A sound investment

Corny heading I know right?

However for any DJ to be successful at what they do, they must have a decent PA system to play out to their party guests.

In recent years I have been using the Cerwin Vega Intense INT152 600W Speakers which has been rated in the top 5 for Passive Wooden Speakers. If you are looking for a premium brand, there are a few companies that I can recommend:

• HK Audio – German Engineered
• FBT – Italian Design
• DB Technologies – another great Italian manufacturer

As I move into larger events across Sussex, Surrey, Kent & Hampshire, it is key to look into finding the right system for you. Some of the questions you should ask when looking to invest in a new system I have listed below:

Passive speakers or Active speakers?

There are pro’s and cons for both…

Passive speakers require a seperate amplifier to be connected and offer power to the speakers. You need to make sure that the amp is powerful enough to support the preferred output you have chosen. This means you do not need to use additional power points to power these, however you will end up lugging around an amplifier in the meantime.

Active speakers are independently powered with the amplifier contained within the speakers and/or bass bins. You will need to make sure there is sufficient power points available at the venue for this, however the added benefit is you will no longer need to move around a standalone amplifier as this will offer a portable solution with microphone or mixer inputs directly into the speaker itself.

How powerful is the system and/or how many people can this cater for?

The output of a speaker system is very important whilst doing your research. It is key to understand what type of events you usually cater for and how many people are usually in attendance. On average this can range between 80 – 150 people normally, with larger events looking at 350+ people.

I have recently invested in the HK Audio Linear L5 Club Pack from DJKit.com which boosts a massive output of 4400 watts. Now obviously I haven’t had the chance to push this to it’s full potential yet, however early signs show that it has a large throw with the sound across the room, which leads me to my next point.

What size of venue do you usually perform at?

This is extremely important with the acoustics of the room. If you are using a smaller system (for example with an output of 400 watts) this isn’t exactly going to carry well in a large concert room. Assess the type of venues that you normally perform at and make a call on what system will best fill the room.

What manufacturer warranty/guarantee is available with the system you are looking into?

A good quality PA system does not come cheap. If you are playing in the public domain you should realistically look at spending anything from £600 upwards. The RRP on the HK Linear 5 Club Pack that I’ve acquired is £3,839, however the system also includes a 5 year warranty should there be any unforeseen issues that you encounter with usage.

Cables are equally important!

Investing in a new system alone is not enough, you should look at sourcing good quality speaker cables or leads that are compatible with your PA. This will make all the difference with the output of sound.

I have included a little video below unboxing the system I went for and from the first initial test at an event I hosted last night (Saturday), it definitely outperformed my expectations:

Thanks for reading and feel free to ask any questions on what you’ve seen!