Need amp to match speakers

[DJKickAss]

Hi all.

I'm a mobile DJ with a pretty basic setup. 2 speakers. 1 amp. Vinyl decks. Few lights. I'm getting quite a few gigs here and there. It's only my hobby really so not spent loads on equipment (although dread to think how much I've spent on vinyl!).

However, I don't think I'm getting the most out of my speakers. I don't believe my amp is powerful enough for the speakers (I bought amp and speakers as part of a DJ package a couple of years back). I find that my amp starts 'clipping' at what I consider to be a relatively low volume. And there's always that one person that says 'turn it up mate'...As much as I'd love to oblige I'm restricted by having to keep an eye on those dreaded red LEDs on the amp!

I have a pair of passive speakers. Each has the following ratings:
400 watts RMS.
800 watts max.
8 ohms.
90dB sensitivity.

My current amp delivers a max 200 watts to each channel (or each speaker) at 8 ohms (it doesn't seem to have an RMS rating that I can see).

If I understand it right, this means my speakers are only getting 200 watts each delivered to them, and yet the RMS is double that (400).

So, my question to you is...what amp spec should I look for that would allow me to get my speakers working at 400 RMS each? And maybe more importantly, have I actually understood the basic concepts of amps and speakers??

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

Pete.

[musicology]

I would get a 500w per channel or greater so it doesn't have to work too hard.

[Excalibur]

Just a couple of points. As I'm sure you've worked out, clipping is bad, and persistent use with the lights on is likely to damage speakers.
So, you need a bigger amp, but please be aware that an amp giving 400w per channel into your speakers will not be twice as loud . It doesn't work that way.

There will be a limit to what you can get out of your cabs, and simply sticking bigger and bigger amps on won't change that.

This may help to get an idea of what's involved.A little light reading.

OK, caution over, let's make suggestions. I'd suggest you need an amp delivering between 400 and 800 watts at 8 ohms. At the upper end that's quite a mighty beast. Our friends at Thomann are now charging around £300 for amps that were nearer £200 a few years ago.

I can't come up with a list of suitable ones at bargain prices, but if you're prepared to lift the blasted thing, a secondhand Peavey PV2600 could well be the most cost efective route. If you're lucky you may find one around £200. Good luck.
PS. If you want to post up what you find, we'll tell you if it seems a good deal.

[mattydj50]

If its of any use and your budget is limited, I have one of these sitting around spare that's looking for a good home.

Numark Dimension 3

£90 including a Gator flight case. Courier charge would be extra though.

[ckpr2]

I would buy a more powerful lightweight amp.
You can buy amps with a switch mode power supply and class d amplifier which are much lighter than transformer based amplifiers.
OK they cost a bit more but they do save your back.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Crown XLS802. I've had mine for a number of years and it has never let me down (apart from when there was a problem with power in a venue I was at and a spike in the current damaged it and it needed fixing).

If you're passive, you'll need a back up amplifier too, just to be safe.

[ckpr2]

200 watts to 400 watts isn't a big difference.
Sound levels are logarithmic so you need 10 times the power to sound twice as loud.

I used a 225watts RMS amp with four 50 watt RMS Fane speakers for years and it was always loud enough.
It was certainly loud enough for small to medium sized venues.

For comparison a guitarist would typically use a Marshall 100 watt RMS amp with a Marshall 4 by 12 inch speaker setup.
So 200 watts RMS isn't too shabby for sound level.

[Excalibur]

I used a 225watts RMS amp with four 50 watt RMS Fane speakers for years and it was always loud enough.
It was certainly loud enough for small to medium sized venues.

I used to use a 70w RMS mono amp with a pair of column speakers, until I reached the heady heights of upgrading to the stero version, with a mind blowing 70w per side!!!

At a local venue I used to play with that rig, I'm now regularly taking in 700w per side. Times change, attitudes change, and also it's not a fair comparison between twenty plus year old kit and new kit.