Planning on expanding. Opinions wanted.

[Dusneed]

Hello, I am Duane. I am a 23 year old accounting student, who is originally from New York City. I am a DJ and an all-around geek. I play all types of music and I am a DJ in an upstart band similar to Blount Harvey (http://www.myspace.com/blountharvey).


I am contemplating taking my entertainment services to another level. I want to start getting larger more professional gigs, while not placing my services out of the reach of my current customers. Currently, I am a Senior in college (I'll be here at least another 3yrs, with the economy and all. Accounting major) and my customers range from house parties w/ 25 people, through warehouse events with upwards of 1000 guest. My current PA consists of 4 JBL15EONs (2 Powered), 1SRM350 (For my monitoring situation), 2 EP2500s (1 is a backup mostly), various microphones (all cheap), and a Behringer 1204fx mixer. I know you're asking yourself, how does someone who only has a minimum amount PA provide enough sound for that range of gigs? The answer is that I hire a sound-man for the largest gigs and I don't provide enough sound for the meat of my gigs, in my opinion, even though I rent 2 dual 18" subs for some of them. When I hire a sound-man I rarely see much profits, if any at all (I know, what's the point right? The love of the music, I guess) and renting is just as bad because I have been doing that for at least 2.5 years. I have been offered a ton of DJ/sound gigs that I was uncomfortable with, sound-wise, so I have become an ultimate referral machine. Also, I rent out my mains to small bands and other DJs around campus.

With all of that said, I am in the planning stages of expansion. First, I am trying to see if worth expanding, so I am writing myself a business proposal of sorts. I have been thinking (mostly on the commode ) and writing these ideas down.

I want my new PA to follow some of these guidelines:
- Be easily transportable. (I own a Tahoe and can easily rent a trailer. Also, I have a storage facility.)
- Two man setup (mostly, one-man though. Also fast setup/takedown.)
- Be idiot-proof for when I do rent out. (They are pervasive and pop up when you least need them to. Idiots I mean, not pimples)
- Look distinctive and professional. (Someone on the forum has Turbo blue T39s that I am particularly fond of.)
- Minimal cost (I am a student, but tuition is paid for by my GPA. I benefit from being a "big fish in a small pond" syndrome.)
- Be scalable. (As I said, I have a wide range of gigs. I can pay the bills off of those last minute $150 dollar frat/house/school parties I get. most of the time it's play for an 3hrs, give them a half an hour extra and charge more if they need more.)

From my thought provoking sessions (bathroom breaks), I have come up with this list of cabinets that I think will accomplish what I have set out to do, with style of course. I will try to present my reasoning behind these choices as I go along. The estimated cost per item are in the brackets.

- 6 DR280s (I chose this for the lower crossover point and higher sensitivity. A sledge hammer can put a nail into a wall and also knock that wall down, if used appropriately, is my rationale behind that.) [$350...The main page says they can be done for 300. I add $50 per cab, for the hired help]
- 4 OT12s w/ adj. pole sockets. (These aren't absolutely necessary, but I figure they enhance my possibilities, in regards to scaleability and rental services. I can keep a pair and a T48 in my apartment and grab and go when those last second gigs spring up on me, as they always do. Also, they use the same driver as the DR280 and I can put them up on sticks, aim them to use them as near-field when I am in the wider spaces that I play in.) [$250]
- 6 T48s 24" 3015LF loaded (Why not? I chose them because they offer the biggest bang for the buck and I can transport them.) [$350?]
- 2 WH8s powered. (I think these will be adequate monitors because I will be able to feel the bass from the titans. I only need to hear the snares to keep time anyway.) [$250]
- 6 Amps, DCX/DEQ combo w/ RTA mic. (I know these cabs are very efficient, so I arbitrarily chose an even number. I plan to have them encased in pairs for scalability sake and the processing separately. I was Thinking QSC RMX 2450s, used though. [$400(Amps), $700(combo)]
- Speaker cables of all flavors. (I figure, I will buy a 1000 ft. roll and make them myself to cut down on unnecessary cost) [$500 est.]
- A mixer. ( I don't know which, but I know I need one. Used if possible.) [$500]

I estimate all of this will cost me around $10,000 dollars. I can do that, but I was thinking that it would be better to break it up into 4 equal installments over 2 semesters. I would have reserves to buy things that I find used and priced well. I figure if I make the initial $2,500 out of pocket, but subsequent installments will be subsidized with the money I make from my gigs. I have an average of 8 gigs a month, including the clubs where I just plug in and spin, so I can justify that.

Where would you start with the initial investment of $2,500?

Am I taking everything into effect? Opinions are greatly appreciated and will seriously be considered. This is my planning stage, so better alternatives are what I want. Keep in mind that I play everything, there is no gig I will turn down because of the genre of music. I have rented to university bands and I DJ in a band. Also, that I am fairly new to this business, but I have been an entrepreneur since primary school and have I a little experience in corporate finance (Interned w/ BOA-securitizations and derivatives and EnY in the summers ).


P.S. I have built the Autotuba and I find that a fairly simple process. To make sure I have the most professional looking cabs possible, I plan to hire a cabinet maker to assist me(or the other way around). I figure that I would be welcomed by a cabinet maker with the way things are nowadays. I don't know how I am going to find an out of work cabinet maker, but I assume that there will be a few willing to help me in my endeavors.

Thanks,
Duane

[djohnson573]

Currently, I am a Senior in college (I'll be here at least another 3yrs, with the economy and all. Accounting major)

3 Years? Despite the economy, you couldn't be in a better positioned than getting an Accounting degree. Probably the only field right now with a bright outlook. Get your 150 hours, sit for the CPA exam, and you will be golden.

That being said, I'm really looking forward to the responses to this post.

[Dusneed]

Currently, I am a Senior in college (I'll be here at least another 3yrs, with the economy and all. Accounting major)

3 Years? Despite the economy, you couldn't be in a better positioned than getting an Accounting degree. Probably the only field right now with a bright outlook. Get your 150 hours, sit for the CPA exam, and you will be golden.

That being said, I'm really looking forward to the responses to this post.

Oh, I know that firsthand. I am 9 credit hours away from 150 as we speak. I plan to sit for the CPA before they create another SOX. Right now I am studying for the CFE. I plan to take that as soon as I receive my Bachelors. As I said, I worked with BoA, mostly with derivatives, last summer. I received an offer, but I am reluctant to accept it because that job is awesomely stressful and I have other alternatives like Law School or any MsACC program. Plus, I really like college . A VP of the securitization at BoA was a walking zombie the week after that 700 pt dip. They were working quite literally 22 hours a day for about 5 days after and half of them we losing 15-30k a week at that point from their retirement accounts.

PS. I will tell you what's funny, I planned on getting an accounting degree when I was in middle school, so I could work with a company that makes DJ equipment or musical equipment in general. I was told that it's easier to do something you love, so why not be at place where I can play with all of the gadgets first. Everyone needs a bean counter at some point.

[djohnson573]

There's a lot to be said for staying in school as long as you can. Professional student would have been my career of choice if I had figured out a way to afford it. Quality of life issues are very important which is why I'm no longer in public practice. It sounds like you are on a great track. BTW, my son is also a senior accounting student considering the same alternatives.

Now I'm ready for someone to show you the way to make a living from BFM cabs so I can do it too.

[Dusneed]

There's a lot to be said for staying in school as long as you can. Professional student would have been my career of choice if I had figured out a way to afford it. Quality of life issues are very important which is why I'm no longer in public practice. It sounds like you are on a great track. BTW, my son is also a senior accounting student considering the same alternatives.

Now I'm ready for someone to show you the way to make a living from BFM cabs so I can do it too.

Professional student is right up my alley. I am all about being happy and the pressure of having so much money in my control isn't conducive to my happiness. I have a few CPAs in my family and none of them liked working for those big name firms, so I take that into account also. Has your son tried the DOD, they are in a frenzy for talent? I have a friend that is a set accountant with 20th Century Fox and he seems to live a cushy life.

I am also ready for the input of others. I know there is money to be made out there, but I want take more informed steps to do so.

[bgavin]

Welcome to the forum.

And puleeez... don't wind up as a damn crook.
The world has a real need for honest CPAs.

[LelandCrooks]

- 6 DR280s (I chose this for the lower crossover point and higher sensitivity. A sledge hammer can put a nail into a wall and also knock that wall down, if used appropriately, is my rationale behind that.) [$350...The main page says they can be done for 300. I add $50 per cab, for the hired help]
- 4 OT12s w/ adj. pole sockets. (These aren't absolutely necessary, but I figure they enhance my possibilities, in regards to scaleability and rental services. I can keep a pair and a T48 in my apartment and grab and go when those last second gigs spring up on me, as they always do. Also, they use the same driver as the DR280 and I can put them up on sticks, aim them to use them as near-field when I am in the wider spaces that I play in.) [$250]

Pick one, KISS as much as possible. The inbetween choice here is DR250's. Scalability from 2 or 4 from the small gigs to probably 8 for the big ones. If you're using t48's the lower response of the 280's is not a huge advantage. T48's are very hot in the 80-100 range, more than high enough for a DR250 crossover point. If your gigs were 750-1k all the time, the 280's would be a better choice. I'm guessing they're not.

This way you only need 1 eq curve loaded and 1 limiter setting, less chance of error on your part and the renter. (Sure you want to rent your gear , I'm in the rental business)

[Mikey]

"Rent-out gear, but don't rent-out YOUR OWN gear" is the best way to go. What happens when some pimply-faced drunken putz blows the drivers in your subs the night before a gig that's going to make you a lot more money than renting to the dolt? What if you don't have the cash on hand to replace the drivers right away ... and neither does he? There are a lot of pitfalls to renting-out gear, but with the right gear and a large "collection specialist", there's money to be made. For starters, if you only need one dedicated rental system, you might consider a pair of OT12s with a pair of 30"w S2012-loaded T39s (lots of output / driver that's cheap to replace).

You've spec'd six DR280s. Have you considered what you intend to use to get them "in the air"? They're relatively big, heavy cabinets, which will take one helluva well-engineered rig to hold 3-per-side properly and safely. DR250s would be much easier in this regard, and DR200s would be even easier (much easier).

A used Yamaha 01V digital mixer is something you should investigate.

[Nate Rouslin]

You are on the right track with your speaker choice. My only advice, and this is not to talk down QSC at all, but the RMX series of amps are very heavy. All the amps are between 40 to 50 lbs each and that is alot of weight to move around. Especially at the end of the gig. I just swapped out my RMX amps for the Crown XTI series which are about 18 to 22 lbs each and hve built it DBX processing. Just food for thought when it comes to moble set ups and break downs especially at the end of the gig(night).
Happy building
Nate

[SoundInMotionDJ]

my customers range from house parties w/ 25 people...
through warehouse events with upwards of 1000 guest...
Also, I rent out my mains to small bands and other DJs around campus.

Those are three very different systems, with very different sets of constraints.

For 25 people, any of the Pro-sound tops & subs would be overkill. A pair of Omni10.5's & a single sub (wall/corner loaded) would be more than sufficient. Alternatively, a pair of DR200's & a single T24/T30/T39 would be major overkill.

For 1000 people, I tend to favor sensitivity over all other things. This favors DR's and Titans over the other designs. Using more smaller boxes will allow you slightly more flexibility in setup and wider area coverage over fewer larger boxes. Using smaller boxes also favors the one-man setup/teardown & modularity.

For rental, I tend to favor the most conventional looking boxes that I can find, loaded with drivers that have a lot of thermal reserves. That points to Onmi15 (full range) cabinets, or maybe OT12's with T30/39 2012 loaded (as mentioned, it's a cheap driver with lots of output). Anything else would have me coming along to babysit the system.

I want my new PA to follow some of these guidelines:
- Be easily transportable. (I own a Tahoe and can easily rent a trailer. Also, I have a storage facility.)
- Two man setup (mostly, one-man though. Also fast setup/takedown.)
- Be idiot-proof for when I do rent out. (They are pervasive and pop up when you least need them to. Idiots I mean, not pimples)
- Look distinctive and professional. (Someone on the forum has Turbo blue T39s that I am particularly fond of.)
- Minimal cost (I am a student, but tuition is paid for by my GPA. I benefit from being a "big fish in a small pond" syndrome.)
- Be scalable. (As I said, I have a wide range of gigs. I can pay the bills off of those last minute $150 dollar frat/house/school parties I get. most of the time it's play for an 3hrs, give them a half an hour extra and charge more if they need more.)

Given these constraints, the DR200 (Beta 8 loaded ~$250/box) & T39@20" (BP102 loaded ~$225/box) would be my first choice. DR200's and T39's are the cheapest route to any given level of SLP or coverage. Using a pair of each will *easily* cover a house party with 150 people. Using eight of each box will easily cover 1000 people. Because of the EQ and limiter constraints, this does not make a good (unsupervised) rental system - IMHO. The drivers that go into these boxes are among the cheapest you can get in any design...and the sound is *much* better than any conventional cabinets I have ever heard.

If you are in front of 1000 people a lot more often than you are in front of 100 people, then DR250's and T48's *might* be a better choice. The DR280's low end extension really does not get you much for DJ style music, with either of the Titan subs. And the DR280 is a two man setup.

With $2500, I would build a system with the following:

- Your existing two EP2500 amps
- Your existing Behringer 1204fx mixer

- Build four DR200's (~$1000)
- Build four T39's (~$900)
- Buy DEQ/DCX Combo (~$600 - delivered)
- Buy signal & speaker cables w/ XLR & Speakon connections (~$200)

You did not mention cables anywhere in your post...but you should have some for the system you already have. So, you might not need ny to start with...but you might.

You don't mention what tools you have to build - but you do mention hiring a cabinet maker. That may be overkill on your budget (that would probably limit you to a pair of tops and a pair of subs to start with). These designs look great when built with any amount of care, and Duratex can hide just about any flaws you can inflict on 1/2" ply.

Since you are aiming at a fairly large system, buying your own tools might be cheaper in the end. Start with a good contractors table saw - be sure to upgrade the blade & build the table saw sled. I would also get a jigsaw & cordless drill/driver. Oh, and get more clamps - you can never have too many clamps. You can successfully complete any of the cabinets here with those tools. A ROS (random orbital sander) does really take the time out of sanding...especially for rounding corners if you don't have a router. After that, an air compressor with a brad nailer would be next on my list of tools to get. A router is great to have ...but not strictly necessary. As a bonus, you now have a great pile of tools for any woodworking project that is likely to come your way.

Sell your existing speakers to help cover the difference & start on the WH's. That will give you a system that will handle events up to 300-ish people. From there, take the events and turn additional $$$ into more of the same boxes and more amps.

--Stan Graves

[SoundInMotionDJ]

A used Yamaha 01V digital mixer is something you should investigate.

+1

That mixer is awesome! I want one...but I don't have one (yet)

The built in effects, EQ, crossovers, and limiter are sufficient to replace the DEQ/DCX combo (which would run you about $600 new & delivered). For live sound, you will not do better than this mixer for the $$$.

--Stan Graves

[Sydney]

I hire a sound-man for the largest gigs and I don't provide enough sound for the meat of my gigs, in my opinion, even though I rent 2 dual 18" subs for some of them. When I hire a sound-man I rarely see much profits, if any at all

So, If you simply replaced the bottom end with something better than the (2) 18's that you now have to rent, you immediately start to turn a profit.

I can pay the bills off of those last minute $150 dollar frat/house/school parties I get. most of the time it's play for an 3hrs, give them a half an hour extra and charge more if they need more.)

I'm guessing that the bulk of your market is the not the large stuff that happens on occasion, but the smaller things that happen frequently and sometimes spontaneously...
I have friend who have retired from Pro Sound touring and have been able to benefit from his experience.
His business was such that he had to have multiple systems; a couple of smaller ones for the many frequent small ( non A ) contracts and the larger A system for less frequent contract qualifications. At this scale, it is NOT a 1 man operation, and there are a lot of personnel and capital management issues and it becomes like any other biz.
In this economy I would implement what you need to become instantly profitably, and build up in stages, instead of a large initial capital investment.
Until you get much larger, the smaller cabs would seem a prudent step, you may find that a couple of small subs would take care of the LM jobs and If you had several ( 4 - 6 ), That could cover a couple of scenarios without heavy transport.
Phase out entry level gear to the lesser LM jobs and bring in more reliable gear to the 1st string.

[Dusneed]

Welcome to the forum.

And puleeez... don't wind up as a damn crook.
The world has a real need for honest CPAs.

That's another thing that I factor into reviewing my offers. I don't want to be involved with any firm where people prey on others lack of knowledge and I don't want to be involved with any company where there is a going-concern.

Pick one, KISS as much as possible. The inbetween choice here is DR250's. Scalability from 2 or 4 from the small gigs to probably 8 for the big ones. T48's are very hot in the 80-100 range, more than high enough for a DR250 crossover point. If your gigs were 750-1k all the time, the 280's would be a better choice. I'm guessing they're not.
This way you only need 1 eq curve loaded and 1 limiter setting, less chance of error on your part and the renter. (Sure you want to rent your gear , I'm in the rental business)

I figured this would be said, but my rationale behind the 280s is that I can sound better than I do now with just a pair w/ no sub at a regular sized house party.
I kind of stumbled on to the rental business. A friend asked can he rent my gear out when I wasn't doing anything, so I said 100 bucks and he agreed. It's been that way for the last 3 years. I don't advertise it, it kind of just happens when there are those gigs that I can't do because of school work, one of my jobs or just plain ole life.

Can the DR250 sound good without a sub at a regular house party?

You've spec'd six DR280s. Have you considered what you intend to use to get them "in the air"? They're relatively big, heavy cabinets, which will take one helluva well-engineered rig to hold 3-per-side properly and safely. DR250s would be much easier in this regard, and DR200s would be even easier (much easier).

A used Yamaha 01V digital mixer is something you should investigate.

I have some experience with some of the pitfalls of placing my equipment into others hands. A guy that I was cool was very reckless with my DJ gear and a lot of little things came back different on my equipment. The funny thing is that was a favor to the guy, but I have learned my lesson, I hope.

I had Dave Perry's stands in mind when I thought of that, but honestly, it wasn't paid as much attention to as other parts of my plan. I have noticed that "flying" the cabinets have been the biggest issue around here. I have seen all of the attempts here so far, some I can do, but others (Nimrod's) I just don't have the capacity to do correctly.

I am new to pro-sound mixers and I will research the 01v

You are on the right track with your speaker choice. My only advice, and this is not to talk down QSC at all, but the RMX series of amps are very heavy.

The weight is an issue, but it's not a deal breaker in my opinion. I am a novice when it comes to power amps. I know how they work, but anything beyond making sure they don't clip is out of my skill set currently.

I hire a sound-man for the largest gigs and I don't provide enough sound for the meat of my gigs, in my opinion, even though I rent 2 dual 18" subs for some of them. When I hire a sound-man I rarely see much profits, if any at all

So, If you simply replaced the bottom end with something better than the (2) 18's that you now have to rent, you immediately start to turn a profit.

I can pay the bills off of those last minute $150 dollar frat/house/school parties I get. most of the time it's play for an 3hrs, give them a half an hour extra and charge more if they need more.)

I'm guessing that the bulk of your market is the not the large stuff that happens on occasion, but the smaller things that happen frequently and sometimes spontaneously...

In this economy I would implement what you need to become instantly profitably, and build up in stages, instead of a large initial capital investment.
Until you get much larger, the smaller cabs would seem a prudent step, you may find that a couple of small subs would take care of the LM jobs and If you had several ( 4 - 6 ), That could cover a couple of scenarios without heavy transport.
Phase out entry level gear to the lesser LM jobs and bring in more reliable gear to the 1st string.

I profit when I rent the the 18s, but my margin is significantly lower.
Your assumptions are correct. Since the start of the semester I have been fairly busy with gigs that average between 300-500 guest. That's every saturday usually. Thursday/Friday evenings, I have my residency. Every first Sunday I do a youth ministry gathering. After that, I fill in the blanks and sometimes those blanks include a warehouse style party w/ upwards of 1000 guest and 2 DJs.

My plans are to phase out the old with the new in 4 installments starting in May.

[Dusneed]

Those are three very different systems, with very different sets of constraints.

For 25 people, any of the Pro-sound tops & subs would be overkill. A pair of Omni10.5's & a single sub (wall/corner loaded) would be more than sufficient. Alternatively, a pair of DR200's & a single T24/T30/T39 would be major overkill.

For 1000 people, I tend to favor sensitivity over all other things. This favors DR's and Titans over the other designs. Using more smaller boxes will allow you slightly more flexibility in setup and wider area coverage over fewer larger boxes. Using smaller boxes also favors the one-man setup/teardown & modularity.

For rental, I tend to favor the most conventional looking boxes that I can find, loaded with drivers that have a lot of thermal reserves. That points to Onmi15 (full range) cabinets, or maybe OT12's with T30/39 2012 loaded (as mentioned, it's a cheap driver with lots of output). Anything else would have me coming along to babysit the system.

Yes, Pro-sound cabs are overkill for a small party, but I am constantly checking that I am not too loud, so I won't have any encounters with the sound nazis.

I really like the way you have approached building a complete system. I think it's very professional and kind of the way I want to go because I think my customer base is very similar to yours. I remember seeing your post where you did a ballroom dance competition and was very impressed. I have done a hip-hop summit in a room similar to your gig. It was mostly talking by the panelist with me playing music throughout the intermission and competitions. I had to hire a sound company that didn't do a good job, in my personal opinion. I feel I could have done that very well with 1 helper and kept the rental fees if I had the gear.

Rental is not really my focus, but I am not going to turn it down if I can minimize my risk. I figure I can become a for-hire sound-dude when not DJin if I can do it without interfering with my school work and job.

Given these constraints, the DR200 (Beta 8 loaded ~$250/box) & T39@20" (BP102 loaded ~$225/box) would be my first choice. DR200's and T39's are the cheapest route to any given level of SLP or coverage. Using a pair of each will *easily* cover a house party with 150 people. Using eight of each box will easily cover 1000 people. .

If you are in front of 1000 people a lot more often than you are in front of 100 people, then DR250's and T48's *might* be a better choice. The DR280's low end extension really does not get you much for DJ style music, with either of the Titan subs. And the DR280 is a two man setup.

With $2500, I would build a system with the following:

- Your existing two EP2500 amps
- Your existing Behringer 1204fx mixer

- Build four DR200's (~$1000)
- Build four T39's (~$900)
- Buy DEQ/DCX Combo (~$600 - delivered)
- Buy signal & speaker cables w/ XLR & Speakon connections (~$200)

You did not mention cables anywhere in your post...but you should have some for the system you already have. So, you might not need ny to start with...but you might.

The DR200 cost are very appealing. I would need more though to achieve the same effect. I like the way you put them up in pairs, but I don't know how I would get more than 3 up per side (Although,I would have the same problem with the 280s). What would be the biggest reason you would choose 200s over 280s?

I did mention speaker cable. I was thinking that it would be cheaper for me to just buy a 1000' roll of 12ga speaker cable and all types of connectors. I am very proficient in soldering. I estimate the cost of that in the 500-800 dollar range, but I have yet to see 12ga in bulk on the internet, I don't know for sure (unless I am searching wrongly).

I like your plan of building a fleet in 4's. That makes a lot of sense to me. I have built an autotuba that I worked through very easily. The plans seem similar to that of the titans.

You don't mention what tools you have to build - but you do mention hiring a cabinet maker. . These designs look great when built with any amount of care, and Duratex can hide just about any flaws you can inflict on 1/2" ply.

Since you are aiming at a fairly large system, buying your own tools might be cheaper in the end. Start with a good contractors table saw - be sure to upgrade the blade & build the table saw sled. I would also get a jigsaw & cordless drill/driver. Oh, and get more clamps - you can never have too many clamps. You can successfully complete any of the cabinets here with those tools. A ROS (random orbital sander) does really take the time out of sanding...especially for rounding corners if you don't have a router. After that, an air compressor with a brad nailer would be next on my list of tools to get. A router is great to have ...but not strictly necessary. As a bonus, you now have a great pile of tools for any woodworking project that is likely to come your way.


--Stan Graves

Sorry that I didn't mention the tools that I have. I inherited a few tools from an uncle. I have a Dewalt circular saw, Craftsman cordless driver, a few clamps, a square, and a straight edge ruler. I built my autotuba with just those tools and guide board. I have a bunch of uncles who have neglected tools sitting in their garages and basements. I figured I would rummage through their stuff and take the things I need, with permission of course . I don't know anyone with a table saw or a router, but I have been looking for them on craigslist when I am home in New York. I haven't used a table saw since shop class in high school and I have never used a router, but I am impressed by the work they can produce. I really need to buy a book on woodworking soon, so my cabs can look good. I can be described as clueless when it comes to purchasing a table saw and a router. I just don't know exactly what to look for.
Do any of you have any good sites where I can learn how to use a router?

[Dave Non-Zero]

I figured this would be said, but my rationale behind the 280s is that I can sound better than I do now with just a pair w/ no sub at a regular sized house party.

I have 280s and i still wouldnt use them without a sub. 200s and your autotuba will sound much better than 280s on their own at a house party. if you use the 280s full range then you get into the same cancellation issues as splitting subs, never mind the lack of response below 80hz.

You've spec'd six DR280s. Have you considered what you intend to use to get them "in the air"? They're relatively big, heavy cabinets, which will take one helluva well-engineered rig to hold 3-per-side properly and safely. DR250s would be much easier in this regard, and DR200s would be even easier (much easier).

Ive got this problem all the time too. Im workin on a solution for my 2 per side, but 3 per side is a whole other ball game, coz you cant stack the top one from the floor by hand.
Ive got a solution for my pairs that i will be using tommoro night so i will post it up. (not perfected yet, but the venue situation tommoro allows me to try it out in its present form)
Im enjoying the well thought out responses in this thread. keep 'em coming....