things such as crossovers and limiters, and sometimes don't even think about amplifiers!

So yep. Powered. As its already been said, save your money, hire for the time being, then buy. I know it sucks when you want it now (trust me I know, I'm in the middle of the same thing with gear!) but in the long run, its much better.

[Gandy]

as everyones said, go powered

[SyKeD]

Hey.

After alot of researching and other brands i've finally made up my mind that i'll be going with the x2 JBL PRX615s and x2 JBL618s or XLF

Question is

What is the difference between the 618's - 618 XLF ??

I couldn't manage to get any of the places i went to, to test them out for me, either weren't in stock or were in the back some where

cheers

[Florro]

http://www.jblpro.com/catalog/general/P ... =365&MId=3

The XLF has a maximum SPL of 133db vs 129db on the s. Also frequency response is lower 39hz (3db-) opposed to 50hz (3db-) on the s. I dont look at the +-10db readings as it is a massive variance. Every 3db is double the volume so +-10db is over 8 times louder or softer. Example if your doing 100kmh in a car a 10db variance would equate over 800kmh!

So yes there is a difference in the 2 it depends on the price difference and if you can justify it. I can. lol

[SyKeD]

Thanks for every ones replies much appreciated

i'll be getting x2 PRX615's and x2 PRX618-XLF

I think i'll be VERY satisfied with these speaker for a very long time

[Florro]

Just remember storedj offer the same repayment plan as djwarehouse but with storedj you can pay back up to $6000. Djwarehouse only offer $3000. Let me know how you go with the gear. I am looking at the same set up but am tossing up about spending the extra to go the PRX625's.

[Florro]

Just re-reading therough some earlier post and I cant say that I agree with the hire option vs payment plan.

Where I live they charge through the nose to hire. A full set of speakers, lights, mixer & player is $400. And its about 15 years old! If you were to spend $8000 at store dj ($2k deposit - $6k repayment) your payments are less than $60 a week. So depending on how many gigs you do it is probably cheaper than hiring and in the end its yours to keep.

Just my 2 cents.

[SyKeD]

Florro, thanks for the information, Also i already got a Pioneer CDJ350 DJM350 & lights so all i would be doing is hiring speakers

djwarehouse is reasonably cheap for hiring just speakers or even packages for the night

I rang storedj this morning and got a quote on a payment plan which is really good!.

I got 2 quotes. One for x2615's and x2615s/618sXLF and the payment option world out really well and Cheaper than djwarehouse

for just x2615s wasn't a huge difference but its a difference none the less.

I'll defs be looking at going the full system on a payment plan, its only $796 surcharge, where Djwarehouse was doing $1000 + on surcharge.

Here's the 2 quotes

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Hope that helps you out as well Florro

[Florro]

Thats awesome mate, I have just been doing a quote with Andre as well and am looking at the PRX625's and the same subs as you. The subs aren't going to be available to end of November though. I am also going to get the carry bags and some new XLR cables.

Cant wait to have it all going and set up. Gonna rock some Christmas do's this year! lmao

[SyKeD]

hahaha sweet!!! yeah i know unfortunate but gives me a bit more time to save to get that hefty deposit down.

bags will have to come later down the track for me, unless i work the budget abit better

Oh yeah, Christmas and NYE