Entertainment Center: TVs, Stereos, VCRs and DVDs - Help with a sound system for my small business.
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highfargone
06-09-07, 03:16 PM
Before I get started, let me just say how grateful I am for all the moderators and other DIYers that take the time to considerately answer any and all questions, no matter how stupid they seem to sound...at least mine. I always start at this board before buying, fixing, or building anything.
Now then....I recently started a small business that is going to be a party room for kids. I need a sound system that will include at least 6-8 speakers, 2 PA jacks, some how to plug a TV monitor (possible Karaoke machine)and a CD changer. We plan on having a magic show/ puppet theatre and would like to be able to offer a karaoke party. We are in a Mall and would like to place enough small speakers around the room to carry. We would playing sounds such as a rainforest or zoo animals throughout. Does anyone have suggestions? Thanks.
Now then....I recently started a small business that is going to be a party room for kids. I need a sound system that will include at least 6-8 speakers, 2 PA jacks, some how to plug a TV monitor (possible Karaoke machine)and a CD changer. We plan on having a magic show/ puppet theatre and would like to be able to offer a karaoke party. We are in a Mall and would like to place enough small speakers around the room to carry. We would playing sounds such as a rainforest or zoo animals throughout. Does anyone have suggestions? Thanks.
HotinOKC
06-09-07, 03:26 PM
Hello!
Do you have access to the walls? Either through a drop ceiling or similar? Running the speaker cable through the walls is the cleanest way of setting all this up, but not the only option.
You can get a all in one type system that has the karaoke machine, cd player, etc built in.
Let us know if you planned on running wiring in the walls, or externally in conduit.
Do you have access to the walls? Either through a drop ceiling or similar? Running the speaker cable through the walls is the cleanest way of setting all this up, but not the only option.
You can get a all in one type system that has the karaoke machine, cd player, etc built in.
Let us know if you planned on running wiring in the walls, or externally in conduit.
highfargone
06-09-07, 04:01 PM
We have a 1500 sf room that does have drop ceilings and we are more than likely able to fish wiring up the walls for it. There is a all in one system like that available?It sounds perfect. Whats it called?
HotinOKC
06-09-07, 04:46 PM
Here are some. It really depends on how much you want to spend.
http://www.acekaraoke.com/all-in-one-systems.html
Depending on how many speakers are able to hook up to one machine, you may have to think about getting a seperate receiver/amp for the rest. You can interconnect the two.
http://www.acekaraoke.com/all-in-one-systems.html
Depending on how many speakers are able to hook up to one machine, you may have to think about getting a seperate receiver/amp for the rest. You can interconnect the two.
highfargone
06-09-07, 05:03 PM
I found a Vocopro DVD-Duet 80W Semi Pro system. It says it comes with 4 two-way speakers with the ability to add more with pre-out jacks. Does that mean I can add 2-4 more little speakers?
Pendragon
06-09-07, 11:19 PM
Just a thought, but you said you 'we're in a mall and want the sound to carry'.
I've never been in a mall that you could here a stores music or much of anything else as you walked past. My assumption here is that your 'store' isn't allowed much past your entrance, and that would include music.
Just a detail to check on.
I've never been in a mall that you could here a stores music or much of anything else as you walked past. My assumption here is that your 'store' isn't allowed much past your entrance, and that would include music.
Just a detail to check on.
Rick Johnston
06-10-07, 10:26 AM
highfargone, I'd prefer to see you install a commercial system in that space using ceiling or wall-mounted speakers and a commercial mixer/amplifier. You'll have evenly balanced coverage of sound in the space, better sounding (multiple) microphones, and additional inputs for your karaoke system and anything else you may want to connect in the future, like wireless mics.
Having even coverage means the sound won't be too loud in one area and not loud enough in another -- a common problem with so-called "point source" systems where two or four speakers are expected to cover an entire large space.
The main advantage of a commercial installation is the speaker system. Called a "distributed" or "constant-voltage" system, it allows multiple speakers to be installed on one amplifier. Amplifiers are generally the biggest expense in any sound system, so you save quite a bit of money by not buying an amp for each set of two or four speakers.
Also, consumer receiver/amplifiers aren't designed to take the punishment of retail store operation with microphones, music and karaoke. A commercial amp/speaker system also allows you to use a cheaper karaoke system that doesn't have a built-in amplifier.
Walk around the mall and look at the ceilings in the stores. They'll either have speakers flush-mounted in the suspended ceilings or wall-mounted speaker boxes. Abercrombie & Fitch stores take it to the extremes, with boatloads of small, relatively expensive JBL wall-mounts in the rooms and Eastern Acoustic Works subwoofers in the ceilings behind certain air vents. At the other end, Macy's uses the cheapest 8-inch Atlas Sound ceiling flush-mounts to provide basic background music and in-store paging. Your application would fall somewhere in between.
In any case, you're going to have to spend some money to get appropriate sound in that room. If you DIY you can probably get by for $1,500 - $2,000. Double it if you want a pro to install it.
There are good tutorials for distributed speaker systems at manufacturers' websites: Atlas Sound, JBL Pro, and Electro-Voice to name a few. Biamp, TOA and Crown are some of the companies that make mixer/amplifiers.
Having even coverage means the sound won't be too loud in one area and not loud enough in another -- a common problem with so-called "point source" systems where two or four speakers are expected to cover an entire large space.
The main advantage of a commercial installation is the speaker system. Called a "distributed" or "constant-voltage" system, it allows multiple speakers to be installed on one amplifier. Amplifiers are generally the biggest expense in any sound system, so you save quite a bit of money by not buying an amp for each set of two or four speakers.
Also, consumer receiver/amplifiers aren't designed to take the punishment of retail store operation with microphones, music and karaoke. A commercial amp/speaker system also allows you to use a cheaper karaoke system that doesn't have a built-in amplifier.
Walk around the mall and look at the ceilings in the stores. They'll either have speakers flush-mounted in the suspended ceilings or wall-mounted speaker boxes. Abercrombie & Fitch stores take it to the extremes, with boatloads of small, relatively expensive JBL wall-mounts in the rooms and Eastern Acoustic Works subwoofers in the ceilings behind certain air vents. At the other end, Macy's uses the cheapest 8-inch Atlas Sound ceiling flush-mounts to provide basic background music and in-store paging. Your application would fall somewhere in between.
In any case, you're going to have to spend some money to get appropriate sound in that room. If you DIY you can probably get by for $1,500 - $2,000. Double it if you want a pro to install it.
There are good tutorials for distributed speaker systems at manufacturers' websites: Atlas Sound, JBL Pro, and Electro-Voice to name a few. Biamp, TOA and Crown are some of the companies that make mixer/amplifiers.