Types of speakers to create nightclub style sound?
Admittedly, this may come off as an unsophisticated post for audiophiles, but I'm seeking advice nonetheless.
I have a house with an open floorplan and love entertaining. I'm looking to create the auditory feeling of a high-end nightclub at home, as opposed to having a setup with the goal of creating a single ideal listening point. After traveling to Ibiza and hearing some of the world's best nightclub sound systems I fell in love with how they bathe you in sound. Since I can't fit a Funktion One Dance Stack in my home, I'm curious as to what I should look for in the home audio realm to recreate that feeling of filling a room with powerful sound that isn't super directional.
With a total initial budget of about 4-6k (1k - 3k for a pair of speakers), what qualities should I begin looking for to create this sort of system? I'm thinking used higher-end speakers might be a better solution.
I've noticed a few different categories of sorts: some speakers have a single driver with a wide-range, like the Zu Audio Soul, while others have several for different drivers, like B&W 603. I absolutely loved the line-source sound from Martin Logan ESL speakers, but their directionality is exactly the opposite of what I want. Moving 2 feet to the left or right of their line of fire made it sound like the music was coming from the next room over. I live in Los Angeles, so there are plenty of used, good quality, higher-end speakers circulating in the marketplace. Can anybody offer a little guidance to narrow my search for what sort of speakers/amp combination might best accomplish this?
I love this question and I am excited to hear responses from members who have experience with this.
We entertain 4-6 times a year. Nothing huge, 30-60 guests, but dance music and karaoke is always featured and appreciated.
The main area of the house is open, about 50x50, but segmented just enough that music in the living room makes conversation difficult, but doesn't over power the kitchen, dining, open areas.
The main consideration for me was the ability to put up and tear down, so I just used stuff I had lying around that wasn't being used.
Kef Q300 speakers, Crown XLS 2502 amp, dac of the day. If I want extra punch I add a Rel sub or a pair of diy subs and another 2502 amp and take advantage of the built in cross-overs. I DIY'd speaker cables so I could make game time decisions on length.
All in with everything this is probably half your budget. I've considered upgrading the speakers but honestly I think I am the only one who would care or notice. And I don't feel the need to protect the speakers from enthusiastic guests. There is plenty of volume, plenty of bass (especially with a sub), midrange and the upper end doesn't run out of juice.
That's what works for me, and it is easy to pack up and put in storage.
Is there a dance floor ? Are you looking to be able to talk over the music ? I would visit Guitar Center on line, and some other places that sell PA and stage speakers. You can get 4 excellent units for less than a pair of used / refurbished Altec 19s ( and I am a Klipsch owner ), and truly surround the area with sound. Pro gear is so reasonable, compared to home audio.....many PA speakers have built in amplification, so a preamp / mixer will do the job.
Buy 4 Bose 901's and get 2 really big subs, or better yet 8 really big subs. You will have non directional sound everywhere and gut wrenching bass. There's your club sound. For amps, go with Crest or similar. Huge monoblocks, a whole rack.
I remember seeing a lots of Bose speakers in clubs. I do not know their models but they did NOT look exactly like 901 (I just looked them up on the Internet). So, to be authentic, Bose is your sure bet.
Klipsch La Scalas were in nearly all of the clubs I frequented back in the day and would serve you well. Klipschorns if you have the funds and want to utilise corners.My Zu Soul Superfly's really rock too.Enjoy your mission and don't forget to report back!
If you are looking for a "club" sound, then get the speakers that many clubs and bars used. Two common brands out there are MTX and Audio Acoustics. I have a pair of 4 or 5-way Audio Acoustics speakers which have 12" woofers and they can rattle the house as well as produce full-bodied pleasing sound. Another consideration is the amplifier. Like most clubs, power is essential and a P.A. amp would fit the bill. For a real vintage sound, if you want stereo, get a pair of P.A. tube amps.
Nice idea. I SUGGEST: call one of LA's big audio designers who do clubs in town. You can certainly find a club in LA. They will probably advise you to get commercial-level units from a major manufacturer (I am personally NOT a fan of bose, but whatever...) and will be able to visit YOUR ROOM and suggest what and WHERE to place speakers.
Pay them for this advice as it is critical to not buying a bunch of random items and HOPING they sound good IN YOUR ROOM, which is much more important than the items you buy. (I would bet I could use a few old Minimus 7 Radio Shack speakers and a woofer or two and do a good job there, but that is another discussion.)
I realize posters have nothing but good intentions with their personal suggestions, but we are dealing with YOUR ROOM, not theirs. Loud, distorted music gives people headaches, especially when paired with alcohol.
Like in many parts of life, size is NOT the critical variable--the quality of clear sound IN YOUR ROOM at high volume is most important. Do not leave this to chance. Spend a few hundred getting a professional survey and then spend your thousands.
Night club speakers are gigantic, expensive, and sure to be difficult to replicate. Makes me think about that punch that goes into your chest when the bass hits.
Maybe Go with a quality tower speaker paired up with a minimum of 2 subs. You need clarity with spl which will require wattage. In your budget, maybe try something like this. Goldenear has an airy open sound with clear vocals and pretty good midbass. Hsu a Makes good subs for a good price. The uls can be adjusted to suit your bass taste and provides good transition into the midbass without being muddy. I
- hsu ulsmk2 15"subs x 2 or more ($1800) - emotiva a5175 amp ($840) - goldenear triton 5 x 2 ($2000) - goldenear aon 3 x 3($1500) - bluetooth receiver ($150) or a preamp
If its used for tv use too, replace 1 aon 3 with the best center channel they make. The little ones wouldnt be able to keep up with the bass
Bag End as noted above is a great suggestion, their gear is robust, and will give what you require. I have no idea on their pricing these days though....Regardless, there are many ways to skin the cat. Have fun!
Watch what you are doing, for yourself and your guests hearing loss is permanent.
When I turned the PureAudioProject Trio15 Horn 1 speaker sideways (reviewed for Dagogo.com; see my system pics) I gave some people an idea. It's being used in some clubs now, suspended from ceiling. :)
As someone who dove into a similar challenge a few years ago, I don't have a complete solution but here are a few considerations I learned along the way:
- Midrange (and separation thereof) is the most overlooked aspect when trying to emulate the 'club sound'. Fairly aggressive separation at the crossover level, coupled with placement of dedicated speakers is key. Funktion 1 does this extremely well, to the point of sounding 'unnatural' or having a 'sound'. (As mentioned in the comments under that RA article shared above) I personally never understood the application of hi-fi ideals to club setups: Club sound systems are designed to create a very specific experience in a very specific environment. Throw in a few hundred people mingling freely under various states of the mind(:) into the mix, and things like 'accurate reproduction', or 'transparency of sound' become useless consideration. Having experienced Funktion 1 setups in many possible variations from small to ginormous, their magic lies in the fact that you can carry a conversation with another person without shouting and fatigue no matter where you are in the space, while still 'feeling' the music. That's due to that aggressive separation of low / mid / highs. Anything you run through a Funktion 1, well, will sound like Funktion 1. As a takeaway, I would go for speakers that imitate that, or at least have a strong, dedicated midrange component in their design.
- Take into account the music that's designed to play in the club environment. Electronic music that's mixed / mastered for clubs is a complete different beast than anything that would be acceptable as a good source, at least around here :) (Intense bass emphasis, maniacal dynamic compression techniques, and exaggerated transients that are designed to cut through any background noise etc.)
- While it's true the older club setup did make use of them, I would stay away from anything involving tubes especially if Funktion 1 is your reference. I've been frequenting a few 'hi-fi' clubs that are popping up in and around NYC (mostly trying to imitate the ones in Tokyo), which mostly have systems that are either made up of, or emulate that altec / klipsch / bose setups and I have to say they leave a lot to be desired within your context. A quiet listening session of some delicate ECM record works really well, but the moment you throw in something meant for the *dance* club, and people moving about, those systems start to fall apart, IMO.
The Bag End suggestion above is an interesting one. I'm not familiar but it does seem like they're going for something similar to your goals.
Do report back where you end up! This is a very interesting discussion.
I've done 3 night clubs way back when. In one I did indeed use bag end. They were some of the better sounding drivers that didn't crap all over themselves when pushed. In 2 others, we built the speakers from the place where I worked at the time called SpeakerCraft/Marcof Electronics. We built a 15 inch 2 way that was quite good. In both cases, I was very conscious of making the dance floor a loud yet tolerable place and keeping it so that you could have a conversation 10 feet off of the floor. I found to really do this right that the speakers had to be hung. They needed to be tilted down slightly and they needed their backs away from the area most worried about sound travel. So if you have a place where guest will congregate most, you do not want the speakers to be placed where they can fire toward your guest. Hang them firing toward the floor with the backs to the congregating area. I normally used old Sumo Andromeda's back then, today there are several amps at 150 to 250 watts per channel that would sound better. Large drivers move air well and are normally higher sensitivity. I would recommend a high sensitivity speaker if possible. Our builds were 97 and I recall the Bag End Models that we used at being around 100, Maybe 99. I hope this helps, Tim
I agree with others that horn speakers are often used in the club setting. A friend used multiple Klipsch with subwoofers strategically placed in the club he designed. Also, EQ is needed since you don’t have much control over the various room surfaces. I include the amount of people in the space as affecting the EQ as well. This is very different than an audiophile’s dedicated room.
I do live concert production/mixing...have for many years...Consider powered P.A. speakers from Mackie as they’re not expensive and they sound great, and you can run 100 foot balanced lines to ’em. The newer "v3" SRM 350 10" 2 ways are only 23 lbs (neodymium woofer magnets) and 1000 watts (!) with built in signal processing. They're pretty much indestructible...You can buy little rigs for hanging these things. The "v2" version is also light and powerful and less expensive...match them with one of their 18" powered subs and you’ll dance all night at levels that can make your ears ring for months, cause structural damage to your house, and alienate any neighbor within a mile. A little mixer with balanced outs is all you need to drive the things.
I've always been curious about PA sound as it can often provide a very immersive sound, at volume that somehow is not fatiguing. Is this due to frequency balance/sensitivity? I note many PA set ups do not try to reproduce low bass (using a filter of roll off is say 60Hz), I assume there are some frequency bands that are reduced that might otherwise cause harshness at those higher volumes.
Just go to a larger music store even if its a 2 hr drive and look at jbl prx series . Self powered wifi controlled , built in dsp the whole bit. Get a couple of 15” three ways with a couple 18” subs . Probably remove the pictures off your walls before they come down. And invite the neighbours or the cops will show up.
I think that a good PA rig sounds good when under-stressed...for medium size halls and acoustic based music (what I do primarily) relatively very high power into efficient speakers is what's happening, and either a couple of powered "phased array" types per side or simple powered or non powered more conventional (like Mackie 450s powered or not) PA stuff works great. A good high power sub fills in the bottom end, and all of this stuff is using only a fraction of the available headroom. I've often sat in the middle of an empty 350 seat venue waiting for the artists to show up just playing a CD of something for my own entertainment...a giant stereo rig (although shows are basically dual mono affairs)...the sound when things are set up properly is amazingly good during that self indulgent sound-man time, and also note the background music before shows really isn't loud at all so you'd sort of never know that "large stereo" thing as an audience member, except when the actual act is playing.
I hate to put my stamp on this but I have to agree in this price range the bose 901 for every corner and if you could hang them from the ceiling 2'x2'x2' down and out you would come pretty close to the club sound you're looking for. and not sacrifice floor space.
JBL website might have a solution also. Used self powered/active speakers generally go loud without distortion. Have fun with it.
Perplexy, unless I missed it, you have not mentioned the size of this space. Early in this thread, I recommended what many people here are stating....pro powered speakers. Very reasonable, and can do a good job. I own Lascalas, have used Lascalas, on stages, in gyms, in auditoriums, etc, and yes, they would work very well, but would need additional bass reinforcement ( sub woofer augmentation ). Room layout and usage would determine how many of each you would need. If it were me, I would consider spending more, to achieve a nicer, cleaner and smoother sound, that would also reproduce jazz and classical, as with such a huge space, why not ? But, that is me, and I feel a great system, particularly speakers ( I do enjoy my Lascalas ), should be able to play ANY type of music, and at ANY reasonable volume level ( what is reasonable, lol ). Four Lascalas, additional subwoofers ( at least two, likely powered ) and the associated equipment, will likely exceed your current maximum budget. However, take your time, as it can be complicated, or, quite simple, which ever way you go. Increasing your budget, might allow you to hire a professional, to help with your design, and, installation.....Enjoy ! MrD.....
I love the sound at one of my local concert venues. All three of us at the concert were commenting on how great (but not ear piercing) the system was... for an EDM/Electronica concern none-the-less. They a Meyer Mica system. Those are self-powered, not super huge, and available used from various places out there...
For good punch and live sound on the cheap for a few home parties a year, consider renting from a music store such as the Guitar Center or similar ( I have no afliation with any music store). Probable about 250 for a great system for the day. In increasing order of quality, my opinion, is Mackie, jbl, EV, Qsc. Yamaha is in their too. Most of the above have various quality levels of speakers, but rentals are usually the lower end models as users just need reasonable sound for cheap. For home use I would stay with 2 or 4 10” speakers and two subs, 15 or 18”, all self powered. That will peal the paint off the walls of your neighbours house if you wish, but keep the level down and it will still feel “live”.
For $1500.00 look at a pair Cerwin Vega’s XLS-215 on amazon they have free shipping. Add a couple of used Bag End sub and your all set. Good Luck, TISH P.S. I just saw a pair of Bagend S18E-D ELF subs on ebay for $1500.00, they were 1600.00 a piece when new. Add those to the Cerwin's and BOOM!!
There are a LOT of great suggestions here, with best occurring multiple times: horns like Klipsch, JBL pro stuff, other brands of powered PA equipment, etc. Club systems are large, typically horn-loaded, and feature efficient drivers. In contemporary systems the amplification, whether built-in or external, is class-D, and in this context there's nothing wrong with it.
The
Funktion 1 stuff looks AMAZING but is probably quite expensive. I would LOVE to hear those speakers in a stereo, audiophile context ... I bet that on big symphonic music they would be ... interesting.
The Cerwin Vega suggestion is inspired.
Using digital room correction is another good idea; I'm pretty sure many powered PA systems now feature it built-in.
Hiring someone who designs PA systems for a living is another REALLY good suggestion.
I hope you come back to this thread and tell us what you did!
+1
Club systems are large, typically horn-loaded, and feature efficient drivers.
Two Bose 802’s with stands, a decent subwoofer, a 500 watt Peavy power amp, and your choice of DJ mixer. Bose 802’s will light a room, and from personal experience, I know you can push Bose 802’s a lot harder than Bose 901’s.
Check out Ohm speakers made in Brooklyn. Don’t know how loud they get, but should bathe you in sound anywhere in your room. Use a pulsating cone that provides omni directional sound. 60 day free trial and fairly priced. All models are the same, just different sizes depending on room size
I own two nightclubs and a bar that all have high-end Funktion One sound systems. One thing to keep in mind is the drivers in Funktion One dance stacks, included the bass drivers, are horn loaded. You won't be able to replicated this in your home on a $4-6k budget. But if you want to have a pretty good sounding rig that will play at high volumes, with wide dispersion and lots of bass, I would recommend 4 x QSC K12.2 (Powered 2-way speaker) and 2 x QSC K181 (powered 18" sub). I have used similar set ups at house parties with good success. This is also the preferred set up for many underground parties and mobile DJs. The total system cost would be $5200.
Klipsch Forte 2 or 3 - had these in a small room, didn't think much of them - just fine. Sold them to a guy who had a very large garage/shop, and I couldn't believe the sound with a cheap receiver. The sound was exactly as you describe.
I used to work in several clubs and ended up being a DJ after all was said and done. Go to Guitar Center (or any local place that does live sound reinforcement) I second some of the recommendations for Mackie, JBL!, QSC etc... There's also EV, Peavey, EAW (real high end) and others. I think for simplicity, the QSC active speakers might be your best bet... Run them Mono. If you are setting a playlist ahead of time, you could import it into Native Instruments Traktor (software) It has a feature which automatically matches the volume /levels for all the tracks, it's amazing when you are using material from different artists /albums.
i have those Goldenear Triton 5’s and I use two JL Audio Dominion D108 Subs with them Driven by Parasound Halo A21&P5. However....
when I want to party and absolutely rock the house out, I use two pair of Vintage Cerwin Vegas. The D9’s and The 317p Hard Rockers. I’m not certain that the current Vegas have the frequency range that these older ones do. Even their big monsters made today seemed tuned to Home Theater. I’d go old School and find a nice used pair of Vegas, Infinity, JBL, or the MTX AAL Monitor series. The Vegas are incredibly efficient, my Sansui 9090 Receiver absolutely thunders and shakes the house with these 4 speakers.
i switch back to my Goldenear / Parasound set up when I’m back to normal, critical listening.
Go to the websites for some of the clubs in your area that are the size of your space, and see if they have the tech specs listed. You can even request this information from wedding, party rental spaces, etc.
Clubs provide this information for touring bands and DJs that will play at their space. Information for artists like square space footage, capacity, components, instruments on hand, sound board info, speakers, load in times etc.
I’ve thrown my own public party nights with bands and DJs in NYC/Brookyn for years.
You are welcome to come hear my Super Big Red Altecs. While you may never come across a pair of Super Big Reds, it will give you an idea of what a Altec 604 can do with an added woofer for the bass. These are tri-amped using a Marantz 1180DC and two 170DCs. I’m in Orange County.
I can answer the question because I have this type of a listening space/venue with very similar needs. My space is 550sq ft, and at times I have 20-30 people listening at party levels. Other times, quiet listening.
From other posts -- KEF, Goldenear, Cerwin Vega, QSC, Mackie, JBL are: 1. either not capable of high output with low distortion 2. Are just not high fidelity PA speakers. Like QSC. Yeah, they're PA speakers. 3. Too colored sounding -- like Altec VOTTs or many other vintage designs. A "decent" option out of all those would be the Klipsch LaScalas. Altec 604 are not bad but start to fall apart at high levels, so not suitable for the OP requirements.
You're not a PA rental company and you do not need to select based on the motto "work horses of the industry". Keep in mind, this is what QSC, JBL, EV and most others design for. On the plus side they're consistent -- like McDonalds.
IMPORTANT: In my view the key to "listenability" at high output levels is lots of headroom. You need PA that's designed and built to the Standard of Highest Fidelity and Listenability. By listenability I mean being able to listen at higher than usual levels for extented listening sessions -- over 6 hours without fatigue. Another important point to consider is how much more output capabilities are required when there are 15 or more people in the room. Going to someone's place and listening to a system will not be a good indicator of how much output you may actually need, when there's a party goin'!
THREE systems come to mind: 1. Funktion One 2. Meyer Sound 3. Tannoys
I have all three. Each one has it's advantages and disadvantages: If your space is OVER 600 sq.ft. I would recommend F1. Go with Res2 (or AX88+F115 for higher output) + a sub or two. If your Space is UNDER 600 sq. ft, go with USED Meyer UPA-1p + USW-1P subs. They are powered so you do not need amps. Compared to most speakers listed in this thread, the Meyers are in a different league. They sound very good.
If you're on a tight budget get Tannoys CPA15 or V12 or i12 and add a sub or two. The mentioned models are highly musical PA speakers -- much better than most.
ANY OF THE ABOVE CAN and SHOULD BE PURCHASED USED! This is the only way to get good quality PA gear and not pay over $10k
P.S. no experience with BagEnd or Bose so my comments do not apply to those.
As an option to Funktion One, you may look for a used VOID system. Overall, expensive but good sounding when set up properly. Do not forget, Visual Appeal is also nice for a party. It makes people pay attention to the sound system and draws them into "sound quality" topics and conversations. In this regard F1 and VOID are way above the other modern black boxes.
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