DJing Discussion

This area is for discussion about DJing in general. Please remember the community rules when posting and try to be polite and inclusive.

Best lightweight mobile PA setup for my DJ wife who plays a range of music

onetaste (I am the other user that has taken this name) 11:14 AM - 12 June, 2019
I have done a lot of research across many forums, looked at lots of reviews and below are the results of my research. I would really appreciate your comments on my work to date and your advice to help me make a choice.

I need a lightweight setup for my wife who is a dance therapist, she plays to various rooms of 20-50 dancers, EDM as well as recorded performances so the solution needs to provide the awesome bass that people like to move their body to while at the same time have the sound quality to reproduce haunting vocals and quieter acoustic pieces. The problem is I can't audition where I am so very interested in your comments.

My research has led me to the following shortlist (all 2 tops sitting on 2 subs):

EV ZXA1 with matching 12" subs (8.6kg & 20.9kg, heard these in action in a room of 100 dancers, faultless performance. Getting old so no DSP or variety in inputs)
EV ELX200-10P tops with ELX200-12SP 12" subs (13.5kg & 19kg, how do these compare to ZXA1?)
RCF ART 708A MK4 and 12" SUB 702-AS II (10.4kg and 19kg)
RCF EVOX 8 x2 (23.8kg total. Also the EVOX J8 is lighter again and cheaper, but how does it sound compared to the wooden boxes in the EVOX 8?)

Also possible solutions but the subs are probably too heavy for her getting in and out of the car on her own:

Yamaha DXR8 or 10 tops (12.8kg and 13.9kg) but the pair of DXS12mkII subs (30kg)
ELX200-10P tops (13.5kg) with 18" ELX20-18SP sub (29kg) or
QSC K8.2 (12.2kg) with KS112 subs (28kg on castors).

I think when she sees a 30kg sub she will say no, but who knows? The 14.5kg QSC K10.2 tops were too heavy for her. She will probably fall in love with the weight and ease of setup of the EVOX 8.

I am thinking that I should not mix and match tops with subs, instead stick to the pairings that are designed to go together. There are so many good systems at this weight, we really are spoilt for choice. Thanks in advance for your help.
577er 1:34 PM - 12 June, 2019
From my experience:

The speed and ease of setting up the evox system is by far the fastest and easiest. Not the best sound but for 80 people it’s good enough. Be sure to set the gain all the way up when using it. Haven’t done a side by side with wood and plastic boxes but I’ve heard both and didn’t notice any difference.

The only other top I would consider is the Turbosound ip300.

The EV ZXA1s are prone to overheating if used the sun or run really hard. I’d only use them for monitoring or low volume stuff.

The RCF702asii sub is super lightweight but not very loud. I use it in certain venues that allow me to boundary load it against a wall or ideally a corner! If you just stick it under a table away from a wall it’s not all that impressive. Two of them side by side might be the way to go.

Let us know what you decide on.
Ollieboy 6:08 PM - 12 June, 2019
Alto TS310 series. Go with a 10". It's loud enough with good bass and it's light.
577er 8:29 PM - 12 June, 2019
Type alto speakers into google and one of the first suggested searches is “alto speaker repair” lol. The internet is trying to tell you something... if it’s too cheap to be true it IS.
onetaste (I am the other user that has taken this name) 12:05 PM - 14 June, 2019
Other forums are recommending the EV EVOLVE 50 over the EVOX 8/J8, a majority of people seem to prefer the sound and the speed and ease of setup. Although if the pole is damaged there is no replacing the cable which is the simple thing to do in the EVOX.

J8 is getting thumbs up for value.
577er 3:43 PM - 16 June, 2019
If it sounds good enough for you the Evox j8 combo is probably the best portable easy setup system out. Setup time is way faster than traditional 2 subs and 2 tops. Just be sure to get the wheely bags as the poles will easily get lost / forgotten otherwise.

To me the evolve 50 system makes no sense. The tops are way too low. Maybe it sounds great in a demo-room but it’s not practical at all.
Chris81 1:13 AM - 17 June, 2019
This month I've been on this forum asking about speakers too, and would like to throw this out there ...

Esteemed Serato folks, would OP's wife benefit from simply having a couple of decent 15" speakers instead of a four speaker set-up?

OP says he needs "the awesome bass" however this is subjective. While skipping on subs wasn't an option for me, is it possible relying on the 15" subs in a good set of speakers would suffice for OP? He is already looking at 12" subs. It is also possible that what many DJs in here consider "awesome bass" (my new sub reaches 32Hz) is different to OP.

I raise this because OP raised weight as an issue and two 15" speakers would be a lot easier to set up than a twin sub system. This option would also allow him to buy from the top of the EV range rather than from near the bottom. It would also allow DJ Wife plenty of headroom if things expand.

Alternatively, would one 15" sub suffice in place of the two 12" ones?

While I've only just bought my first PA system I've been lugging music gear around for 20 years. It's a pain in the butt.

OP, something I will suggest that took me two decades to realise. Invest a few extra bucks and buy a platform trolley. They come a lot cheaper than I'd initially imagined. I'm actually about to drive to a hardware store to price a new one now.

Posted for discussion.
577er 4:14 AM - 17 June, 2019
Whenever I buy a speaker I rank the following and see which is best based on the importance of each.

-Weight.
-Audio quality / sound
-Cost
-Warranty
-Visual appeal
-Built in mixer / features
-Setup time
-Scalability
-How to transport it

Of the speakers he listed the Evox J8 wins for the logistical and visual considerations.

The DXR tops with DXS12ii subs or K8.2 tops with KS112 subs would be my vote for sound quality and input options.

Once you get to great sounding 15”s they are probably heavier than they are looking for.
onetaste (I am the other user that has taken this name) 2:45 PM - 17 June, 2019
Yes, my wife had a look at the K10.2s (14.5kg) and she considered these too heavy to lift above her head onto stands.

Someone in another forum suggested just lay down a pair of 12" full range speakers at 45 degrees and that will do the job, the bass will sound good because it is lying on the floor. I'm worried about the high frequencies getting absorbed by the bodies in that case.

Regarding just running with a set of full range 15s I have heard some say that it is better to separate the bass into subs, it is hard to get the perfect bass out of a full range speaker that is also producing mid range frequencies.

The trolley looks like a great idea. Thanks for the comments, everyone, and thanks for the list of priorities, 577er, that is really useful.
CMOS 11:12 PM - 17 June, 2019
If shes worried about mounting the speaker above her head, maybe a stand with a crank? Ive seen some that are even air assisted for raising/lowering the speaker.
Al Poulin 2:16 PM - 21 June, 2019
You ABSOLUTELY need to try Cerwin-Vega's CVE-15s! I tested the 10s and they are excellent. The 15s are only 34lbs, and if they pound like the 10s, you are in for a treat!

Al
dj_soo 6:59 PM - 21 June, 2019
No experience with the New CV tops, but I’ve been rocking a pair of the CVX18S subs for a year with no complaints. Great sound quality, good output and throw, and 0 issues over countless gigs.
onetaste (I am the other user that has taken this name) 8:47 PM - 21 June, 2019
15" at 34lbs is unbelievable. The 18" subs are 43kg, that is out of the question for the missus, but the specs look impressive. I could go that way for my rig.
Hanginon 12:30 PM - 23 June, 2019
My recommendation is still getting one sub, the largest/heaviest she can handle - and remember, it does not go up in the air.

To this, add two 8" or 10" tops. One poled on top of the sub, the other on a tripod.

Quote you -
"so the solution needs to provide the awesome bass that people like to move their body to while at the same time have the sound quality to reproduce haunting vocals and quieter acoustic pieces"

If you think you're going to get this from a pair of 15" tops, be my guest.
Gio Alex 10:07 PM - 17 August, 2019
Quote:
EV ELX200-10P tops with ELX200-12SP 12" subs (13.5kg & 19kg, how do these compare to ZXA1?)
RCF ART 708A MK4 and 12" SUB 702-AS II (10.4kg and 19kg)
RCF EVOX 8 x2 (23.8kg total. Also the EVOX J8 is lighter again and cheaper, but how does it sound compared to the wooden boxes in the EVOX 8?)



Need some feedback on these setups. I too am looking for a compact/lightweight setup, and these are the 3 I'm mostly looking at.

Anyone have any feedback on the ELX 200 10p tops and the 12SP sub combos? I was thinking of getting 2 tops and 2 subs, or the Art 708 tops with 2 702-AS II bottoms.

Lastly can a pair of Evox J8s hold down 100 people?

Thanks
577er 3:13 PM - 18 August, 2019
No experience with the the EV 200 series but a pair of RCF 708 and 702 would be the lightest system with enough volume for 100 person wedding. The QSC KS112 or RCF 705 sub would be much better than the 702 however.

A pair of RCF J8 would be enough for 100 people. I played around with the JMIX8 at a store and it sounded MUCH better (with prerecorded music) than the J8 after using the internal mixer to roll off the highs and boosting the lows and mids. Not sure if you could get the same results using an external mixer but I imagine you could. To me the J8 & JMIX8 need some serious EQing to sound right for DJ work.
Gio Alex 3:23 PM - 18 August, 2019
Quote:
The QSC KS112 or RCF 705 sub would be much better than the 702 however.


Yeah I totally hear on that, but it's the size too, and weight of course. the KS112 is 62LBS. the 705 is 51lbs.... vs 702 being at only 35lbs apparently.

Quote:
A pair of RCF J8 would be enough for 100 people. I played around with the JMIX8 at a store and it sounded MUCH better (with prerecorded music) than the J8 after using the internal mixer to roll off the highs and boosting the lows and mids. Not sure if you could get the same results using an external mixer but I imagine you could. To me the J8 & JMIX8 need some serious EQing to sound right for DJ work.


Thanks or that info.

Maybe I should consider the Evox 8 pair then. But then I keep hearing sound wise there isn't much difference btwn them and the J8.
dj_soo 7:12 PM - 18 August, 2019
here's a video comparing the J8 and the Evox8: Watchwww.youtube.com
577er 10:58 PM - 18 August, 2019
Quote:
Quote:
The QSC KS112 or RCF 705 sub would be much better than the 702 however.


Yeah I totally hear on that, but it's the size too, and weight of course. the KS112 is 62LBS. the 705 is 51lbs.... vs 702 being at only 35lbs apparently.

Quote:
A pair of RCF J8 would be enough for 100 people. I played around with the JMIX8 at a store and it sounded MUCH better (with prerecorded music) than the J8 after using the internal mixer to roll off the highs and boosting the lows and mids. Not sure if you could get the same results using an external mixer but I imagine you could. To me the J8 & JMIX8 need some serious EQing to sound right for DJ work.


Thanks or that info.

Maybe I should consider the Evox 8 pair then. But then I keep hearing sound wise there isn't much difference btwn them and the J8.


There is very little difference between the sound of the 8 and J8. At least with the JMIX8 you can tweak the sound and still save hundreds compared to the wood Evox 8.
Gio Alex 11:25 PM - 18 August, 2019
Quote:
here's a video comparing the J8 and the Evox8: Watchwww.youtube.com


Good looking out
Gio Alex 11:25 PM - 18 August, 2019
Ok, let’s say I could get a pair of evox 8 for the same price as the J8. Which would you go for?
577er 1:05 AM - 19 August, 2019
From the video the J8 has a bit more bass so that would get my vote.
Gio Alex 1:08 AM - 19 August, 2019
Damn, so why the hell is the evox 8 still selling for almost double the price of the J8, cuz it’s made out of wood? Lol
dj_soo 8:30 AM - 19 August, 2019
I like the midrange presence of the Evox8 better, but the low end is a little better on the J8.

No idea why the Evox is so much pricier - the build seems a little better on the Evox, but I dunno about $800 better.

No dount the J8 is made in China vs Italy, but I was under the impression that the Evox8 mk2s are also made in China. Maybe the components are just better in the Evox8?
Gio Alex 8:52 PM - 19 August, 2019
Very interesting, and thanks for all the info

Looks like i'll either go the the J8 pair or the Art 708 tops with 2 702-AS II bottoms.

Pair of J8's are looking like the top choice so far.
onetaste (I am the other user that has taken this name) 4:32 AM - 6 October, 2020
UPDATE: In the end we purchased a pair of the Electrovoice EVOLVE 50 and we are extremely happy with the results. It is very easy for my wife to move and set up (although the base unit at 20kg is at her limit). The loudness and clarity of sound is brilliant, bass is pretty good for a 12" sub. The speaker array throws to the back of the room nicely without blowing the ear drums off those nearby. It has great sound in a wide 170 degree arc.

The only improvement I might consider is possibly adding a single bigger sub if she can handle moving that around, but what we have now does the job very nicely filling a dance hall with 100 people easily at 90dB at the back of the room. We don't like going any louder than that.

The bluetooth streaming is handy too, as a backup for the gig but also she sets up one speaker at home when she is doing her prep and just streams to the speaker from her laptop.
577er 1:30 AM - 7 October, 2020
I think that the RCF 702asii is the lightest pro sub followed by the EV ELX200 and dB Technologies Sub 612.

I’m an RCF fanboy but wasn’t impressed with 702. Maybe it’s because I own the 705 and like them a lot for the weight.