BEACH PARTY -What Speaker System?

Question

Party on a beach - No mains electricity.

So therefore need a good, loud, bassy speaker system which is portable and run off something like a car battery.

Also needs to play music from Mp3

WHAT DO I USE!?

Answer 1

Check out Ipod or Bose...

Answer 2

Hmm...car battery? You're better off buying a stereo system from an electronics store and use D batteries. Of course make sure the system supports battery usage. Most stereo systems nowadays also have a AUX in or a Line In port, where you would just connect a cable from your MP3 player to the stereo. I don't know how big your party is, but it's better to go in the stores and look for one so you can try it out there. Just ask the storepeople for a stereo system that can be ran off batteries and has a line in.

Answer 3

Ashram gave a pretty good answer, but anyway...

a small car power amp is an obvious choice.  Just wire it up to battery clamps, connect the "power enable" input to +12 and get a 1/8" to RCA jack cable to plug in the iPod or whatever.  For a speaker, rent or borrow a 15" stage monitor or other "pro" speaker (or two).  They are about 10 times as efficient as a typical house speaker, which means a modest 30 watt power amp will sound impressively loud, and won't drain the battery as fast.

If you can rent or borrow a generator, consider renting powered speakers.  The generator capacity (in watts or VA) should be about twice the total RMS wattage of the powered speakers.  Keep sand away from the air intake on the generator... maybe bring a sheet of plywood for it to sit on.

Answer 4

I'm assuming a boom box with D-cell batteries isn't what you had in mind for your music, so here's my recommendation for power.

Car batteries have shallow cycle charges because they aren't meant to run with a high drain for long duration; they only provide short bursts of high energy to get your car started and are supposed to be charged and kept charged by your vehicle's electrical system when the engine is running.

For your electrical needs, I'd advise a gas-powered portable generator or the use of a deep cycle marine battery.  A deep cycle battery will last longer in the situation you describe than a car battery while a gas generator will provide electricity so long as there's fuel in its tank (and, with moderate load, a gas generator can run for hours on a single tank).

For a gas generator, a stereo receiver/amplifier with durable speakers would be best; merely connect your MP3 player's headphone or auxiliary output to the receiver's auxiliary input using a 1/8 inch-to-cinch (RCA) adapter cable.

For a marine battery, with the use of a DC-to-AC power inverter of sufficient wattage capacity, a large shelf system might work.  But, your time may be limited to a few hours until the battery needs to be recharged.

Your best bet is a gas generator. I think you probably don't want to buy a generator so you will likely benefit from rental. Check out your local hardware stores to see if they have rentals available.

For playing music, you likely will only need a small generator, which will be easier to haul and cheaper to rent, if available.

As for the audio equipment, ask your friends if they have any they will allow you to borrow. Again, you only need a moderately powerful component receiver/amplifier and a pair of speakers with power ratings commensurate with the amplifier's capacity.

Forgot to add: for the stereo equipment and speakers, you may also want to find a way to sit them on some sort of pedestal or a table.  Something to keep them from being exposed to sand.  

Of course, keep everything electrical away from the water and don't underestimate the tide.