Need amplifier for projector/speakers

[Pockerdid]

I have a projector we bought for outdoor movies. I also bought some PA speakers. Now I just need an amplifier that is compatible with the output of the projector and that will work the the speakers. Can someone help me find an amplifier that will work?
Thanks in advance.
Projector output:
-has coaxial audio out
-also analog L and R
-component Cb/Pb, Cr/Pr

Speaker specs:

• Model: SA-15T (Set of 2)
• Condition: New
• Application: PA Speakers / Mains / PA Loudspeakers
• Active/Passive: Passive
• Woofer: 15" Loud Speaker
• Woofer Specs: 50 oz Magnet and 2.5" Kapton Voice Coil
• Tweeter/Horn: 1.5" Titanium Tweeter Driver with 10 oz Magnet and 1" Throat
• Power: 350 Watts RMS; 700 Watts Peak
• Frequency Response: 45 Hz - 20 kHz
• Sensitivity: 96 dB
• Connectors: Two 1/4" and Two Speakon
• Nominal Impedence: 8 Ohms
• Ports: Dual Ports

 

[lovinthehd]

Budget? You only need it for the one source? No other use? How loud do you want to get? What is the output level of the projector, or rather just tell us what the projector make/model is....

 

[Pockerdid]

Thanks for reaching out. It's an Epson MovieMate 85HD Projector. Budget: guess it really depends on what's out there that will work; $300 or less maybe? I can't think of any other use, other than maybe being able to hook it up to a source to play music through the speaker.

 

[lovinthehd]

Don't see that this unit has L/R line level analog outs (does have inputs for analog input), it appears to have just a coax digital out for audio. As the manual says, you'd need a digital coax input on whatever receiver/integrated amp you use (when you say simply "amplifier" that generally refers to a power amplifier, which generally will only have an analog input). The usual gear would be an a/v receiver for use with a/v gear such as you have. You might find a simple integrated amp (has a pre-amp and amp in the same housing) with a digital coax input and since your speakers are relatively sensitive at 96dB (generally the output with 2.83 V, or 1 watt at 8 ohms, at 1 meter distance) wouldn't need a lot of power to get fairly loud.

Something like this could work https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-Q5-Pro-Digital-Amplifier/dp/B017W12UCU

An avr (audio video receiver) would offer more flexibility and power and use with more gear, though be sure it has a coax digital input. A good place to look around for discounted/refurbished avrs is accessories4less.com.

So what is the source of things you're feeding to the projector? Your own camera or a dvd/blu-ray player or?

 

[Pockerdid]

Thanks for the reply and info! It has a built in DVD player, but we've also used the HDMI to hook up our phones/tablet/laptops. So the AVR, would give me more options output options?

 

[lovinthehd]

Thanks for the reply and info! It has a built in DVD player, but we've also used the HDMI to hook up our phones/tablet/laptops. So the AVR, would give me more options output options?

You could run other sources through the avr and use it as a switching center (one of the benefits of an avr) and connect the avr to the projector via hdmi. I didn't scan the manual sufficiently to see that it has a built in dvd player, wasn't expecting that!

 

[BMXTRIX]

Yeah, the moviemate series from Epson has a built in DVD player and some relatively decent internal speakers for a projector. Nice for instant movie night. No Blu-ray built in, but it does have HDMI on that model. Other models didn't have the HDMI input. I didn't even know they still made these models, I'm not sure if this one is even in production.

That said, my main concern would be that the digital audio output may not be for all sources connected to it. It may just be for the internal DVD player to feed an A/V receiver.

I would definitely go the course of an A/V receiver. Depending on what is to be watched, there are any number of newer models, but an older model of higher quality and power may be a good deal for this specific setup. That is, more power for the speakers and no need for the latest HDMI specification since the projector doesn't support anything higher than 720p resolution natively.

Still, I'm not sure that just using an external source with analog audio out, or a HDMI audio extractor and a good powered amplifier may not be a better overall deal.

ie:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Crown-XLS-402-450W-2-Channel-Power-Amplifier/202455645485?hash=item2f234bfd2d:g:KkoAAOSwme1bsoWJ

That's under $100 and will provide plenty of power. Then you just need a source to feed the amplifier separately from the projector. You can extract audio directly from HDMI using something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/J-Tech-Digital-Premium-Extractor-Converter/dp/B00BIQER0E/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1538515156&sr=1-3&keywords=hdmi+audio+extractor

Then a couple of RCA to XLR cables to connect it from the extractor to the amp...
https://www.amazon.com/Stagg-STC3CMXM-Male-Twin-Cable/dp/B003SOR6UC/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1538515209&sr=1-6&keywords=rca+to+xlr+cable

So, for about $150 you get more power to those speakers than almost any receiver is likely going to give you. You lose the simple switching, but you get HDMI connectivity for the setup.