Research and Take Notes!
Seriously. You wouldn’t buy a car before you took it for a test drive, right? This is essentially an investment through which you’re expecting to see some sort of return, so do your research! This is a matter of preference and you should take notes of which DJ equipment setup you like and which you don’t like. Take note of the manufacturers. Take note of the specific models and research their specifications.
Especially take note of speaker placement, where in the room sounds good and bad, the size of the room, what the floors and walls are made of, and whether or not the music is distorting in some range or in the entire audible frequency spectrum. If the DJ’s doing it digitally, ask him/her what types of audio files they use. You might not hear it all the time, but there are big differences between CD and MP3 quality audio. If you don’t know the difference, look it up!
What is it for?
Are you aiming to be a small club DJ, a wedding DJ, a big rave DJ, an internet DJ, or some other type? Keep your audience in mind as you’re taking note of SPL (loudness) ratings, RMS speaker wattage, amplifiers, not to mention controllers, CD players, vinyl decks, even the types of plugs on the speakers. Obviously, bigger budgets often yield better gear, not to mention wider selections. It’s certainly admirable to try and do a lot with a little, but if the money’s there, use it wisely.
Wattage
Look for RMS wattage; ignore any Peak ratings you encounter. RMS is an average rating and it’s the most pertinent to the actual usage of the speakers. Compare SPL ratings with RMS and determine which speakers are most efficient and capable of reaching the decibel level you need to fill the room. Small clubs will usually sound good with a 600W (2 x 300W RMS) system. Weddings and such sound fine with a 1000W (2 x 500W RMS) system, and larger halls will
probably require something around 1600W (2 x 800W RMS). Those are simply rules of thumb, though; you should still do your research.
Amplification
Match your amplifiers with your speakers such that your amplifiers have a slightly higher RMS wattage rating than your speakers to allow for headroom and to reduce levels of distortion. Remember that amplifiers work better when not pushed to their limits. Also, take note of the impedances (ohms) of both the amplifier and the speakers, as that will affect how much power the amplifier will deliver depending on how you hook them up.
Powered DJ Speakers
If you don’t want to mess around with matching amps to speakers, you can always look for active (or powered) speakers: ones that have amplifiers built-in. They can be considerably heavier, however, and if the built-in amp blows, you’re out of luck. There’s not much need to worry about what material the cabinets are made of, unless weight is a major consideration. Finally, keep an eye out for speakers with “Speakon” connections, as they’re often more reliable than other speaker connectors.
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