buying a small pa system for djing, help plz

[k_tricks]

hope some of you can help me choose a suitable 1k pa for parties, marquees etc for a techno dj....
what's a good type of amp...?
what speakers and why...?
to be run off a generator, any tips....?
any advice much appreciated

[Stagesound]

Can you give some idea of what budget you have?

One initial tip about generators - you need one rated well above the actual load you intend to draw - they really struggle with the rapidly changing load presented by a PA system. I've seen systems at around 1kW running of a 3kVA generator, and every time there's a significant bass note or kick drum, the generator slowed down (and so voltage and frequency dropped - which was particularly funny in one case, where fx were being played in off old analogue cart machines, which set their speed from the mains fequency. Imagine what the sudden drop in mains frequency did to the sound fx!)

A well over-rated generator will be able to cope better with sudden impulses, which momentarily increase the load dramatically. You may "get away" with a smaller generator, but you have no idea what damage that changing voltage and frequency is doing to the PSU's in your precious amps and other sensitive equipment! Some amps will not cope at all, and will just go into protection mode if the mains changes too quickly.

[k_tricks]

Originally Posted by Stagesound

Can you give some idea of what budget you have?

One initial tip about generators - you need one rated well above the actual load you intend to draw - they really struggle with the rapidly changing load presented by a PA system. I've seen systems at around 1kW running of a 3kVA generator, and every time there's a significant bass note or kick drum, the generator slowed down (and so voltage and frequency dropped - which was particularly funny in one case, where fx were being played in off old analogue cart machines, which set their speed from the mains fequency. Imagine what the sudden drop in mains frequency did to the sound fx!)

A well over-rated generator will be able to cope better with sudden impulses, which momentarily increase the load dramatically. You may "get away" with a smaller generator, but you have no idea what damage that changing voltage and frequency is doing to the PSU's in your precious amps and other sensitive equipment! Some amps will not cope at all, and will just go into protection mode if the mains changes too quickly.

thank you for your much appreciated advice
the budget is E 1000 or less,
thinking second hand, but want to know a little about pa types, suitability for djing techno etc,
dont even really know the different types of speaker's names re bass, mid sound etc

[ndk]

K_Tricks.. I dont know if you are anywhere near London/Essex but we have just opened a PA Center at our flagship store in Romford.

More info : PA Centre Now Open at DV Retail Warehouse at DV247.COM

Update : Looking at your budget, the 'E' makes me think you are not in England.. oh well, never mind.

[k_tricks]

thanks but im in dublin......

[Stagesound]

So the budget is around £790. You don't say what all that's to include, i.e. is it just the PA (amps and speakers) or are you expecting to get mixer, CD players etc.

I could write on the back of my hand what I know about techno music, so I'm going to do some guessing here. I presume you want a decent "kick" at the bottom end, and a fairly bright top end. Having these is probably more important to you than ruler flat frequency response?

Also I'm guessing you want to move this in a car, rather than a van or trailer?
If so, you need a pair of decent PA cabs with 15" drivers, and an amp to match.

Be very warry of choosing speakers simply on power handling figures - power alone does not equal volume - you need to consider efficiency, maximum SPL, and frequency response.

I'd suggest something like Mackie S215's which you can get from DV for the same price as Behringer P2520's. (£358) Now I'll probably annoy a few behringer fans here, but I'd take the Mackie's any day. Initial spec may make you think you get more for your money with the Behringer - after all, the headline figure on the DV web site is 350W power handling for the Mackie and 900W for the Behringer, with the Behringer having two 15" drivers rather than one.

Dig deeper and you find that the Behringer is 900W peak power but only 225W continuous, whereas the Mackie is 350W long-term, and 1400W peak. The claimed frequency response for the Behringer is 45Hz to 20 kHz, but they don't say at what cutoff frequencies - that's usually a good sign that they are -10dB points. The Mackie, with only one 15" unit, claims 55Hz to 20 kHz at -10db points, so it doesn't go as low as the Behringer, but going by the frequency response chart for the Mackie (which for some reason Behringer don't want to publish for their speakers), this is a fairly accurate response, with a not-too-lumpy response curve.

The Mackie is slightly more efficient than the Behringer, and this coupled with its higher power handling means that it is capable of higher volume levels.

I'd drive the Mackie's with something like a Samson SX2400 which can deliver more than enough power, for £240. (Beware when looking at amps that you ensure it can deliver the power you need at 8 ohms - the headline spec. on amps is usually the maximum power at the lowest impedance they can cope with).

Thats £600, so you've got £170 left to play with for stands and cables. (Though if you need a mixer etc. as well, things are going to get very tight!!) I'd suggest that if this is the case, you put as much as possible into your speakers - you can get a very basic mixer to get you going, and once you've got some more cash upgrade to one with more features.

One thing I'm not sure about is whether you can buy at UK prices - with the higher vat rate in Ireland, you may have to pay more than the DV247 prices I've used here.

[k_tricks]

excellent response Stagesound, nice one for that.
i've got a van and the mixer.
its all to be spent on speakers and amp, stands, cables etc.
are all the stands standard regarding the screw heads that attach to the speakers, if they are i might save a few bob there, more for the proper kit the better...?
going to do some research on your advised amps etc....

[Stagesound]

Unfortunately there are a couple of mounting post sizes - 35mm is the most common size. You could eMail Mackie (techmail@mackie.com) to check out which size they use. I agree completely - the more of your budget you can put into proper kit, the better. The one area where there should be "no compromise" is the speakers - everything else you may "get away with" slightly less quality than you might want, but the actual speakers make a major impact on the sound you will achieve.

[k_tricks]

went looking at kitt today.... heard a nice yamaha set up that i think im goin to go with, listened to a couple of different set ups, and that one held the bass the best, nice and full sound. the amp really needs to be able to comfortably drive the speakers to get a good full bodied bass sound. speakers, 300 watt, amp 1000 watt, E1130 all up, quality sound for techno. think yamaha will hold its value should i try to trade up etc

[bigjimmy1963]

Totally agree with you mate
i have run a pair of Yamaha SV115's
for about three years and they can take
an absolute hammering and still sound superb!!