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.
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 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?
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- 86 posts total
Great Thread! 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. Happy Hunting!! Big John |
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. https://youtu.be/4MWmYYV1bg4 https://youtu.be/jsPePauUaLo |
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. |
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