SPL for parties on a college budget.

[OUBobBud]

I'm in college and my place has a separate garage from the house with a room above it, perfect for dance parties. I had an Onkyo TXSR503, a pr. of MTX AAL12's, and 2 old 12" somethings hooked up. My receiver and MTX's were stolen.

I want to stay around $500 for a new system. I love sound quality, but...this is only going to be listened to by inebriated dancing people. I'm looking for someone to help me get creative to produce mad sound on a budget.

The system is going to be: Laptop-->Receiver/Amp-->Speakers/Subs

I'm willing to build anything, speaker cabinets, J-bins, ported sub boxes, an entire wall of woofers? As long as you can feel bass in your solar plexus.

I sold Home audio at CCity for 2 years so I can do any commercial receiver/speaker/sub thing. But I am new to amplifiers and individual speaker parts.

Any suggestions for a Frankenstein (not the best quality, but powerful and scary) system? Someone throw me a crazy idea.

Also have a Velodyne DPS-12 that I may use, but I would prefer to keep it away from spilled beers.

Room dimensions: 25' x 18' Roof peaks high in middle, but starts low like an attic. Bar/Audio rack in the corner. This room is a clean slate, I can do anything to it.


Things I've been looking at:


AHHHH I had all the links below, but I can't put links unless I've posted 5 times lol.

-Multiple 12" woofers from partsexpress.com
Below $30 each, maybe Dayton

-Sub power? Dayton 240W plate amp $128

-Receiver? Onkyo TXSR504 $159 from accesoriesforless.com, or Onkyo M282 amp for $169(Dunno how to run this with just my laptop)

Been studying many speaker/sub cabinet build plans.


Any suggestion is welcome.

 

[BMXTRIX]

While I'm no expert at this, one of the things I've seriously thought about on a budget is to go with some of the car equipment. Unlike home audio gear which seems to remain expensive for decent stuff years after the fact, car audio gear drops like a rocket in just a few years unless it magically holds status.

Take for example - Rockford Fosgate who was making competition leading product, and then got picked up from Best Buy/Circuit City. Overnight they went from industry leading, to 'poor mans amplifiers'. So what are you left with?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ROCKFORD-FOSGATE-OLDSCHOOL-800-2-POWER-amplifier-MINT_W0QQitemZ220133236288QQihZ012QQcategoryZ39732QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Amplifiers like the one above that are phenomenal, for almost no money at all.

The subwoofers you can pick up online are crap, but between a couple amps like this, and several of the subs online, all your need is a power transformer to take 120 to 12 volts and plug everything in.

Truly possible to do something great for 500 bucks? Probably not, but I think you might end up with a lot more overall bang for the buck going this route instead of trying to buy new or building some speakers out of crap parts yourself. Maybe.

 

[OUBobBud]

I really want to go the car audio route, it seems like a great idea for what I'm looking for. I actually experimented with my own System: Infinity 1211a amp, 2 12" Kicker Comp VR's and would be willing to use them. But I hooked up just the amp using a 120V to 12V inverter that I took apart (like a thing that plugs into the wall and has a cigarette lighter recepticle on it, don't laugh I was bored) and the amp went directly into protect mode.

Where can I get one of these power transformers that won't mess up my 1200Watt Class D amp. I know it has to draw a lot of juice. My headlights tell me so.

Has anybody done the car audio thing off of 120V before?

 

[BMXTRIX]

I would expect something like this to actually deliver the power you need...
http://cgi.ebay.com/RADIO-SHACK-13-8VDC-15-AMP-POWER-SUPPLY-LIKE-NEW_W0QQitemZ190133266304QQihZ009QQcategoryZ88758QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-PYRAMID-PS-26KX-POWER-SUPPLY-12V-AC-TO-DC-95_W0QQitemZ260141403906QQihZ016QQcategoryZ88758QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or

http://cgi.ebay.com/Victory-PS-20-20-Amp-Regulated-DC-Power-Supply_W0QQitemZ190070630158QQihZ009QQcategoryZ88758QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

I'm not sure though - it may make more sense to simply pick up a few old A/V receivers - stereo style, and run them to a bunch of speakers. You can get some decent ratings on old receivers and they are almost garbage to many people. I know that I've got a 5.1 kenwood sitting in my basement that is basically trash to me now... unless I drop it into my kids playroom or something later on.

 

[100r1]

Find some used Cerwin-Vega's
I remember excessive SPL's at party's from these and they seem to take a lot of abuse without damage.

Don't forget to invite the gang here at your next beer bash

 

[OttoMatic]

But I hooked up just the amp using a 120V to 12V inverter that I took apart (like a thing that plugs into the wall and has a cigarette lighter recepticle on it, don't laugh I was bored) and the amp went directly into protect mode.

Yeah, you're probably going to need something that supplies more current. While I'm not surprised that your amp didn't like that power supply, I wouldn't have expected it to go into protect mode unless it was playing at least a little something through it. Perhaps the transformer was damaged or the amp wasn't hooked up cleanly.

Anyway, if you want to move forward with this, you'll need to determine how much current each of your devices will need. Add them all up, add in whatever headroom you think you might want (maybe 10 or 20%?) and find a DC converter that will do what you want. It will need to supply 12V DC (while most are DC, some do supply AC).

I've never done this myself, but it should work in theory. You may run in to some other limitations of the system at volume, but it should work if you have enough power (voltage times current).

Good luck, and don't burn the house down!

 

[jcPanny]

Amp and speakers

A behringer A500 amp ($180) should work well to power your system and it has a VC on the front for the L/R channels. Cerwin-Vega or something similar should work for the speakers.

 

[OUBobBud]

It's looking like I'm leaning towards an amp. Seems like I will get the most power for the money without risking electric shock or becoming the human torch messing around with volts and currents. Thanks tho for the links BMXTRIX and the amp suggestion jcPanny. I think I will leave my car speakers in my car, mostly b/c I like annoying soccer moms at stoplights.

Where would be a good place to look for old but functional receivers other than eBay? Found an Onkyo TXSR504 for $159 new, would work perfect for what I'm thinking of (kickass deal, but still trying to keep the dollars down)

I'm thinking of running with this:

Laptop
|
Receiver with sub out
|
Full range speakers
(just for mids and highs)

From sub out
|
Amp (maybe that Behringer, any other reccomends?)
also is that a DJ type amp?^^^^ vs HT amp?
|
Several subs in a home made vented enclosure
(Possibly looking at 4 12 inch in one cabinet for intimidation and bass purposes)
________
|(o)[](o)|
|(o)[](o)|
IIIIIIIIIIIII


Suggestions for a cheap woofer/subwoofer that would hit hard for hip-hop
music? Don't need to go down to 20Hz. Just sensitivity relatively high and would put out a nice punch. Thanks for the feedback guys.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Suggestions for a cheap woofer/subwoofer that would hit hard for hip-hop
music? Don't need to go down to 20Hz. Just sensitivity relatively high and would put out a nice punch. Thanks for the feedback guys.

I was just thinking you're going about this all wrong until I read your last statement. High sensitivity is the key here. The worst thing you can do is buy expensive woofers with huge magnets that are low in sensitivity and expect a $150 receiver to put out any bass. The old 12" 3 way tower speakers from the 80's were the loudest, best chest thumping party speakers ever made.

In college, we bought a vintage $100 Technics stereo receiver with the analog tuner - probably 40 wpc. It powered two sets of extremely efficient 12" 3 way towers stacked one on top of the other in a dorm room probably 20' x 35' with 9' ceilings. There was a study/rec room above us that used to vibrate when we played tunes.

The trick was high efficiency speakers, and a 10 band $49 BSR eq which cut the muddy midbass typical of cheap 12" drivers, but were cabable of huge chest hitting bass. The cheap 12" woofers with magnets the size of beer coasters took very little power to get going. With little Xmax, they were very quick - perfect for house/dance type music. They still sounded great for rap (remember Rob Bass? - yeah, I'm old), since they went down to maybe 25 or 30Hz. They would have been terrible for HT.

The two sets of 3 ways were $100 per pair Technics and $120 AAL towers (way before MTX took over the name). You can find similar towers by Sansui, Pioneer, MTX, and a few others relatively cheap on Craigslist.

IMO, a wall of car audio subwoofers with pro PA type amps still won't sound the same as the older towers that were so efficient. When you start getting into high power, you start focusing on higher quality, lower spl type drivers that focus on sub 25Hz bass. For the type of partying you are doing, I'd recommend the stereo receiver, 10 band eq, and a pair of old, efficient towers.

These would be ideal if local:
http://cgi.ebay.com/SANSUI-S-820U-3-WAY-SPEAKERS-VINTAGE-TOWER_W0QQitemZ230155815110QQihZ013QQcategoryZ14993QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
SANSUI S-820U 3 -WAY SPEAKERS VINTAGE TOWER - (item 230155815110 end time Aug-04-07 13:13:24 PDT)

 

[jcPanny]

Stereo receivers

You should be able to find an inexpensive stereo receiver at a pawn shop or thrift store. However, don't expect it to have >200 Watts into 4 ohms like the Behringer A500 amp. If you use a plate amp for the sub, you can connect from the receiver to the high level inputs on the sub plate amp.

 

[Gimpy Ric]

May the beer Gods bless this project, as it will kill many blood cells.

I'm in college and my place has a separate garage from the house with a room above it, perfect for dance parties. The system is going to be: Laptop-->Receiver/Amp-->Speakers/Subs

Woo Hoo, Hell yea! Everybody loves a party house with a rocking system. Lets build that puppy!

Also have a Velodyne DPS-12 that I may use, but I would prefer to keep it away from spilled beers.

Uh, whats a few spilled beers? S%it happens Dude, and you only live once. We are using the sub, so get over it now

Room dimensions: 25' x 18' Roof peaks high in middle, but starts low like an attic. Bar/Audio rack in the corner. This room is a clean slate, I can do anything to it.

Problem solved, put the velo in the corner behind the bar

Now when you go shopping for a reciever, make sure it has speaker outs for two pair, One for the sub and one for the mains. you need something around 100 watts per channel, as you will not want to run it wide open.

Now for the secret weapon, the Buckeye_Nut approved Cerwin Vegas for Mains
12" 3-Way Tower

The large, 3-way designs with Bass Reflex and 12-inch woofer, respectively, kick out the high volume and articulated bass that have made Cerwin-Vega famous. They’re perfect for everything from the tight definition of mid- and high-frequency rock and jazz to the deep bass of hip-hop and R&B.

Frequency Response: 28 Hz - 20 kHz
Peak Power Handling: 300 watts
Sensitivity (1w/1m): 93 dB
5 1/4" Midrange with Fiber Impregnated Cone
1 1/4" Treated Silver Mylar Tweeter with Ferro Fluid
12" Cast Frame High Excursion Woofer
Protection: Self Resetting, PTC (tweeter), Fuse (woofer)
Elegant Black-Ash Enclosure

http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?dp=5212122222E6324253E38363B3B357F373637323135313&stk_code=cerve12&svbname=32&bname=Shopping.com

Hope this helps! And have fun!