Sound System on a tight budget - Help needed

[Casual77]

I'm looking for a reliable sound system on a budget and could do with some help.

I've got access to what I thought would be an adequate system but I'm having some technical issues and I'm not sure that it is going to be suitable for what I need (house music parties in small/medium venues).

The system I've got access to is a Behringer Europower PMH2000 2x250W power amp and a pair of 300W passive NJD speakers (15" I think) on stands. I've tried them and they sound pretty good and suitably loud for about 2 minutes and then the amplifier inexplicably shuts itself down for a few minutes before powering up again out of the blue. I'm pretty sure I've not been pushing it too hard and there is no sign of over-heating but it's clearly too flakey for me to rely on it.

So, the question is whether the speakers are suitable and I should be on the lookout for a suitable power amp (which from a cost perspective would be my preferred choice) or whether I need something higher powered and should be looking to buy some active speakers instead. Assuming that the speakers are suitable what sort of budget end amplifier could I look at that would be suitable? Do I need to be looking for a 600W amplifier or can I get something more powerful without damaging the speakers? There appear to be some cheap amplifiers on ebay that might fit the bill such as Ekho RX1200 for £99 but I dont want to spend money on something unless I know it would be fit for purpose.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

[scott23]

Have you thought about maybe going for some active speakers? I mean the technology these days is is pretty darn good. That way the amp is built to work for the speaker its made for. That way you wont get your amp frying all the time and risk blowing your speakers. Plus uses less room. How much of a budget do you have? if you dont mind me asking??

[Casual77]

hi Scott,

Thanks for the reply.

To be honest I was hoping that I wouldn't have to spend any budget on the sound system because the one that I've got access to (my dad's) is only a few years old and has only been used a couple of times. Frustratingly, it sounds fine until the amplifier just cuts out for a few minutes. I'm no expert but I'm guessing that it has developed some kind of electrical fault from being stored in a loft and not used for the past couple of years. And I know Behringer doesn't have the best of reputations when it comes to quality and reliability.

As far as budget goes.... I suppose the answer to that one is 'as little as I can get away with spending' because I was planning to spend what money I have at the moment on lighting. If the speakers I've got are suitable and I could get away with just buying an amplifier I would ideally like to pick something up for under £150. If the speakers aren't suitable I would definitely consider going down the active speaker route but I'm guessing I would need to be looking at £300+ as a minimum for a pair of reasonable active speakers unless I could get something suitable second hand.

[Excalibur]

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

We'll do our best. First up, mixer amps like that one exist in many guises and badges. They're not known for being bulletproof. ( Says the man who has one he uses from time to time. ) Also, the quoted power outputs can be " optimistic ". Basically, it's not the weapon to be running at high output for five or six hours, and it's either overheating very quickly, or the speakers are causing it to go into " protect", though my money's on heat, as they have no fans, and a cramped design.

Assuming your speakers are OK ( one way to test them is to run them on a trusted amp. If that doesn't go into protect, they're OK. )

So, what's a good amp for you? Not an Ekho. We have a slight dilemma here, as most of us run professional gear for reliability. We'd recommend buying quality, for that reason. Whether you can justify that level of kit, well that's the question.

You ask about active speakers, well that's an option. There are quite a few budget brands which will offer relatively good quality at low prices. The important thing is to know their limits. When they are running at high levels of noise, don't push them further. They won't stand it. ( Nor will your ears, either.

Here are a few ideas of reasonably suitable and reliable ones. These are just the first ones I found, you may find them cheaper or secondhand elsewhere.

QTX

Alto.

Mackie Thump

My personal favourites: These are the newer DSR 15A. The older ones are PSR15A. Either are fine. Be warned though, these buggers are heavy.

That's enough to be going on with. Plenty of food for thought. You may find someone on here selling something suitable for you as well. Any questions, keep asking.
W Audio.

[scott23]

Its hard to say whats wrong with the amp. But it sounds to me like its goosed maybe from over heating, over powering, over pumping. You could try it at a lower volume and see if it holds up?! Otherwise another power amp is in order.

I would honestly have a try on fleeby or bumtree for a second hand either power amp or active speakers.

[Casual77]

My dilemma here is that I want something that will do the job but, because whatever I get will probably only be used a few times a year, it is difficult to justify spending the sort of money a professional DJ would spend. Having said that, I still need to be 99% sure that whatever I use won't pack in on me mid-set even if I aren't getting paid for doing it!

If I had the available cash I would definitely go for a pair of powered speakers and all the ones you have provided links for look as though they would fit the bill. My gut feeling is that the speakers I have would be ok but, like Scott, I think the amplifier has had it so perhaps getting a better amp is the more cost-effective option for now. Assuming the speakers are OK is there any particular amp that you could recommend that I could maybe pick up second hand? Are the amps by Mackie, W Audio and Alto worth considering, and if they are, what sort of Wattage should I be looking at?

[Excalibur]

Its hard to say whats wrong with the amp. But it sounds to me like its goosed maybe from over heating, over powering, over pumping. You could try it at a lower volume and see if it holds up?! Otherwise another power amp is in order.

Correct.

I would honestly have a try on fleeby or bumtree for a second hand either power amp or active speakers.

And if we go for secondhand amps on Ebay, there are a few Behringer EP1500, a few Peavey PV1500, and a couple of Numark Dimension 3 between £100 to £200 delivered. While I'm looking at Thomann, the T-Amp E-800 costs £123. The older design TA-1050 IS £177. There are worse amps on the market, and they have a 3 year warranty.

We're estimating the power ratings of your cabs, so if there's a panel on the back with figures, that would help. The old EP Behringers are reliable, but the EP2500 is probably too big for your cabs, as is the Numark Dimension 4

[scott23]

Depends on the wattage of your speakers.. You need a power amp mate! I know what your saying but if you want to do a good job ie sound good then you need pro equipment , otherwise you might aswel be using a hifi system ;-) as Excalibur was saying it need not cost the earth though.
Alto speakers as far as im aware arent to great, I have a mixer though and its fine. god knows about there amps though?!

[Casual77]

I know the speakers are 300W but I'm not sure of the other specs. I'll take a photo of the panel on the back and upload it tomorrow morning so you know what we are dealing with. £123 for the Thomann amp with 3 year warranty sounds promising if you think that might be up to the job.

[Excalibur]

I know the speakers are 300W but I'm not sure of the other specs. I'll take a photo of the panel on the back and upload it tomorrow morning so you know what we are dealing with. £123 for the Thomann amp with 3 year warranty sounds promising if you think that might be up to the job.

We need to know if that 300w is peak or RMS, and if the cabs are 8ohms, or 4 ohms. Then we can give better advice.