Speakers For Those Who Abuse Them & Haven't Learned To Appreciate SQ Or Be Responsible Stereo Owners

mr.muddles

Super Member
TLDR : What are some good party speakers?

I've been reconnecting with some high school friends recently and a lot of them want to build stereos after seeing some of my systems. Many of them are collecting "vinyl" with cheap turntables and poorly thought out systems that are under performing with new consumer options.

I'm trying to help them, however, there is a problem... they aren't the audiophile types, at least not yet anyway..

An example, I gave one of my friends a pair of KLH 17 speakers and he complained they weren't loud enough... I finally took them back and found out he blew the tweeters. He is the kind of guy that likes to have a house party and play his stereo until it starts clipping.

The majority of all music they listen to is rap, hip hop, and maybe some classic rock.

I'm looking for recommendations on reliably robust speakers that can stand up to abuse and regular mistreatment. I don't really want to give any of my friends any of my better speakers as I think they will just blow them up.

For example, the one guy I have already mentioned, is happy with this giant MTX audio speakers that have like 12" or 15" woofers in them... I think they sound like garbage but he likes how loud they get and he hasn't blown them up yet.

The first name that comes to mind for me is Cerwin Vega but I have never owned a pair of these, I just feel like they are probably good rock and rap speakers. Another option I am keeping an eye out for is RSL speakers.

Personally, I listen to music at moderate levels and never abuse any equipment and have never even brought an amp to clipping before. I mostly listen to rock and jazz, with some country and pop mixed in...

Looking for recommendations on "house party" speakers I guess? Don't want to pay a lot of money as they aren't looking for high end sound at least not yet, just something that can withstand their abuse.
 
I gave one of my friends a pair of KLH 17 speakers and he complained they weren't loud enough... I finally took them back and found out he blew the tweeters.
Is there any hope of anything surviving in his possession?
Ok, this advice is rather non-specific but how about PA speakers? They're usually designed to take a lot of punishment.
I agree, Cerwin Vega spring to mind, but I have no direct experience of them - just know their reputation.
 
CV's with 15" woofers and Mach 1's or 2'S as stated above will do it for sure. The CV's will probably cost you more and sound better than the Mach ones, but if your just going for loud party speakers you can find Mach 1's pretty cheap if you keep looking. I saw a clean pair recently go for $100.
 
Thanks guys, the Mach 1's are a good suggestion... I haven't seen them recently around my area but people tend to sell them for $100-200.

Something under $100 would be ideal.

Any specific CV to look for they have a few series it seems... just any of them with a large woofer?

Off hand I know there is the VS, VE? RE? E series speakers..
 
Cerwins for sure will handle your friends need for loud party speakers but if he is driving them into distortion you will still blow tweeters or worse. I have the CV AT-15's and with my Onkyo M-504 I can pretty much wake the neighbors. Good hunting. :rockon:
 
Mach 1's are my suggestion also, I could never hurt mine even using them for events like graduation reunions.
 
Mach 1's are my suggestion also, I could never hurt mine even using them for events like graduation reunions.

If they have an incandescent light bulb as @w1jim says than seems like they can stand up to some punishment... finding a pair will take awhile I think though.
 
Is there any hope of anything surviving in his possession?
Ok, this advice is rather non-specific but how about PA speakers? They're usually designed to take a lot of punishment.
I agree, Cerwin Vega spring to mind, but I have no direct experience of them - just know their reputation.
PA speakers were my first thought as well and readily available at pawn shops and Guitar Centers every where. Back in the day most of my friends had stereos and were big house party rockers. Few were audiophiles. Stacked Advents (OLAs) and monster receivers generally got the job done handily.
 
If they have an incandescent light bulb as @w1jim says than seems like they can stand up to some punishment... finding a pair will take awhile I think though.
The later Mach 2's I think had the bulbs in the crossovers, the Mach 1's did not. I ran my Mach 1's at 3/4 volume all night at several gatherings and they never failed.
 
Another vote for PA speakers. Most everyone is wanting active models these days, so the (old school) passive designs are plentiful and cheap. Only catch there is most wont do deep bass, and tonget thumping bass you’ll have to EQ or crankmup the bass tone control.
 
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The original Advents are another thing I was thinking about but I figured they might not be any more robust than the tweeters in the KLH 17 and those usually go for 100+ around here.
 
Your best bet in these situations is almost always to get a nice subwoofer. Ideally, a subwoofer with a crossover that can be used in conjunction with the main speakers.

The limiting factor in most "party" situations is bass. This applies even in situations where the tweeter ends up blown, which would at first not seem to have anything to do with bass, but is simply a result of the amp clipping (likely due to the power requirements of the bass).

If you get a subwoofer, you can have it handle all frequencies below, say 60hz (usually adjustable). And if you use the crossover you can have it setup to where those frequencies that the subwoofer is covering are no longer sent to the main speakers. Bass takes the most power. So with the lower bass no longer being sent to the main speakers, that has a lot of benifits. The cones of the main speakers are now far less likely to ever bottom out. Less amp power is required for your main speakers since they are no longer tasked with reproducing the frequencies that require the most power. Because your main speakers are now consuming less power, your amp will be less likely to clip, which means less possibility of tweeter damage.

You can get subwoofers even in situations where you have a limited budget, example:
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-sub-1500-15-150-watt-powered-subwoofer--300-634

And you can even buy multiple subwoofers for a "distributed bass" setup which will even out the bass response throughout the room. Of course there are better subs out there, and that example isn't a super awesome subwoofer, but it's very nice for the price.
 
Your best bet in these situations is almost always to get a nice subwoofer. Ideally, a subwoofer with a crossover that can be used in conjunction with the main speakers.

The limiting factor in most "party" situations is bass. This applies even in situations where the tweeter ends up blown, which would at first not seem to have anything to do with bass, but is simply a result of the amp clipping (likely due to the power requirements of the bass).

If you get a subwoofer, you can have it handle all frequencies below, say 60hz (usually adjustable). And if you use the crossover you can have it setup to where those frequencies that the subwoofer is covering are no longer sent to the main speakers. Bass takes the most power. So with the lower bass no longer being sent to the main speakers, that has a lot of benifits. The cones of the main speakers are now far less likely to ever bottom out. Less amp power is required for your main speakers since they are no longer tasked with reproducing the frequencies that require the most power. Because your main speakers are now consuming less power, your amp will be less likely to clip, which means less possibility of tweeter damage.

You can get subwoofers even in situations where you have a limited budget, example:
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-sub-1500-15-150-watt-powered-subwoofer--300-634

And you can even buy multiple subwoofers for a "distributed bass" setup which will even out the bass response throughout the room. Of course there are better subs out there, and that example isn't a super awesome subwoofer, but it's very nice for the price.

Great advice.

I've actually started stock piling subwoofers for this reason and have a JBL PB10 and a Polk SW10 ready to match up with systems for friends.

I have 4x M&K subwoofers in my HT setup and one of them is an MX-90 and I agree that the distributed bass is better.
 
Great advice about using PA speakers and powered subs. Not wimpy subs either. No computer sound system sub with a 4" driver is going to do it. When it comes to bass, there's no replacement for displacement.

The only other thing I can add is that you will probably not find big Cerwins for $100.
 
Great advice about using PA speakers and powered subs. Not wimpy subs either. No computer sound system sub with a 4" driver is going to do it. When it comes to bass, there's no replacement for displacement.

The only other thing I can add is that you will probably not find big Cerwins for $100.

Possibly some beat up ones that need new surrounds. But yes, the bigger CV's are listed for 200+ in these parts.

I think the powered subwoofer route might be my best bet but now I have to start looking for receivers from the early 2000s with subwoofer outs... unlesss I'm to run the subs at high level
 
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