Help me decide

A friend and I have started a social dance venue. We spent big on the lights and bought cheap sound to get us started with a view to upgrading.

Current rig
2 x numark 1900watt amps
2x peavey pro15 tops
2x peavey prosub
2x wharfdale force 9s

run in a room 10 metres by 20

We need flexibility as we've booked a venue three times this size and also some smaller.

I'm looking to build 2 subs and four tops but need to focus on the subs first with an awareness that choosing a whole system requirement then building the bits I need as I go.

Ive been lurking in here for some months and read ALOT.

1)Bass
Have settled on bass reflex but don't know whether to go for 15" or 18", the inspiration for each being the q15 and CSG's BMS loaded box respectively.

We play a range of music from modern dance tunes to guitar bands an possibly some swing.

I like that the 18s will go lower but don't know how much that compromises its dynamic musicality in the upper bass ranges.

2) Tops.
12+1 or 2x8+1? What's to choose between them?

Does this depend on which sub I choose or will double 8+1 drop enough to meet the 18s?

I'll be running 4 tops as people dance as close as <1.5m from the speakers and without there is a huge hole in the middle of the soundstage for people dancing there.

3) Perceived throw
At the moment our competitors are VERY loud in front of the speakers to get it loud enough at the back of the room (Different rig, obviously) whereas ours is very uniform and I'd hate to lose this feature. Any help on how to chose to retain this gratefully received.

Thanks for helping me start my journey!

Jon

The performance of the Q15 are very impressive for the size.

Edited by dlyxover - 06 June 2016 at 1:01pm

Thanks for a detailed and informative response. Much appreciated.

I've pretty much chosen the drivers and think 18s will give me more flexibility across venue sizes. i'll start the design phase for the subs now and ask more questions as they arise!

Im in South Devon. If anyone is near me and could let me hear their homemade rig id really love to.

Jon

you could look at the B&C Sub 18 design,its quite friendly with drivers and is a proven design,you just build more as you need them , the p audio e600 driver is good at the budget end

Thank you all for your input.

From what i see the p audio e18 600 is £115 which is cheaper than the bms 18s430v2 i was planning to use which is £190. Realistically what is to choose between them?


The fane drivers seem insanely cheap! My objective was to build something that would rival the top pro audio stuff and i guess I'm not going to be able to do that with the cheapest components?

JonB67 wrote: Thank you all for your input. From what i see the p audio e18 600 is £115 which is cheaper than the bms 18s430v2 i was planning to use which is £190. Realistically what is to choose between them? The fane drivers seem insanely cheap! My objective was to build something that would rival the top pro audio stuff and i guess I'm not going to be able to do that with the cheapest components?