Suggestion on Portable Sound System - Limited Budget

[jeffms35]

Hi all,


I'm looking for a portable sound system ( that is either battery powered or rechargable ), for doing outdoor events.

I just need it to be able to blast out music loud and clear ( at the same time.. ). Ability to plug in a microphone is not required but a plus.

( so either a PA system, or if it's a very good boombox i can scrap the microphone part and work with megaphone.

I'm not so sure about amps since i have heard bad things about turning up the music too high with an amp and damaging it... )

I only have a limited budget of around $150 dollars to work with, so I'm gonna need help maximizing the bang for the buck.

It's ok if the deal is in the States as long as it ships to Washington State.

I was considering the Xplod boombox ( CFD-G770 ) which has mic input, but it's kinda out of my budget. I have also tried the Yamaha PDX-11 ( either loud or clear, not both ) and an Sony ZS-H10CP boombox.


Please help, suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

[Shojin]

-Get one of these T-amps http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-380. Works on batteries if you absolutely cannot find electrical power. ($34)

-For tunes, use your iphone/smartphone/laptop headphone jack and connect it to the amp ($0). If you have an iphone/ipod and care about sound quality, get a line out kit http://www.amazon.com/SendStation-PDLO-USB-PocketDock-Line-iPods/dp/B0009X499G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1343766173&sr=8-2&keywords=sendstation+pocketdock ($27)

-For a microphone, get this app for your iphone http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vonbruno-microphone/id482337530?mt=8 ($0.99)

-Spend the rest of your money on a good pair of used efficient speakers (>90 dB).

If you get good speakers this setup should be plenty loud and sound quite good.

ps. If you're looking for speaker recommendations, keep your eye out for old style Mission 70 series speakers, like these http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/648947060-mission_70_speakers/. They're efficient enough and sound great.

[jeffms35]

THANKS!! That's really helpful little gadget to check out.

Now for the speakers... anything in specific that i have to watch out for in order for it to produce?

( like would any speaker work with this or.. for example some speaker have recommended amplified power of more than 15W, would it still work just doesnt sound as good?

[HiClass]

Block Rocker, comes with Mic too is $149 at Costco in Ont. Seen it there last week and for the last month. The one at Costco is all black. Best part of it is the handle and wheel feature like a suitcase.

http://www.amazon.com/ION-Rocker-Battery-Powered-Speaker/dp/B000I51FF6

[Shojin]

The most important consideration for this application is the speaker efficiency or sensitivity. 90dB and up is good. Above 95dB would be even better. Also, the amp will only drive 8 ohm speakers not 4 ohm. If you have efficient speakers even 5 watts per channel is plenty loud. Certainly louder than any $150 boom box can be.

If you're really concerned about amp power and can stretch your budget Dayton also makes a 50W per channel version http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-383. However it cannot run on batteries (it looks nicer though).

[jeffms35]

The most important consideration for this application is the speaker efficiency or sensitivity. 90dB and up is good. Above 95dB would be even better. Also, the amp will only drive 8 ohm speakers not 4 ohm. If you have efficient speakers even 5 watts per channel is plenty loud. Certainly louder than any $150 boom box can be.

If you're really concerned about amp power and can stretch your budget Dayton also makes a 50W per channel version http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-383. However it cannot run on batteries (it looks nicer though).


Weird. in the Q&A some dude with this thing said 4ohm speakers can be driven by this thing.

Anyways. This is probably what I'm looking at right now.
Someone was selling a POLK AUDIO MONITOR SERIES SPEAKER 5JR-60739 for $75
From other sites this appear to be 8ohm speakers, so im probably safe either way.

And yeah ability to run on no AC is a must, so the other one is not so feasible..



Block Rocker, comes with Mic too is $149 at Costco in Ont. Seen it there last week and for the last month. The one at Costco is all black. Best part of it is the handle and wheel feature like a suitcase.

http://www.amazon.com/ION-Rocker-Battery-Powered-Speaker/dp/B000I51FF6

Last month I saw them here in BC as well, but they have disappeared since.