DJing Discussion

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Mackie thump15 1000(Watts)

DJ_CARMONA 12:49 AM - 26 March, 2015
Looking to buy a new pair of speakers to Dj with. I was looking into mackie thump15 1000 watts and wanted to know if they are a good buy?
DJ Reflex 1:00 AM - 26 March, 2015
Before anyone else here trashes Mackie, I thought I'd chime in.

This question depends on a few different factors:
1) What are you using them for? Weddings, school dances, house parties, or just farting around at home?
2) What is your budget? Can you afford better speakers or are you interested because they seem fairly cheap compared to QSC, JBL, or other better quality brands?
3) Will you be using them with a sub? Just a pair of tops might not get you the bass you need.

I've heard them once in store and they sounded OK. They are definitely not the prime powered speaker on the market, but you get what you pay for. If they are within your price range and will work for your applications, fine. If you want more and expect ridiculous sound, buy a better brand. This is advice from a DJ who uses Mackie speakers! :)
DJ_CARMONA 1:03 AM - 26 March, 2015
I will be using them for weddings, birthday parties, ect private events 200 people
DJ Reflex 1:20 AM - 26 March, 2015
Have you heard them in person... compared to other speakers?

Again, all the advice on this forum won't be as effective as a single listening test by YOU. See if your local gear store sells them and can give you a demo. Guitar Center, Player's Bench, Sam Ash, etc. should have sales techs there to help out. If you're happy with the sound, buy them. I got a buddy who swears by Harbinger (cheap GC brand). There's nothing wrong with budget speakers - as long as you know their limits and use them accordingly.
DJ_CARMONA 1:22 AM - 26 March, 2015
Yea. Thanks bro
Mr.Jace 2:47 AM - 27 March, 2015
Those mackie thumps will not handle crowds above 100 people. I have a friend who uses a pair for karaoke. In a mid size bar with 80+ I saw the overload light flashing away while the speaker was straining and it wasn't that loud. I'm not sure what you're budget is. For crowds less than 200 people. You are gonna end up spending a little more. Full range tops only with no subs, I would recommend ev elx115p, yamaha dbr15 or yamaha dxr15. Good luck with you're choices.
dj_soo 12:27 PM - 27 March, 2015
no way you can handle crowds of 200 with those.
Mr.Jace 3:27 PM - 27 March, 2015
Quote:
no way you can handle crowds of 200 with those.
I think those tops would be ok for below 200. He is planning to do only weddings , birthdays, etc.,.those parties are normally not crazy wild. Now, if he said outdoors or night clubs, then yes I would recommend him going to the next level or two. :-)
rayjthedj 4:51 PM - 27 March, 2015
The only affordable tops, I have found that work well, stand alone for crowds 200 and less, mostly weddings, are the Yamaha DXR15s, if you buy less and cheaper you are just kidding yourself that you have adequate sound.

Most weddings can really rock if you know what your doing and can cover music from the last 50 years.
Taipanic 5:08 PM - 27 March, 2015
As has been said in at least 100 threads so far (search is your friend ;-) )
Newer Mackies do not have the sound quality and build quality of other Name Brands like EV, Yamaha, JBL, QSC, & RCF. You would be better off with one of those brands products at the price point you can afford.
If you are doing 200 people dancing you really need a sub. You should have a sub anyways, just for the balance of sound and ability to play at higher volumes and sound better. A big benefit of using a sub is you can low pass the top cabinets and get more DBs out of them because you are not trying to push all the bass through it.
I like EV, I'd recommend a series of tops you can afford ( in ascending order - ZLX, ELX, EKX, ETX, ZXa5) and an ETX 15 or 18 sub to start off with. Buy once, cry once.
Mr.Jace 5:21 PM - 27 March, 2015
Quote:
As has been said in at least 100 threads so far (search is your friend ;-) )
Newer Mackies do not have the sound quality and build quality of other Name Brands like EV, Yamaha, JBL, QSC, & RCF. You would be better off with one of those brands products at the price point you can afford.
If you are doing 200 people dancing you really need a sub. You should have a sub anyways, just for the balance of sound and ability to play at higher volumes and sound better. A big benefit of using a sub is you can low pass the top cabinets and get more DBs out of them because you are not trying to push all the bass through it.
I like EV, I'd recommend a series of tops you can afford ( in ascending order - ZLX, ELX, EKX, ETX, ZXa5) and an ETX 15 or 18 sub to start off with. Buy once, cry once.

+1
rayjthedj 2:23 PM - 28 March, 2015
That question is really hard to answer, as size of the event, head count, type music played and volume requirements all play into the answer, but even with all those things answered, we still might not answer the question correct.

I would estimate that set up would play a small gym, with 500 people, or a small outdoor with 300 people with good sound quality and volume (not club volumes).

If you want to hammer outdoors, you need twice the subs (minimum) to play loud and balanced. For outdoors you also need a more focused top that projects further, if you are playing a very large area.
pdidy 9:48 PM - 28 March, 2015
Quote:
Out of curiosity, how many people could a ststem consisting of 2 ETX15s and 2 ETX18 subs play for in both indoor and outdoor scenarios?

indoors - 200 max
outdoors - 100 max