New DJ Needs Help Selecting Speakers...

How many times can you play a vinyl or tape before it wears out? How long can you loop a vinyl record on a single player? How many vinyl records can you put in your pocket? How long does it take you to transfer a tape recording to another tape recorder? I guess I'll just have to say it again, there are pro's and con's to everything.
A coned speaker has been made the same way for ever. It has a voice coil magnet housed in a metal basket. So why do they not sound the same or cost the same?

steve149 said:

Many of us did .. some have moved on from there though ..

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If the amp blows on a powered speaker, how long will it take you to fix it? Do you keep a spare amp module handy? Can you replace it with another brand or size?

Some power amps can blow out one side but not the other. So like powered speakers you can limp by on one channel just like a powered speaker system.
What you want most is cost, dependability and sound quality and ease of use, and how easy it is to replace should something go wrong. You want the best bang for your buck.

steve149 said:

Not the same product line .. I'm sure there are plenty of subcompacts priced less than luxury cars too ...

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"manufacturer that priced their active speakers lower than their passive ones, "

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Nothing mentioned about models or lines, but OK...Sheesh.

steve149 said:

I keep a backup speaker in my car, but the 2nd speaker is an immediate backup, unlike if an amp goes, though honestly have never had either and amp or a powered speaker blow at a gig.

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I have had a speaker short out and catch the cone on frie at a live gig. I have seen a power amp explode like a gun went off when a capacitor blows. But luckily it wasn't at a live gig. I have had a PC stop working or lock up or a HD get corrupted. Anything can happen.

ittigger said:

Our poor 'new' dj has gotten so lost by this point.

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Poor Op is thinking what the hel! I thought I was just asking a few simple questions.

oldschool said:

The market didn't settle it, the manufacturer just chose to push one or the other. They took away choice.

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I have been in GC as of late and they hardly have any passive speakers on display, where they used to have quite a selection. One passive set I was considering got cancelled a few years back.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:

I'm not talking loud. I'm talking about a DJ pushing speakers so hard that they sound distorted. I was at the DJ Expo in Atlantic City and saw the room that was loaded with Bassboss speakers. I didn't get to hear how they sounded. I just knew looking at them they cost some big bucks.

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WRONG!!!! You can have very high db levels and if it's clean it sounds very pleasant , or you can have lower db levels that are distorted and it sounds harsh and irritating. Your ears will get tired faster. Thats called ear fatigue. Look it up if you have doubts on the words ear fatigue. The harsher the sound, the faster you will get tired of hearing it. It also has to do with the duration of how long you have been listening to something loud.

Jeff Romard said:

Spend more money and get better quality longer lasting speakers...What a quaint idea

I rest my case your honour

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That is subjective though. My brother has a pair of passive Community Speakers that still work from 1997. 23 years old, and the cost at the time on those speakers were $700 for the pair. In the end, that cost is $15.12 per year per speaker.

Nobody is looking for their speakers to last them 20+ years...Even on the high end expensive stuff for a mobile DJ. ...Yet, he has speakers that still work, and were not expensive speakers by any means.

My Alto TS110A Speakers are 7 years old this year. I spent like $225 per speaker after taxes at Guitar Center. They both still work great. I think I got my money's worth from the speakers just about. Didn't someone post about having to repair a very expensive DC Tech Speaker recently that was a newer model?

Just because it is more expensive DOES NOT mean it will last longer without part failure.

I know a DJ who charges $499/4 hours for a wedding, and uses Bose L1 Model 2 speakers. I use Alto, and get double that price point or more to do a wedding. As long as the speakers are reliable, portable enough to your liking, can handle your events that you do regularly, and sound good to the ears, that is all that matters.

...I think I saw a pic of Biz Markie a few years ago doing a wedding where he charged $4.500. He was using a pair of Mackie Speakers.

steve149 said:

I'm guessing your father doesn't push them hard, but I will bet dollars to donuts that sound quality is not in their favor.

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My Dad had them for about 6 years before he gave them to my bro. My bro used them as his main system from 2003 to about 2015. They are on back up duty since.

...NO they don't sound as good as powered speakers from today by any stretch. They lack middle sound. They have good highs, and the Bass kicks considering they are 175 watts continuous/350 max. They don't sound as good as Yamaha Club series or JBL JRX speakers. Definitely a step down from those model lines.

He finally decided to move to powered speakers because he knew his speakers were old/out dated and looking rough. So he switched to Alto TS110A in 2015. ....$600 set of speakers which he probably paid like $550 for considering he bought one of them at the DJ Expo 16% off. He has been on that set for going on 5 years now. No issues with them.

I have had most of my EV passive gear for at least 15 years and the original Eliminator doubles with the matching Eliminator amp (same thing as a Q66 with a different name on the face plate) for over 20 years. Both I bought brand new and both still sound as good as the day they were bought. These are my home speaker amp set up in my practice studio and very rarely get used for gig's. But both have been pushed hard cause I like it loud. The next oldest set of subs are a pair of MTL1x subs and a P3000 amp that I have had for almost 20 years and also bought new before GC even came to town.
All of it looks and sounds like it did when new. Now my road gig equipment is the same EV subs but were bought used off CL and a bunch of off GC used section. 4 of the T252+ speakers I bought from an old guy off CL and were in almost mint condition when I got them. The 2 T221's I got used off CL from a church that was changing to powered speakers. Both in like new condition. Most of the used stuff I bought are my road rig, and the trick to keeping them in good shape is I'm the one that does all the moving and loading and running them at the gig. They all still look almost new.
I started sizing down and started selling off some of my gear on CL and I sold all of it for more then I actually paid for it. Like just last month I sold one of my P3000 for 1,200 dollars, because I waited for the right buyer and it had been rack mounted and looked like new and sounded great when they guy came to look at it. I will admit some of the subs carpet was looking a bit ragged because the rubber feet of the tops would rub on them when setting up and breaking them down. I have a cargo trailer with E track on the walls and every speaker gets covered with a moving blanket and strapped to the wall with a ratchet strap individually so nothing can rub together during transport. I moved and set up all my gear by myself at every gig. It's how you treat and run your equipment that makes them last. I only had to have one set of subs reconed because I pushed them to hard for to long with too much power. My mixing boards and EQ's have been replaced several times because the sliders and knobs just started wearing out from use and getting scratchy. So yes I have 20 year old gear that still looks and sounds great. Some of my road speakers still look great but do smell like beer from the crazy people at some of the gigs spilling beer on them. I could re carpet them and they would look like new. All my amps get taken out of there road case once a year and the lid get taken off and I blow them out with my air compressor because the fan does draw in dust from all the thousands of hours they get used. Treat your gear right and run it right it will last.

That is why I suggested GC used gear section for looking for used passive gear, because that is where all the passive gear is and they give you a 45 day money back no questions asked tryout. So you can take them home and test them out and put them to the test and if you don't like it for ANY reason, they will give you your money back. You can even buy used powered gear as well on the used section so you can try it out in a real world environment and see it it's the right piece of gear you want and can use. Just take your time and keep looking. Used gear comes and goes and it covers all the lower 48 states. Depending on size and weight, shipping can be cheap or expensive, but they do package there stuff very well when they ship it. Usually double boxed and bubble wrapped out the wazoo.

Also at any live gig keep all liquids away from your board and equipment. Keep your beverages away from your working area. A spilled drink on your mixing board can bring the whole show to a stop real quick.

Just wondering if anybody heard Bassboss speakers? They were at the DJ Expo but I didn't get to hear how they sound.

oldschool said:

How many times can you play a vinyl or tape before it wears out? How long can you loop a vinyl record on a single player? How many vinyl records can you put in your pocket? How long does it take you to transfer a tape recording to another tape recorder? I guess I'll just have to say it again, there are pro's and con's to everything.
A coned speaker has been made the same way for ever. It has a voice coil magnet housed in a metal basket. So why do they not sound the same or cost the same?

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Because some are made of very cheap parts and will sound like crap. At least to the true professionals on here will tell the difference. That's why some speakers cost much more than others.

MIXMASTERMACHOM said:

Because some are made of very cheap parts and will sound like crap. At least to the true professionals on here will tell the difference. That's why some speakers cost much more than others.

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lol.....even using the most highest quality parts.....how much can a box with a speaker cost to make? That's too funny.