7 Best DJ Speakers of 2023

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by Marco Alessi July 26, 2023, 7:36 pm

A great thing about being a DJ is that you don’t need to invest thousands of dollars to look and sound professional when performing live.

All you have to do is get a DJ controller or software to mix your tracks with your laptop, prepare your playlist, and create a memorable set.

Obviously, people will need to hear your mix, so unless you play in a venue with an in-house PA system, you’ll need to bring speakers that can reproduce your performance and galvanize your audience.

Choosing the right speaker rig is no trivial matter, as you’ll need to take into account where you’ll play, how portable the speakers are, and how much you’re willing to invest for a professional PA system.

But there’s a more profound matter that we’ll need to tackle: what kind of speakers do DJs actually need?

There are a couple of options here, as you’ll definitely need a powerful PA system to perform live, but also accurate studio monitors to practice your mixes and, why not, even create your own tracks.

Today we'll talk about the best DJ speakers, with a particular focus on speaker rigs you can use to sound loud and clear when performing live, but we’ll also throw in a couple of great studio monitors that can sustain a small house party.

And while I think the Electro-Voice ZLX-15BT is the perfect combination of power, versatility, and great sound quality, there are many valid options out there you should consider if you want to get the best DJ speakers for your needs.

This list takes into account all possible requirements a DJ might have: whether it’s professional nearfield monitors or powerful speaker rigs to play in big venues or house parties, I tried to offer a few options for all needs.

Regardless of your experience and level, all the speakers below are great at what they do and offer outstanding value for money, so my recommendation is to identify your needs, choose your budget, and get one as soon as you can.

Let's start with an all-rounder speaker you can't go wrong with. The ZLX series offers excellent performance for every live application at an affordable price, and the 15BT is a great combination of power (1000W with a class D amplifier) and technology that DJs will undoubtedly love.

The 15" woofer, reaching down to 55Hz, creates a deep soundstage that can ignite your sets, but if you want even more low-end, the ZLX-15BT provides seamless compatibility with the ELX-118 sub.

This powered PA speaker comes with auto-limiting to prevent damage and various EQ curve presets to customize your sounds to your needs.

Finally, the built-in Bluetooth connectivity option can save you plenty of time setting up your equipment and also unleash your creativity.

The Electro-Voice ZLX-15BT is portable, easy to use, and highly customizable, making it one of the best DJ speakers within its price range.

If you’re looking for a reliable PA system, you can carry with you at all times and has enough power to enhance your DJ sets; this powered speaker should definitely be a part of it.

Explore more portable PA speakers in our article on the best portable PA speakers.

I wouldn’t recommend using nearfield monitors for small shows for a variety of reasons. However, if there’s no other option, there are studio monitors that can be customized to meet the expectation of a small crowd in an indoor get-together.

If you're looking for a pair of home speakers that will work well at a small house party, the KRK ROKIT 10 is perhaps the best combination of transparent sound, enveloping bass, and the power to perform in front of a small crowd.

This 3-way studio monitor is designed to help you craft the best possible sound in the recording studio, with a balanced sound, wide imaging, and distortion-free reproduction.

The ROKIT 10 is also endlessly configurable, thanks to the cutting-edge DSP and the KRK app to adjust EQ, speaker placement, and crossover settings.

If you want to use them for the occasional house parties, the ROKIT 10 comes with a brickwall limiter that prevents damage and a 10" Kevlar cone that can deliver the enveloping low-end you need.

Here’s a fantastic bundle for DJs! Unlike the other speakers featured in this list, the PRORECK Club 3000 comes with two subwoofers (one active and one passive), two 4x4” array speakers (so eight in total), and two speaker stands, giving you everything you need for your indoor and outdoor DJ sets.

This all-in-one, budget-friendly solution delivers a high-quality sound that can be enhanced via the versatile graphic EQ with five bands.

Furthermore, the seamless Bluetooth connectivity and wireless audio streaming control give you plenty of freedom to experiment with your live performances.

The PA system is easy to move around, with a wide range of connectivity features: four channel inputs, divided between RCA, XLR, and stereo 6.35mm, give you plenty of connectivity options for all purposes, from live events to home cinema.

Finally, the subs feature sound-absorbing foam and resonant MDF construction that ensures a high-quality sound even when you make the most of the 4000W the PRORECK Club 3000 offers.

This affordable set of speakers sounds crisp even at high frequencies and offers good sound quality and a broad frequency range, making it one of the best-powered speaker bundles in the market.

Pioneer is a household name in the world of music production and live performances, and the XPRS 10 is a mobile speaker that's not only powerful but also easy to use, energy-efficient, and extremely versatile.

The sound coming out of the 10” ferrite LF driver is deep and enveloping, while the 1.75” titanium diaphragm compression driver does a great job at reproducing a detailed and engaging soundstage, also thanks to the patented AFAST technology that ensures accuracy and balance throughout the spectrum.

The XPRS 10 comes with four EQ modes to adjust your sound and a plethora of protective features to extend the life of your PA system.

DJ sets coming out of a pair of XPRS 10 will feel natural, immersive, and enhancing in all environments, from small gatherings to outdoor events with hundreds of listeners.

Low, medium, and high frequencies are carefully represented, and this powered speaker delivers a tight bass that DJs and music producers will love. Distortion-free even at peak power, the Pioneer Pro Audio XPRS 10 will be heard loud and clear in all circumstances.

Being Pioneer, one of the leaders in audio equipment for DJs, you might want to consider buying your whole DJ gear from them (Mixer, Pioneer DJ software, speakers) to ensure seamless compatibility between every component.

If you're a music producer but still want a pair of monitors you can occasionally use to play music in front of a small crowd; the Adam Audio A7V is a valid option.

Just like the ROKIT 10, the A7V is designed to be used as nearfield monitors, so it's not ideal for DJ sets. However, this monitor offers the engaging sound and power to put on a high-quality show for your family or friends.

Despite being a monitor speaker, the Adam Audio A7V can deliver a great bass sound: the overall sound quality is among the best in the world of nearfield monitors, making it one of the best speakers that combine flat frequency response and the engaging sound most DJ speakers offer.

Thanks to its 7" MLM (Multi-Layer Mineral) woofer, the Adam Audio A7V carefully combines power and clarity with a DSP-based acoustic tuning that'll adjust the output based on your surroundings.

Sound accuracy, distortion-free performance, and cutting-edge technology make the Adam Audio A7V the perfect option for producer who wants to transform their studio space into a private club.

If you're looking for a high-quality speaker that's built to last, look no further than the Mackie SRM450, a versatile speaker with plenty of customization options and a 12" neodymium, high-quality woofer that'll shake the earth during your gigs.

What makes the Mackie SRM450 are the exceptional features available to craft the perfect sound for your DJ sets.

The High-Definition Audio Processing button ensures the sound coming out of your PA system is as clear and detailed as possible, while the Feedback Destroyer prevents any audio disturbances from compromising your performance.

Easy to install, lightweight, and customizable: the Mackie SRM450 is one of the finest loudspeakers for DJs of all genres and levels of experience. There's no doubt in my mind that this portable speaker should be part of the audio equipment of the DJ constantly on the road.

If you're serious about your career as a live performer and want to bring to life the best possible sound anytime and anywhere, the JBL SRX835P will give you everything you need and then some.

This 3-way powered speaker excels in clarity and detailed imaging, and the 2000W peak power is enough to galvanize audiences in most environments suitable for a portable PA system.

However, it’s the technology that makes the JBL SRX835P truly stand out: using the HiQnet networking software on a tablet or PC, you'll be able to use the HiQnet Audio Architect and Performance Manager to configure and optimize your sound using an intuitive and powerful interface.

Finally, the built-in DSP, multiple connectivity options, and robust design make the JBL SRX835P a power to be reckoned with when it comes to DJ speakers.

The only drawback might be the price, but if you want a loudspeaker that can last a lifetime, the JBL SRX835P is one of the best in the market.

When it comes to speaker features, a common misconception is the belief that loudness is the only thing that matters when choosing DJ speakers.

This couldn’t be further from the truth: although power output is important, there are other aspects to take into account if you want to make the most of your audio equipment.

The best DJ speakers are the ones that deliver transparent reproduction and no distortion, even at high volumes. It might seem obvious, but often cheap speakers tend to emphasize lower frequencies, create distortion, or generate crackling sounds because of subpar cables or inputs.

All these factors can have a negative impact on your live performance, so choosing DJ speakers that are reliable, with a natural bass response and balanced sound texture at all volumes, is crucial when you want to achieve professional results.

The power necessary to ignite your shows depends not only on the size of the venue but also on how packed it'll be. As a rule of thumb, consider you'll need 5 watts per person for indoor shows and double that for outdoor gigs.

So if you have 100 people attending your DJ set, you'll need a 500W speaker rig indoors and a 1000W PA system outdoors, at the very least.

Active speakers (or powered speakers) have built-in amplifiers that allow you to connect them directly to your mixer or deck to make your set audible to the audience.

On the other hand, with passive DJ speakers, you’ll need an external amplifier to complete your mixing gear.

While venues might have a rack of amplifiers you can use to connect passive DJ speakers, powered speakers are better suited for DJs as they require less gear and are easier to use and carry around.

If you’re performing regularly and don’t have anyone helping you carry your gear around, choosing a portable PA system might greatly simplify your life and make the morning after the show back pain-free.

It all comes down to power vs. weight: bulkier speakers are generally louder but difficult to transport, while lightweight PA systems are easier to move around but less powerful.

Bear in mind that many venues have their own speaker rig, so as your career progresses, you might not need to take your PA system with you at all times. However, if you perform mostly in-house parties and weddings, you'll need to think carefully about the average venues and audience you deal with.

The most common connections you'll find in DJ speakers are XLR, TRS, and RCA. These are crucial if you want to buy speakers that can last a long time and still be usable when you upgrade the rest of your gear.

However, you might want to consider speakers that also feature Bluetooth connectivity or a built-in USB media player to get some wires out of the equation and simplify your setup.

Often, buying DJ speakers is an investment for the future. Where will you be performing next year or in a couple of years? Defining the ideal location and venue size of your upcoming gigs will give you an idea of the type of speakers you'll need to fill spaces with sound.

Spending less than $500 on a new pair of DJ speakers might be risky as I doubt they’ll offer the sound quality, power, and reliability you need when performing.

Anything from $500 to $2000 can be a good starting point, but again, requirements change depending on venue and audience size, the genre you play, and how loud you want to be.

Active speakers, or powered speakers, come with a built-in amplifier, meaning you can connect them straight to your mixer or deck and start your show. They're generally more expensive than passive DJ speakers but are easier to use and require less gear.

Passive speakers are still a valid option for DJs but require an external amplifier, which will then need to be connected to your DJ deck. With passive speakers, it's easier to customize your sound, and they're less prone to damage. For the sake of simplicity, I'd opt for active speakers.

Your DJ mixer or controller comes with a main output, which you'll need to connect with one of the speaker's inputs: you can do so using the appropriate cable, which will be either an XLR-to-XLR, an RCA-to-RCA or an XLR-to-RCA cable.

If you use a passive DJ speaker, instead of connecting your controller to the speakers directly, you'll need to connect to the power amplifier and then connect the power amplifier to the speakers.

To test your setup, turn everything on (mixer, speakers, and power amp if you have it), test the volume, and ensure the connection between the audio source and the DJ speaker is stable.

Speakers should point at your audience, so place them on both sides of your DJ booth and have the speakers at the ear level of your listeners, pointing towards the center of the dancefloor.

Remember to leave some space between the back of your speakers and the nearest wall, as proximity might cause boundary gain unless they're front-ported speakers.

Most electronic genres require a powerful bass response, which is the prerogative of a subwoofer. While tops can provide you with a clear audio reproduction, the earth-shacking effect of heavy-bass music is something only a sub can offer.

It all comes down to your genre and where you’ll be performing, but generally speaking, a subwoofer can make your music set more engaging and powerful.

Nothing prevents you from using home speakers or nearfield monitors to perform live, but bear in mind this setup will only work in small, indoor environments.

In fact, in the list above, you'll find a couple of studio monitors that might work well for small gigs, so if you're looking for an option that'd work well both in the studio and small venues, I'd suggest you give the A7V and ROKIT a try, although neither of them is a DJ speaker as such.

If you're aiming exclusively at performing live, consider the other speakers in this list.

No, you can't use DJ speakers to record, mix, or master music. A DJ speaker is designed to make music louder but won't reproduce the nuances and details of your track, meaning you won't be able to make accurate decisions during the post-production of your song.

For music production, you’ll need to look into studio monitors.

You can connect more than two speakers together by using a daisy chain setup, which allows you to connect various speakers in a linear sequence. While in this way you’ll obtain a wider sound system, you’ll need to take into account sound degradation and a higher impedance load.

I hope this guide will help you choose the best DJ speakers for your needs!

To summarize, if you need a reliable speaker rig for your shows only, choose the Electro-Voice ZLX-15BT: built to last, easy to customize, with Bluetooth connectivity and a deep bass, it’s simply the perfect option for DJs of all levels.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for an excellent studio monitor that works well as a speaker for small house events, I’d opt for the KRK ROKIT 10: great sound quality, powerful ad extremely portable, it’s a valid option for those who spend more time in the studio than in the club.

Good luck!

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