What do you guys think of upper Darby, PA?

Ill give a $5 dollar reward (to your paypal) to best answer... PA system question? for like the 5th time?

• Yes Ive grown so desperate I am even willing to pay for a answer to my question!!! Ok, here it is AGAIN, I have a entertainment business, that is growing, so i need to improve on my sound system ( wich I only have a boom box for now) anyway, I bring characters to parties, they dance, and sing with the children. Now I need a PA system, or sound system that will be able to hold atleast 3 microphones, and a music source at the same time.... and ive research sooo much that I know about the channels, but I also need a music source, I am no dj so all I own is mp3 player, ipod, laptop, and my boombox. that i can use for my music source, I need to know HOW to connect them to the mixer and/or speakers. I want speakers with stands that are atleast 100 watts RMS combined, more would be prefered, but I am on a budget ( of about $350) but if I must I can go as high as $400 but no more. I just need the speakers, and the mixer, and most importantly all the connections I will be needing. I did already buy some 4 channel vhf lapel with 4 headset microphones, so i dont need to buy those, I do need to know how to connect them and where to connect them, after that is done, I need to know how to connect my music source, and my speakers, on the mixer (i guess) so I will need to know as well what kind of connections I will need. So if there is someone out there who will finally help me I will soooo much appreciate your help, everyone around me seems to be so clueless, best buy guys dont know anything, and I just got off the phone with this PA guy that supposely knows a lot but wasent able to help me. I will honestly pay $5 dollars today for a helpful answer... Links to what I need would be perfect!! I will post links to the speakers I liked, and the microphones I bought, so SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!! i want to buy this stuff today, to get it by next week... this is why i need it so critically this are the microphones I bought http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260643966016&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT this are the speakers I really liked, I think its a good price for the watts rms it offers, and i like how they will look proffesional and powerful for my business but i still need the mixer, and connections. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380305616945&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT and im guessing this is something that matches exactly what Im looking for... but it looks too small, and the price is not what i would prefer.. But im not sure if it will have all the connections I need for ALL MY EXPECTATIONS. this is were my lack of knowledge really kicks in. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280531417611&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT well thanx in advance to everyone :)

• Answer:

  Hi, Maria, So... you need a mixer, a power amplifier, and speakers. A "powered mixer" combines the first two. First, sorry to say but I don't much like the $200 speaker+stand set. They're too inexpensive for what they claim to be. And, sorry again, but I think the obvious circular grilles are very unprofessional-looking. Real pro PA speakers are nearly featureless on the outside. The speakers aren't supposed to draw attention to themselves - they're supposed to blend into the background. You want the focus to be on your performers. Inputs: The receiver in the 4-channel wireless mic system you bought will mix the four mics together, so only one input on the mixer is needed for all of the wireless mics. It comes with a cable that will plug into the 1/4" phone jack that is common for mic input channels on nearly all mixers. Important Tip: Wireless mics use up batteries like crazy. Don't count on batteries lasting through more than one performance + the time in between. This WILL bite you if you risk it. Just replace the batteries in the transmitters with fresh ones before each performance. Most mixers will have a couple more mic channels. You could use them for additional wired mics. For any of the music devices you mentioned (mp3 player, ipod, laptop, and boombox), all of those have a 1/8" stereo headphone jack. You can connect this to a "line-level" input on a mixer. Most any mixer you buy in this field will have a stereo line-level input on either dual RCA phono jacks (usually one white and one red), or on dual 1/4" phone jacks. You use a simple adapter cable to connect these to your player. These cables are available at computer and electronics stores or, for 1/8" stereo to dual 1/4" phone, at music stores like Guitar Center. Or on ebay. Most mixers you'll find in the range you're looking for will only accept one such "line level" connection at a time - sometimes two. The third product you linked, the "DJ Tech" system, is a set combining a powered mixer and speakers. So if you bought that you would not need to add any speakers. You would want to add speaker stands, however. This mixer allows three mic inputs, plus one stereo line level input, plus a fifth input for USB playback. That's an interesting option. But there's no display, so if you needed often to find songs by title instead of playing a set program, it would be better to just use an iPod or a regular MP3 player. I also agree with you that it is likely a little underpowered for your needs. Have you considered buying used? See the third link below. This is somewhat like the "DJTech" system, powered mixer + speakers. Peavey is a long-established name brand in the PA field, and these speakers are much better than the ones in the DJ Tech system. It includes the speaker stands (a little on the short side for a standing audience, but ok for a sitting one, according to one review) and it all bundles up into a single rolling unit - a bit heavy though at 60 pounds, but frankly that's better than the very lightweight DJTech setup. This system is no longer current, but sold for around $600 and got good reviews. (4th link) You could probably find similar deals in your local craigslist. Re. speaker stands: In any performance situation such as you describe you do want the speakers up high, "firing" over the heads of the audience. Otherwise the people in front will "absorb" a lot of the sound, especially high frequencies, and people in back will not be able to hear well. Incidently you also want to keep the microphones behind the speakers. In other words if the speakers were at the front edge of the stage area then the performers would want to be behind that edge. Microphones in front of the speakers will often cause feedback. Putting the speakers higher lessens the risk of feedback if you can't get them in front of the mics. Best of luck with your business.