sound system for school dances?

I'm a mobile DJ who mostly does school dances with a pair of INT-153 (3-way) Cerwin Vega & a Beringer EP2500 (have done a few weddings and looking to do other gigs).* I'm looking into getting a more powerful setup and would like some advice.* Some questions I have are:--which speaker is better in stereo mode: 2-way or 3-way? does it matter?--which speaker is better when adding a subwoofer: 2-way or 3-way? does it matter?--which subwoofer would sound great in a school's gym with 150+ people?--what sound system would sound great at a school dance?* Butget under $3500; maybe squeeze out $4000.

The other question is, what do you have to haul it around in?

I've heard the Mackie subs and I think they rock! But in a gym, I would get 4 with the matching tops....

But me personally, I like amps and passive speakers... If the system you are buying is just for school dances, and not weddings?

I would go with Peavey,,, I know here it comes,,,,, anyway... I was running an ol;der set of these

http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/detail/item/113679/SP(R)%20218.cfm for bottoms

and 4 of these
http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/detail/item/113672/SP(R)%202.cfm

The SRP is a lot more than you will pay...

The reason I like these is the long throw horn, in a gym or a big prom they will have the throw.... smaller weddings they are just annoying....

The subs are build like tanks,,, in fact one night I was driving down the freeway, my strap came loose, the backdoor was pushed open and one cab bounced down the freeway at 65 mpr untill I could back up,,,, scratched? Yep,,, but not broken and it worked fine...

Peaveys are work horses....

I was using Crown Macro Tech 2400's to power them, but QSC 3402's will do the trick also....

okay,,, I'm ready for da slammin'!

Have you taken a look at the Dynacord systems? Talk to someone at NLfx and they can talk details. They have quite the impressive systems (I may be partial since we own a lot of close relatives to the Dynacord! lol)

I haul my all of my gear (lights included) in a small suv/crossover--no trailer.* I'm not into powered speakers--just passive speakers and amps.* Before your post I was leaning towards Peavey speakers (sp2/sp3/qwr2f) and sub's (sp118/qw118).* I'm leaning towards 8 Ohms in the speakers and sub--is 4 ohms just as good in sound/clarity?* Does it matter if the speakers/sub are 8 or 4 ohms? Does it matter if they are seperate in ohms?I will check into the Crown & QSC amps.Never heard of Dynacord system and will check into it.

I have done ~ 200 students with 2 NX55P (Yorkville) Had lots of head room and mixer never past 4-5
Just remember, to increase one DB, you need to double your power

I'd never do a school dance with less than 2 Dual 18"s and 2 high power tops.

If I were to buy a school system right no I'd buy this:

2 x http://www.electrovoice.com/products/194.html

2 x http://www.electrovoice.com/products/193.html

Here's the system that I'm using. It will do a high school dance no problem.

QSC HPR 153i $2000.00 (pair)

Yorkville LS 808 $1200.00 (pair)

Peavey CS 3000 $ 500.00 (used)

This system will put out a 140db peak. The sound is awesome and the bass will hurt people. Amp wise the QSC PLX2 3602 would make a better choice to drive the passive subs because it uses less current then the Peavey.

Outlaw -

If it's okay with you, I'll have one of our system designers contact you to help you put something together.

Ben

Just remember, to increase one DB, you need to double your power

If you double your amp power it will increase the spl by 3 db. Just say your speaker produces 99 db with 1 watt. It will take 2 watts to raise the SPL to 102db. Then it will take 4 watts to get the speaker up to 105 db. :sqwink:

To:
Chuck the DJ/Valerie Ruste/jkcomputers/DJ Cam/Garret214/NorthernLight FX, thank you all for your imput--some a little bit too technical/advanced for me.

Let me narrow it down.* I live in a 3rd floor apartment with no extra help with all the equipment fitting into a vehicle with no trailer.* Some equipment mentioned in prior posts would be very difficult to move up/down three flights of stairs by myself and some are out of my budget.Here is what I'm dreaming for, lets see if it can be made into reality:This will be my 3rd set of speakers in 5 years (first two weren't loud enough--I don't want to make that mistake again).* I would like a setup that can handle small/large crowds, sounds great in small or large rooms, and sounds great inside or outside with a budget around $3500 (this includes speakers, sub, crossover, amps).* Is this wishfull thinking?Speakers: passive speaker, light weight (under 80lbs), single 15", 2 or 3-way, 8 ohms, RMS starting around 600 - 800 watts or above.Sub: passive sub, light weight (under 80lbs), 18", 8 ohms, RMS same as above (with a chance in the future to buy a 2nd sub).Crossover: new to this department, don't know where to begin?Amps: this will depend on the speaker and sub setups.Versatility of setup: 1) two speakers, amp 2) two speakers, two amps, crossover, sub 3) four speakers, two amps, crossover 4) four speakers, three amps, crossover, sub 5) in the future adding a 2nd sub to option #2 & #4.What a dream!

A all QSC HPR system just may be what your looking for. The 122i mains are 60 lbs and can peak a 131 db. They cost $799.99 (map) per speaker. Then team them up a QSC 181i sub. The weight is on the heavy side, but this is one well made sub. I think it's weight is around 127 lbs and can peak a 134 db. It's MAP price is $1199.99. So for around $2800.00 you will have a nice sounding system you can count on night after night. Ben will beat that MAP price. For about $400 more you could get the RCF ART 322a mains with the QSC 181i sub. The 322a has better sounding highs and wider coverage then the QSC 122i. But the 322a has 3 db less headroom then the 122i. Good luck with your speaker hunt.

And rent a storage locker you will quickly tire of the steps and after the third time of carrying everything down and then back up you will be renting a storage unit anyway.

A all QSC HPR system just may be what your looking for. The 122i mains are 60 lbs and can peak a 131 db. They cost $799.99 (map) per speaker. Then team them up a QSC 181i sub. The weight is on the heavy side, but this is one well made sub. I think it's weight is around 127 lbs and can peak a 134 db. It's MAP price is $1199.99. So for around $2800.00 you will have a nice sounding system you can count on night after night. Ben will beat that MAP price. For about $400 more you could get the RCF ART 322a mains with the QSC 181i sub. The 322a has better sounding highs and wider coverage then the QSC 122i. But the 322a has 3 db less headroom then the 122i. Good luck with your speaker hunt.
This is a great start!

yep, it's not dollars or desire that will hold you back, it's transportation and storage that are going to be the bigger problem I think...

And rent a storage locker you will quickly tire of the steps and after the third time of carrying everything down and then back up you will be renting a storage unit anyway.
No storage lockers at appt complex.* That is why I got a larger appt for the extra room for storage. For the past 3 years I have been carrying my equipment up and down the stairs--I make about 8 trips one way. What I need to do is move to the ground floor.