Amp/Speakers for bedroom DJ

thomas · Post by **thomas** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:52 pm

I blown my speakers, which where pretty shit really. so i need some new set up, with my very minimal budget....

http://www.djstore.co.uk/cgi-bin/group. ... s_packages

Was looking on here, as its my first call when i need some new equipment, but i dont know which will be able to handle dubstep (and Hip Hop) the best.

Didnt want to spend more than about 300, but i will if i have to like...Its just for my bedroom and i wont be playing them proper loud just enough to have a good time and play Dubstep so we get the full effect in my small room.

Any help would be great, as i have no idea on amps n all that, ive just had it hooked up to a Hifi type thing for the last 2 years

skavoovie_blind9 · Post by **skavoovie_blind9** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 1:15 pm

You can prob get a pair of speakers decent enough for in your bedroom for about £150 and if you was going to spend £300 anyway you can get a half decent sub for £150.

I got this off e-bay for £150 and it packs more than enough weight to make my house rumble when I crank it

thomas · Post by **thomas** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 1:38 pm

what spec should i be looking at for speakers,

Ive been told i need 20-20 freq, and anything over 60w is cool for me...

any idea if them packages are good, or other packages online you know of?

synthfreek · Post by **synthfreek** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 3:39 pm

There are other things to consider besides just watts. If you're using really inefficient speakers then 60 watts will not suffice. If you're using super-efficient speakers 5 watts will be enough. Figure out what speakers you want first then find their efficiency rating. The specs will say something like 90db @ 1watt/1meter. So in theory if you're using 84db efficient speakers with a 60 watt amp you'll barely be getting to 100db before distortion comes a knockin'. Alternately some really efficient 99db speakers will hit that level with a watt or two. Personally I like highly efficient horn-loaded speakers with low-wattage tube amps.

thomas · Post by **thomas** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 4:08 pm

So whats the creteria for being efficent....like what detail am i looking for? Ohms? or is it more model and brand?

synthfreek · Post by **synthfreek** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 5:48 pm

First off let me state that just because a speaker can be driven easily(making it an "efficient" speaker) does not make it a "better" speaker. There are tons of fantastic and insanely expensive speakers that love gobs of high-quality watts.
I would consider anything above 90db 1watt/1meter to be pretty easy to drive and just about any wattage amp would push them pretty loud. The formula to figure out how loud a speaker will get goes like this. You must double the wattage going into the speaker to raise it by 3 decibels. I would say that at a little over 100db of sustained loudness will probably fry your eardrums after a while but you will easily hit spikes above 100db so you want to have a little headroom available.
I would personally stay away from pa/dj type of speakers and aim toward a nice audiophile bookshelf or tower pair. Something like the PSB Alpha B1 speakers http://www.psbspeakers.com/product.php?pId=69&sId=4 which are $279 USD and a Cambridge Audio 340A integrated amp($279) http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/summary.p ... =Azur+340A would be a great-sounding setup that would stand the test of time and not look bad in your living room as well. You could add a sub later but trust me that this system would sound better than something from the djstore.

synthfreek · Post by **synthfreek** » Sat Jun 02, 2007 5:56 pm

I just looked at some of those packages on the dj store and I just had to laugh. When you click on full product details/specs for the Kam speakers they don't tell you shit. They boast about their "ROBUST METAL GRILLES, CARPET FINISH & HIGH QUALITY PROTECTIVE CORNERS" but don't even have their efficiency rating that's pretty sad. That stuff is shit really. It might be louder but that certainly ain't better.

thomas · Post by **thomas** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 12:24 am

them speakers would be useless for Djing though?

I was thinking about the tapco sw10, what u make of them?

and what are them Alesis RA series amps like?

synthfreek · Post by **synthfreek** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 1:39 am

You stated that this was just for your bedroom and wouldn't be played "proper loud". I don't understand why you think these wouldn't work. Are you wanting something you can gig with or something for your bedroom?

The Tapco you're talking about is just a subwoofer. It's not even a full-range speaker. As far as those type of rack-mounted amps like Crown, Alesis, etc. I would personally only use something like that for a sub. I wouldn't use anything like that for a regular pair of speakers.

Here's a link to some of my stereo stuff. I've since upgraded my preamp to the second link so I know what I'm talking about. Don't be fooled by those big PA type of speakers. They mostly sound shit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn8XExlmoXQ
http://www.primaluna.nl/products_subpage1a3p.htm

thomas · Post by **thomas** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 12:10 pm

Ive always been under the impression that 40 watts would not be very loud.....and wouldnt the amp need to be higher than the speaker?

Also 65-21,000 Hz, that range wouldnt be able to handle most dubstep/reggae, without a sub would it?

The speakers you linked to, confuse me. One is different to the other...would they not operate differently, and make it confusing to mix?

skavoovie_blind9 · Post by **skavoovie_blind9** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 1:39 pm

Yeah mate speakers that only go down to 65hz wont have any bottom end on them. If you just want speakers for mixin on the decks and not production I personaly wouldn't break my bank balance for anything too fancy.

I just use a pair of old hi-fi speakers with a sub for my decks, which are fine for home use, and use my good monitors for production.

If I didn't get constant complaints from the neighbours and could afford a bigger system I'de defo indulge though mate.

synthfreek · Post by **synthfreek** » Sun Jun 03, 2007 4:33 pm

Ok first off they are not showing two different speakers. They're just showing an example of each color they're available in.

And don't let the specs fool you into thinking the bass just stops and disappears at 65hz. That's just the hz level where it starts to roll off. You're going to get usable bass down to 40hz or so. When a manufacturer gives a spec of 65hz-21khz those points will be where the level starts to fall off a bit.

Think about all the studio monitors people use to make tracks. I don't think all that many people use monitors that are spec'd to go below 50hz.

I wouldn't settle for those shit dj speakers that look impressive to a 14 year old kid. Opt for something that you can build around by adding a decent sub in the near future. I'm sure I can whip something up that would include a powered sub and not so nice of an amp for a similar budget.

Would you be coming straight out of a dj mixer? If you've ever thought about starting to make tracks you might even wanna consider getting a nice pair of powered monitors. You could get something kick-ass for 500 that would just plug straight into your mixer without the need for an amp. Then in the future you could use them to make tracks.

And there are many great budget speakers besides those PSB's. Grab a copy of What Hi-Fi magazine and compare stuff in your budget that reaches down to those extra hz that are so prevalent in dubstep, reggae & electronic music in general.

Bottom line to me is that it makes more sense to always think about the future. Sure those big dj/pa type speakers look cool to someone not really "in the know" but they're going to sound like an old wrinkled taint compared to something that's of higher quality but not so impressive looking.

stanton · Post by **stanton** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 7:24 pm

I've got some Fostex PM 0.5s and a PM Sub. The setup is amazing, so clear but enough bass to kill a rabbit. I reckon they're about half what I paid for em now n'all.

Amp/Speakers for bedroom DJ

Amp/Speakers for bedroom DJ

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