Really loud speaker for outdoor morning workouts

[thejm]

Hey guys,

I am a newer member here and want to ask y'all for some advice. I have searched a good bit for the answer to this question and haven't found an answer which is what brings me here.

I lead workouts early in the morning on an open field (usually a football or soccer field) and want a speaker that can give volume to the whole group. Specifically my wish list includes a speaker that:

1. Must be battery powered
2. Must be bluetooth
3. I want this speaker to be loud. Sometimes the group is stretched out over 80 or 100 yards. I have no illusions that it'll be deafening at that distance but don't want it to be a whisper at that distance either.
4. Would be SUPER NICE if it had an outdoor / water rating. will take splash proof if thats all I can get.
5. I'll need to carry this around so I don't want a behemoth. 30 or so pounds is as big as I want to go.
6. Sound quality is last on the list. When we're killing ourselves out there, were not listening to individual musical notes but also don't want walkie talkie quality.

I realize this might not be the traditional request you get around here but I appreciate your help anyway!
JM

 

[its phillip]

Something like this should work:
ION Audio Block Rocker Plus - Portable Bluetooth Speaker 100W W/Battery, Karaoke Microphone, AM FM Radio, Wheels & Telescopic Handle and USB Charging https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07C32XSH1/

edit: I just realized you wanted to cover 80-100 yards outdoors. You’ll likely need multiple speakers or real pro audio stuff.

 

[its phillip]

Not sure if the model I linked is water resistant but some other models they make definitely are.

 

[XEagleDriver]

JBL makes some excellent BT portable products. You did not specify a budget, but here is where I would start given your description.
Only 16 lbs, so easy to curl, even by a girl
It is $300, you can wait for one of JBL seasonal/frequent sales if you have the time.

"JBL PartyBox On-The-Go | Portable party speaker with wireless mic"

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go | Portable party speaker with built-in lights and wireless mic

The JBL PartyBox On-The-Go is a traveling party with powerful sound, synced lightshow, rechargeable battery, strap and wireless microphone, plus an extra mic and instrument inputs

www.jbl.com

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[TLS Guy]

Hey guys,

I am a newer member here and want to ask y'all for some advice. I have searched a good bit for the answer to this question and haven't found an answer which is what brings me here.

I lead workouts early in the morning on an open field (usually a football or soccer field) and want a speaker that can give volume to the whole group. Specifically my wish list includes a speaker that:

1. Must be battery powered
2. Must be bluetooth
3. I want this speaker to be loud. Sometimes the group is stretched out over 80 or 100 yards. I have no illusions that it'll be deafening at that distance but don't want it to be a whisper at that distance either.
4. Would be SUPER NICE if it had an outdoor / water rating. will take splash proof if thats all I can get.
5. I'll need to carry this around so I don't want a behemoth. 30 or so pounds is as big as I want to go.
6. Sound quality is last on the list. When we're killing ourselves out there, were not listening to individual musical notes but also don't want walkie talkie quality.

I realize this might not be the traditional request you get around here but I appreciate your help anyway!
JM

Such a unit does not exist. It would only be possible with permanently installed pro/horns. If you did what you want, I'm sure it would require a permit, that would only be granted after public input. Permission would not likely be granted unless the site is miles from human habitation.

 

[lovinthehd]

You must have a very large piece of land for this, hopefully its not a public space, or if it is a very remote one.

I don't think the product you seek exists in any case. What's your budget, tho?

 

[thejm]

JBL makes some excellent BT portable products. You did not specify a budget, but here is where I would start given your description.
Only 16 lbs, so easy to curl, even by a girl
It is $300, you can wait for one of JBL seasonal/frequent sales if you have the time.

"JBL PartyBox On-The-Go | Portable party speaker with wireless mic"

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go | Portable party speaker with built-in lights and wireless mic

The JBL PartyBox On-The-Go is a traveling party with powerful sound, synced lightshow, rechargeable battery, strap and wireless microphone, plus an extra mic and instrument inputs

www.jbl.com

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Hey thanks all for the responses. For clarity, I know the speaker might not reach that distance, I guess I'm looking for the loudest thing practical.

I looked at the Ion Pathfinder (it has some water resistance) and the JBL. Is there a good way to know how loud each one will be? They both look like good options.

Budget is flexible but would like to stay under $500.

 

[highfigh]

Hey guys,

I am a newer member here and want to ask y'all for some advice. I have searched a good bit for the answer to this question and haven't found an answer which is what brings me here.

I lead workouts early in the morning on an open field (usually a football or soccer field) and want a speaker that can give volume to the whole group. Specifically my wish list includes a speaker that:

1. Must be battery powered
2. Must be bluetooth
3. I want this speaker to be loud. Sometimes the group is stretched out over 80 or 100 yards. I have no illusions that it'll be deafening at that distance but don't want it to be a whisper at that distance either.
4. Would be SUPER NICE if it had an outdoor / water rating. will take splash proof if thats all I can get.
5. I'll need to carry this around so I don't want a behemoth. 30 or so pounds is as big as I want to go.
6. Sound quality is last on the list. When we're killing ourselves out there, were not listening to individual musical notes but also don't want walkie talkie quality.

I realize this might not be the traditional request you get around here but I appreciate your help anyway!
JM

In distributed audio, loud at the speakers is intolerable to those who are close to them- by the time you get it to a level that the farthest can hear well, you're also attempting to achieve output that's well above the capability of a battery-powered system. Two speakers to cover a large area won't do the job. It can be done with battery power but it's going to be heavy and expensive, even if you don't care so much about sound quality.

If this place will be used in this way on a recurring basis, I would give some thought to using a good landscape audio system, with buried speaker cables but you WILL need a lot of power and that's not gonna come from batteries unless you use a 12V or 24V power amplifier and several Group 31 batteries. The best way to send audio over long runs on speaker wire involves using a 70V system.

 

[thejm]

In distributed audio, loud at the speakers is intolerable to those who are close to them- by the time you get it to a level that the farthest can hear well, you're also attempting to achieve output that's well above the capability of a battery-powered system. Two speakers to cover a large area won't do the job. It can be done with battery power but it's going to be heavy and expensive, even if you don't care so much about sound quality.

Thanks for the input. I think ill pick up the JBL unit or the ion one (or both and return one) and see how it works.

One other question I have. I came across this one on Amazon. It claims 750 watts of power whereas the Ion is only 120 watts. Can someone help a noob like me understand what this means? Surely it doesn't give 5 times the output regardless of sound quality?

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks for the input. I think ill pick up the JBL unit or the ion one (or both and return one) and see how it works.

One other question I have. I came across this one on Amazon. It claims 750 watts of power whereas the Ion is only 120 watts. Can someone help a noob like me understand what this means? Surely it doesn't give 5 times the output regardless of sound quality?

Edit to include link to the above mentioned unit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JKCRUCY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

That unit is a junk subwoofer, and every spec. will be a whopping lie.

However let me set you straight.

What you are proposing is a total waste of money. In the open sound pressure level (how loud it is) decreases by the square of the distance from the speaker. Out in the open, there are no reflections, to reinforce the sound. So the straight square law will apply. So at 100 yards distance which is 300 ft, then at the back the sound will be will be 100,000 times quieter than 1 ft. away from the speaker. The precise calculation is a drop of 90,000 in sound pressure level intensity.

So lets take a ten yard distance from the speaker, 30 ft. Then the sound level at the 100 yard point will be just over 75,000 times quieter than the 10 yard distance.

So that is why both I and Hi-Fi are telling you that only a distributed audio system has any chance at all of doing what you want. Anything else is a total waste of money. In other words we are telling you that you have to get everyone in reasonable proximity to a speaker. The other thing that has to be engineered for is the delay in the sound from front to back, which has to be engineered for with delay lines. Sound travels at 1,100 ft/sec, which gives you 0.27 sec delay between the front and the back. That is a lot, and will really much things up, if not engineered for.

Not many members here have any experience with these type of installations. Hi-Fi and I do. So the only advice you need to take is from those of us who actually understand your engineering problem.

 

[thejm]

That unit is a junk subwoofer, and every spec. will be a whopping lie.

However let me set you straight.

What you are proposing is a total waste of money. In the open sound pressure level (how loud it is) decreases by the square of the distance from the speaker. Out in the open, there are no reflections, to reinforce the sound. So the straight square law will apply. So at 100 yards distance which is 300 ft, then at the back the sound will be will be 100,000 times quieter than 1 ft. away from the speaker. The precise calculation is a drop of 90,000 in sound pressure level intensity.

So lets take a ten yard distance from the speaker, 30 ft. Then the sound level at the 100 yard point will be just over 75,000 times quieter than the 10 yard distance.

So that is why both I and Hi-Fi are telling you that only a distributed audio system has any chance at all of doing what you want. Anything else is a total waste of money. In other words we are telling you that you have to get everyone in reasonable proximity to a speaker.

Not many members here have any experience with these type of installations. Hi-Fi and I do. So the only advice you need to take is from those of us who actually understand your engineering problem.

I'm glad you set me straight. Honestly, this is exactly what I came here for and your analysis makes sense. I am a civil engineer by schooling so, while I am not familiar with audio equipment, I was easily able to follow your calculations.

I obviously don't want to blast the people close to the speaker away which is what ill be doing if it gets too loud (to achieve sound at a greater distance). Sounds like I need to get a reasonably competent speaker like the Ion and go from there with reduced expectations.

 

[Eppie]

Anything on Amazon with the coloured lights in the speaker is cheap stuff intended for indoor karaoke. Avoid those completely. TLS and highfigh are spot on. I've played in bands using outdoor PA speakers and the problem is the distance you're trying to cover. To reach the back of a 100yd field requires very high SPL at the source and not something the people close to the speakers would enjoy for a work out. It's not a concert. With a battery powered speaker you're probably ok for 30 yards but to cover 100 yds without being too loud at the source will require multiple speakers spread over the area.

 

[thejm]

Hey I appreciate everyones responses! Its not often on the internet there is such a knowledgeable crowd thats so willing to share info. I am going to buy something and go from there. After thinking about it a bit, I think I can probably cut the distance at least in half with clever speaker positioning and changing up the workouts. If anything, one of these options will be much better than what I have now.

Thanks to y'all, I can approach this with an informed opinion. Saved me from several days of random google searches and headaches from not understanding things!

Thanks!
JM

 

[highfigh]

Thanks for the input. I think ill pick up the JBL unit or the ion one (or both and return one) and see how it works.

One other question I have. I came across this one on Amazon. It claims 750 watts of power whereas the Ion is only 120 watts. Can someone help a noob like me understand what this means? Surely it doesn't give 5 times the output regardless of sound quality?

Edit to include link to the above mentioned unit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JKCRUCY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Marketing departments have a strange relationship with the truth. Oh, wait- they don't know anything about the truth.

If someone advertises that a $145 pair of speakers produces 750W of power, assume they're lying.

When I did car audio, Sony was one of the worst when it came to power ratings and when we didn't believe someone's claims of output power, we would ask if it was 'Sony Watts'. Sometimes, we would add JBF or WLS to the power spec- JBF means 'Just Before Fire' and WLS means 'When Lightning Strikes'.

 

[Kingnoob]

Pro speakers like a concert venue , you might not need as many but otherwise your wasting your time on Bluetooth junk .
your talking about a near football field sized area haha .. powered pro speakers are closest to what your looking for . Or passive … more pain tho adding amps and stuff .
If your in a Area you won’t get fined for noise violations haha …
Good luck
Wattage ratings are irrelevant, only pro amps will simply 1000s or real watts, not fake sales speakers like that , they inflate the numbers to sell odds are its 60 watts or so possibly less .