First time DJing

If you were sticking to their system and using passive tops with the active tops, that would be true. However, you are not doing this. You have active tops to go with the passive sub. So, you need to set up as follows (and ignore the manual on this one)

Output -> Active Crossover (L&R)

Active Crossover (High Output L) -> Top (L)

Active Crossover (High Output R) -> Top (R)

Active Crossover (Low/Sub Output L&R) -> Subwoofer In (L&R)

The crossover will split the signal into the signal that the sub needs (30-150Hz ish) and the signal that the tops need (150-20000Hz). Then wire it up as above. This way you will get the max volume and best possible sound quality from these speakers. What this does is mean that the tops don’t waste amp power producing the frequencies that the sub is producing.

This should also let you be a bit more flexible with your speaker positioning as well 🙂

You should connect straight to the crossover from your controller, ideally through a box like the one that DJ Vintage recommended (http://artproaudio.com/isolators/product/cleanbox_pro/) so that the signal will be balanced. The crossover should use XLR sockets, and you should use XLR cables to connect the speakers to the crossover.

bob6397

Yes, let’s add a Behringer into the mix (pun intended) and see if we can introduce some more noise. (Sorry, my B-radar just popped up – won’t happen again).

Frankly Heath, you are trying to tie things together that won’t fit properly. Adding more gear will only confuse the matter and add more potential problem points (points of failure if you like).

A mixer is NOT a cross-over, so will not work for this purpose. A small PA mixer (although I would advice getting a serious brand, like the new Yamaha MG06, the new small Mackies for example) can help you by adding a good mic channel and offering your balanced outputs (so you don’t need the box I suggested earlier).

You have, in my very humble opinion, three options:
1) Sell the full ranges and get a couple of passive satellites and hook those up with the sub as it’s supposed to be hooked up. You can always keep the 15″s for speaker 3 and 4 if you like of course.
2) Sell the sub and get a sub with decent balanced outputs for active top ends
3) Sell the whole thing, rent until you have saved up enough to get a decent brand setup with all the right connections

I am not trying to dish your setup, but there are really no shortcuts to getting a good sounding PA on a budget. Trust us on that. True everywhere, but nowhere as much as in PA: “You get what you pay for”. At the price you paid, it is virtually impossible to buy anything resembling decent. Which is not a problem if that is your choice, as long as you know that and accept the consequences.

To complete my earlier statement (and preempt the questions):

You have, in my very humble opinion, three options:
1) Sell the full ranges and get a couple of passive satellites and hook those up with the sub as it’s supposed to be hooked up. You can always keep the 15″s for speaker 3 and 4 if you like of course.

You will still need the box to go from unbalanced RCA to balanced XLR/Jack

2) Sell the sub and get a sub with decent balanced outputs for active top ends

Also need the box to go from unbalanced RCA to balanced XLR/Jack

3) Sell the whole thing, rent until you have saved up enough to get a decent brand setup with all the right connections

And, go figure, need the box to go from unbalance RCA to balanced XLR Jack.

As I said before, you can get a small PA mixer with balanced out and replace the box with that. A few bucks more then gets you some extra functionality as mentioned.

For all of the above: You CAN get away with going straight from RCA to XLR/Jack into the sub if the sub is really close to the controller (say no more than 7-8 ft cable). Be mindful that RCA usually has significantly lower sound output level than XLR/Jack (balanced), so you will most likely have to run your master outs a bit hotter.

If you were to decide to keep what you have, you actually need a good 2.1 electronic crossover. You can then run the RCA from the controller to the crossover (which you will keep close to the controller) then with Jack or XLR balanced (a good crossover will have those for outputs, don’t go for something with RCA outputs too) to the sub and tops.

Something like this would be my minimum requirement: http://artproaudio.com/crossovers_processors/product/cx311/
You can run the RCA to XLR adapters and plug them in.

That would pretty much be the idea, yeah. Worst case scenario would be that you need that RCA unbalanced to XLR balanced box after all. Can’t tell in advance. I don’t think so, though.