A 2.1 system puts all the amplification in one place: the subwoofer. The Dave 12 pairs a 12 inch powered sub with two small satellite tops that simply plug into it, so you get proper bass and clean vocals from three boxes that fit in a car boot. The tops go one in each hand and the sub is a one-person lift. Setup is two speaker leads, one mains plug and a source. It hires at £100 per day for the complete system, dry or with a technician.
Everything that needs mains power lives in the subwoofer. The amplifiers for all three cabinets, the processing and the connections sit in the 12 inch sub, and the two satellite tops are passive boxes that plug into it with speaker leads. That is the whole trick of a 2.1 system: one box does the thinking and the heavy lifting, and the other two just have to sound good on their stands.
In use, the sub carries the low end that makes music feel like music, and the 6.5 inch tops handle vocals and detail at head height. Placed either side of a dance floor, the system fills a function room, a marquee or a school hall floor at party level. The crossover and limiting are handled by processing inside the sub, so it looks after itself; you set the level and it does the rest.
Feed it at line level from a DJ mixer, a laptop or a small mixing desk. The inputs are on the sub, so your source sits wherever the sub does, usually beside the DJ booth or the top table. For microphones, add a compact mixer and a vocal mic when you book and speeches drop straight over the music. Tell us what you are plugging in and we will pack the right leads and any adapters.
Be honest about the job before you book. If the event is speech only, a single powered speaker on a stand does it for less. If you are putting a live band through the PA, or filling a big hall to the back rows, step up to our full-range PA package. The Dave 12 is the system in between: music with real bass, speeches over the top of it, and medium rooms rather than auditoriums.
It travels in an estate boot or across a back seat. The sub is the only heavy box and one person can move it, though a second pair of hands makes stairs easier. The whole system runs from a single standard 13 amp socket, and setup genuinely is minutes: stands up, tops on, speaker leads back to the sub, mains in, source in, sound check.
What you get
The Dave 12 subwoofer and both satellite tops, with the speaker leads that link them
A mains lead for the sub: the whole system runs from one standard 13 amp socket
Signal cables to your source — tell us whether that is a DJ mixer, laptop or phone and we will pack the right leads
Not included as standard: speaker stands for the tops, microphones and a mixer. All can be added when you book
Setup at your venue, or someone to stay and mix, if you would rather not run it yourselves
Good for
Mobile DJs and entertainers who load in alone and want real bass without a van
Birthday parties, anniversaries and wedding evening receptions in a function room
School discos and PTA events where the hall floor, not the stage, is the venue
Dance school socials and award evenings: music at party level with speeches over the top
Church and community events that need more than background music
Pop-up and promotional events where the PA has to disappear onto two stands
What you need to know
What it is
A three-box PA: a 12 inch powered subwoofer carrying all the amplification, and two small satellite tops that plug into it.
Sound
Real bass for music at party level, with vocals and detail from the tops at head height. Fills a function room or a school hall floor.
Power
One standard 13 amp socket runs the whole system. All the electronics are in the sub.
Inputs
Line level from a DJ mixer, laptop or small desk, straight into the sub. Add a compact mixer for microphones.
Moving it
The tops go one in each hand and the sub fits in a hatchback boot. One person can do the whole load-in.
Check availability
See whether this is free for your dates. This is an indication from our current bookings, not a reservation.
Alternatives
Small PA package — the simpler answer when the job is speech with a little music.
Compact 2.1 powered PA: subwoofer plus two satellite tops
Subwoofer
12 inch (305 mm) driver in a bass reflex cabinet, housing the amplification for the whole system
Satellites
Two, each with a 6.5 inch (165 mm) mid driver and a high-frequency unit
Satellite connection
speakON-compatible speaker outputs on the subwoofer
Mounting
36 mm stand fitting on the satellites; M20 threaded pole flange on the subwoofer
Mains
220-240 V AC, standard UK 13 amp plug
Common questions
A function room, a community hall or a school hall floor at party level, comfortably. What it will not do is fill a large venue to a seated back balcony or keep up with a full live band; for those, look at our full-range PA package. Tell us the room and the headcount and we will say straight out whether the Dave 12 is the right call.
Yes. Add a compact mixer and a microphone and speeches sit cleanly over the music, which is the usual pattern for wedding receptions and award evenings. If your event is speeches only, with no real music, a single powered speaker on a stand is the cheaper hire and we will point you at that instead.
Yes, with a lead into the sub — we will include the right cable if you tell us what you are playing from. Some versions of this system also take Bluetooth, so ask when you book if wireless matters to you and we will confirm what the unit we send can do.
Three boxes. The sub goes in most hatchback boots and the two tops sit on a back seat, with the stands and cables around them. The sub is the one heavy lift, so plan for it: a trolley or a second person if there are stairs. Everything else is one hand each.
Most hirers run it themselves. Setup is two speaker leads, mains and a source, and the processing inside the sub protects the drivers, so an honest sound check at the level you will actually use is all it takes. If you would rather arrive to a working system, we can set it up at your venue or stay and mix.
