SwingDJs

Hey, I'm looking to purchase some sort of audio setup that will work well for teaching swing classes. I've been debating whether to go with a sizeable boombox, or a small dj system.

Room size: 700 square feet, 30'x25'-ish, 80 person capacity.
Class size: max, 24 people.
Frequency of classes: 1-3 days per week, either 1.25hr or 2.5hr classes.

There's also going to be monthly socials/dances in the same venue, perhaps expanding to 2 socials/month. The primary focus right now is to get something that is sufficient for the classes. I'm looking for something portable, convenient to operate, powerful, and easy to set-up. Boom boxes seem like an ideal choice... I've used a JVC 'kaboom' DP100 in another facility, and it's got good sound at 40W, but damn it's heavy.

I'm thinking to buy a powerful, but smaller 20W Sony boombox CFDG500,
... or a Panasonic brand in the 20W range, RX-ES29.
Both are in the $150-250 CDN range.
I know a 40W+ system would be sufficient for lessons, but I don't feel like buying a boombox that heavy. Having something portable for any sort of teaching venture would be nice.
The new JVC RV-NB1 has more output, around 60W now...maybe it is a wise choice.

However, maybe it would be more worthwhile to buy 1 or 2 small powered speakers and hook up practically anything directly to it? ...laptop, cd player, ipod, etc. Then, I could still use the powered speakers for the socials, but rent a real mixer, cd player, more speakers + amp, etc.

Any thoughts or recommendations? Thanks!

Birkley

if you want something small that would connect directly to your ipod you should get one of these:

http://www.bose.com/controller?event=DT ... src=k24679

I tried it once @ the Bose store and it completely filled the entire place with music.

Birk, there is already a similar discussion
http://www.swingdjs.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1077

For lessons, a boom box is more than adequate and is convenient. If you can find one with an auxiliary input then you can attach a extra CD player, ipod or whatever. You should be able to find something under $100. We've used a JVC, I don't recall which model which worked well.

For a PA for a dance, check out the Peavey Escort. Some folks also like the Fender Passport but I'm not so keen on it. After that, you'll need CD players. A mixer is handy but not critical.