Need advice on speakers for large room, dance parties

Not sure if this helps, but one of the best outdoor DJ concerts I heard (in terms of output AND quality) was an Electrovoice (active speaker?) system. Unfortunately I couldn't fight through the crowd enough to ask the DJ what the specific model was.

Given the size (it was fairly compact) I was very surprised and impressed.
 
If you dont want to spend huge amounts of money on cornwalls and such...
Just go for cerwin vega....they thunder and can go stupid loud :yes:
 
Big cerwins! +1

That's what I use when I'm after the same kick, had something like 6 pairs at one time.
Really any of the models with 15" drivers will do but if you can swing them than don't hesitate on those XLS-215s.
 
I might be completely off here, but i own a pair of genesis 400 series vintage speaker prototypes, and mine are only vaquely different from the regular ones, and can easily fill a room that size with some of the best and varied audio i have ever heard. I am relatively new and naive in many things audio, so forgive me if i am off base, but these speakers are killer, and very powerful. They will bring police to your party.
 
Koss CM1030s

Worked great at the college parties we used to host - had a friend a couple of doors down who picked up a pair of CM1020s. We would split the preout signal and drive both sets of speakers from two different amps. That was a wall of sound!
 
You don't have to give up on JBLs just because of your budget. Sure some 4333s or 4345s would be your best bet but your budget would need to be three-times what it is. I'd go for a pair of L7s and put the leftover money into a beast of a Crown amp. The L7s can handle upward of 450 watts and produce 91dB SPL from one watt at one-meter. They are one of the more under-appreciated JBLs of all time and you won't be disappointed.
:thmbsp:
 
A look at the JBL-L150, if you can find a pair within your budget, excellent rock speakers. The ESS is nice, but not really a party speaker, more of a jazz or blues speaker with those big heils. A nice pair of Polk SDAs would work well too, just don't get in a hurry, and you will do fine. Good luck
 
Hi there,

I really enjoy playing records for friends and am looking to upgrade my current, meager, vintage hi-fi setup.

Many of my friends immediately respond with "Get the LaScalas," and on that much recommendation alone, I'm willing to go for it.

However, I keep finding lots of neat alternatives...for instance, a pair of ESS-Heil AMT 1Ds in pristine condition nearby that are a few hundred less than the La Scalas I am looking at. It also seems like there are some older, large JBL models that might have the "oomph" I'm looking for? Do the beefy Cerwin-Vega models exhibit as high fidelity as some of these others?

The room I'm using is 21' x 26'....I guess I ultimately have many many more questions, but really would appreciate some "nuanced" opinions on vintage speaker models. My budget is..as low possible :D but up to about $1000.
any cerwin vega with a 15 or hell they make a newer model with 2 15 inch woofers.those should more than do what you want. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cerwin-Vega...53?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item3f3f02a7ad. and if you search just a little bit they are under 1k
 
Been there, and it wasn't quite as easy as you might think. I guess it all depends on how long you'd like the system to play at party levels. As you're a DJ, imagine if the system you played through could only jam for an hour before needing to cool down a bit. Customers would be leaving as quickly as they entered in search of a club that didn't have that problem. Most consumer grade amplifiers simply do not have a thermal design that will permit this.

Several of the speaker recommendations in this thread are spot on. Be sure and choose a power amp to drive them that is designed for continuous high power use - Crown, Crest, Mackie, etc. [The fan cooled McIntosh amps are also perfect.] Keep a few things in mind:

- More drivers allow better heat dissipation and will permit longer high volume playing than speakers with fewer drivers.
- Your house isn't a club. People don't want to show up and not be able to have a conversation before they've had their first beer. After a few big parties, we figured you need to start out easy and slowly add 10 dB of additional output for every 10 beers consumed. That meant that we might increase output by 10 dB over the course of three or four hours and 20 dB by 6 hours or so. Zero complaints.

For my last house party, I used a pair of Altec Model 14s for tops, and (16) 12" woofers in large vented enclosures for the bottom (4 wide, 4 high in a nicely packed cluster to maximize coupling). We powered the 14s with a McIntosh MC2300 and the subs with a Crown MicroTech MT2400. This was all set up outside as it was a pool party. A buddy of mine did the DJing and the only complaints we had were from local law enforcement (who showed up 5 times and were all simply amazed at just how loud the system really was). Most people commented that they'd never heard any system at any club they'd been to sound that good. The gear jammed all day long (118 degrees - 4th of July) without one hiccup. Of course, it took us several gatherings to achieve that . . .

Have fun.
 
FYI ended up going the frat party route and picked up a mint pair of Cerwin Vega E-315s from CL for $200. They ARE loud lol
 
I can't believe i'm gonna suggest this.

But, i recently heard an old school DJ's new rig. (one that actually knows gear and good audio)

He is running Cerwin Vega XLS-215's.

I was quite impressed, and that doesn't happen often.

I'm surprised the Altec forum didn't make you turn in your membership card...:D
 
I'm surprised the Altec forum didn't make you turn in your membership card...:D

Don't worry, they will when they see my next big system. :yes:

Don't worry were working on it ! :D

@mjdubs A pair of A7's would work nicely for your application.And you can find a pair for way under a $1000 if you look in the right places...:yes:

97dB for one watt of power..That should get those folks a rockin..
 
Don't worry were working on it ! :D

@mjdubs A pair of A7's would work nicely for your application.And you can find a pair for way under a $1000 if you look in the right places...:yes:

97dB for one watt of power..That should get those folks a rockin..

whoa...nice.

i think it'll be a little while until i make more audio purchases as i just picked up the CVs...thanks to everyone for giving me some solid advice!
 
whoa...nice.

i think it'll be a little while until i make more audio purchases as i just picked up the CVs...thanks to everyone for giving me some solid advice!

Your Welcome... You really have an endless amount of choices when it comes to speakers, as always though you have to deal with certain factors and at the top for most is the budget.

Best of Luck with your search in the future..:thmbsp:
 
My first system when I was 15 was some 15in cerwins with an onkyo m504 amp and p308 preamp. I blasted heavy metal for years with it. Got the cops called on me all the time and my neighbors hated me (I lived in a townhouse). Have fun!
 
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