Speakers for the party system


Twice a year, we host a gathering of around 120 friends for several days. Across the years, we have gotten much better at supplying food, beverages, camp sites, showers etc. The issue is music for wild dancing! Until last year, we used the main floor of our house and our reference level sound system. Everyone was very happy but me... I always worried about spills, chills and expensive thrills. Last year, we finished the basement and moved the party downstairs. The room is almost the same size (900 sq ft), but with lower (9 foot) ceilings. I bought a fairly descent system, but the party girls wanted much more punch and thump. Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced speaker that will really fill this room with booty moving magic? I've noticed some good deals on PSB scratch and dent stuff but have never heard these. My main system uses Dunlavy V with Plinius SA-100 monos, so the competition is fierce. Song selection includes everything from Mikey Hart to Mojo Nixon, Parliment to Massive Attack, The Beatles to Lou Reed...
eadese
I second the notion of a 2nd DJ type system but not with JBL's (Junkie But Loud) Used EAW's JF560's (expecially if you can find the ones made with RCF woofers, I believe the current ones are made with BNC woofers) would be the way to go or you could by new Yorkville's for the 2/3rds the price of the used EAW's (Eastern Accoustic Works) Either one would be more musical than the JBL's.
Do you live near a city where you can rent smaller concert PA speakers? Since you won't have to live with 'em audiophile detailing is not an issue and you can crank them really loud. Most people in a party atmosphere will NOT be doing critical listening but just want to get down and boogie!
3ox got it right. Klipsch La Scalas. Older vintage if you can find them. They will play as loud as you can possibly tollerate them and you will never have to worry about them--they are close to bullet proof.
I was impressed by JBL's Studio 38s. Musical and enjoyable. Not the best for sitting still between them, but with the good amount of bass, musicality of the mids, and non-glaring tweeter, I think they could do a party.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T EVER USE HIGH-END SPEAKERS TO PLAY AT A PARTY! Done it twice, lost two pairs of speakers. Do yourself a favor and invest in some EV pro-audio cabinets or something. Go down to Mars or Guitar center and see what they think. They throw a HUGE arc of sound, provide more coverage, and are built like Tanks. Destroyed a pair o' B&W 6 series BTW, as was mentioned before. High-End is high-end, partying is partying. Talk to the guys at the Pro-Audio asylum about this sort of stuff. I'm sure they've got a lot to say. Cheers!