best amp?

Hey there,

I would like some advice.
I am a DJ and I bought some (pretty crap) PA speakers off ebay
...Kool Sound '250 watt' speakers.
On my friend's amp they sounded crackly and tinny...i'm assuming that I need a stronger amp in order to hold the power, especially since i'm looking to hook a sub up to it as well at some point.

I am short on money and desperately require an amp so I can start mixing again. Can anybody recommend me a good strong amplifier, that will be able to control these speakers, with the capacity to contain a small sub as well?

Sorry if this appears a little unorthodox- first thread!
Any help would be most helpful!!

Cheers

What's your budget?

Add a URL to your speaker's manufacturing product link so we can look at the specs and help you determine what your power requirements might be.

I happen to be very partial to Crown amps.

onset said:

I am a DJ and I bought some (pretty crap) PA speakers off ebay
...Kool Sound '250 watt' speakers.
On my friend's amp they sounded crackly and tinny...

Click to expand...

While the amplifier is crucial to good sound - the speakers will always be the weak link in any system (transducers in general). Cheap crappy speakers will result in cheap and crappy sound. The sound would likely improve with a better amp, but don't expect a miracle. I'd be willing to bet they use Piezo horns and probably don't even have a real crossover in them.

I'm a QSC fan, but the Crowns are easily on par. For your "Cheap Crappy" speakers - I might recommend going with a Berhinger PA amp unless you have intentions on upgrading your speakers down the road (in that case - get a descent amp now and hang on to it).

One thing I've learned in my decades of Gear Lust is to skip the cheap stuff and buy good gear in the first place. Buying cheap/crappy gear just to have something to get started on ends up being a monetary loss when you realize your crappy gear is hindering you from getting professional results. You can upgrade from crap, to better crap, to semi-pro crap, and finally to the "Real Deal" and lose tons of cash in that process. Or you can save up and get the good gear you want in the first place and end up WAY ahead . Took me 20 odd years to figure that out - and it will likely take you 10 or 20 years to figure that out too (people told me the same thing 20 years ago and I just had to waste my hard earned cash to figure it out on my own )

It's your cash. Save and spend wisely...

Most of the time you'll want to drive the sub off a separate amp... otherwise, if you have the sub hit full RMS for something (say the song has a really good bass line) it'll tend to pull some power from the rest of the system.

I can't say anything about brands (Only do mixing/speaker set ups for concerts locally, much bigger than what you're looking for), but i'd think that a 500 for the main speakers, and then a 300 or 500 for the sub(s) as well. That way everything will be balanced out.