What Speakers for 4000 Square Foot Exotic Auto and Motorcycle Warehouse

[Loudandproud]

Hello All,

I am in the process of renovating a 4000 square foot warehouse space to work on and store custom automobiles and motorcycles. The space is 40' X 100' with 25 foot ceilings. Wood ceiling, drywall walls and concrete floor. It has a multiple lifts, equipment, a bar/lounge area with flatscreen TV, and stripper pole and a disco ball - 100% MAN!

I'm ready to put an audio system in the space, but have no clue as to what to buy and where to place things. Like how much power will I need and how many speakers? Do I buy four of them or less and where do I place them (in the corners up high or on the floor)? I like my tunes LOUD!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

LOUDANDPROUD
Seattle, Washington

 

[brendy]

Look towards pro audio/commercial sound kind of stuff.Like what you see at a concert.Home audio will not be suitable for your needs.

 

[Loudandproud]

Brendy,

Wow, thank you for your quick reply. Where do I go for Pro Audio/Commerical Sound speakers and equipment?

LoudandProud

 

[stratman]

Maybe Try Some Pro Gear

Maybe get yourself "pro-sound" gear, a couple of huge speakers (like the ones DJs use), a Crown amp ( they're bullet proof) --if you shop around in the music supply sites you can find them cheap. You'll need a preamp or a PA board, CD player and if you like a tuner. Remember this is not "audiophile" its more like sound reinforcement, but if you want it loud ..... Put the 2 speakers in the back of the warehouse facing forward, blast away!!. There you have it: a small soundstage for loud music. Some of those Crowns can push over 1000 watts, so it depends how loud you want it.

Sometimes this gear is sold in packages, go online check out a few sites, talk to them, they can set up package deals which even include the cabling.

 

[stratman]

I guess I was late posting! Pro gear the way to go!

 

[WorldLeader]

I would recommend JBL for pro-audio, here is a nicer, albeit more PA and live music oriented speaker: JBL EON G2

Here's a site full of goodies and audio stuff: http://www.************.com/

As for an amplifier I would recommend the BEHRINGER EP1500. This is a pro-sound amp with plenty of juice, plus it is rock solid. I've never experienced Crown amps before so I can't compare them. If you want 1200 watts/channel, check out the EP2500, it is only about $50 more than the one I linked above.

You can use any receiver with pre-outs to hook up to the amp.

HTH and good luck!


-World Leader

 

[stratman]

Sam Ash Music

Try Sam Ash music....I've bought a lot of music and sound equipment from them over the years, thy're reputable and have a huge selection.

 

[Loudandproud]

I'm trackin' with ya.

Stratman: Is Pro Gear the name of the manufacterer? If so, then what size speaker (big or small or it doesn't matter) and what wattage?

Worldleader: The forum blanked out the website you listed. Maybe you can give it to me without the www and the .com part?

This is great information. Thanks all.

 

[Loudandproud]

Why only two speakers and not four?

Question: Someone suggested two speakers in the back. Why only two. Wouldn't four (putting one in each corner) fill this huge room better?

Also, where do I locate the speakers, up high or on the floor?

Thanks.

 

[Audioholics]

I'd go with a total of 12-18 speakers to fill the area. No subs. Drop them down on poles to cover the area and go for ones that are meant to cover a large area - you don't want directional speakers. The key here is sound coverage and getting everything firing at once. You also want more speakers rather than less (louder) ones because you don't want to hear sound from the speaker on the other end of the room - which would be about 100ms delayed from the speaker over your head.

With 100x40 and a warehouse space you may need to acoustically coat the ceiling and provide some (at least minimal) diffusion or treatment of the side walls to avoid everything sounding like an echo-chamber. Having more speakers will help as well.

Amplification will be multi-channel amps fed from whatever source you'd like (inexpensive receiver is probably best since it has radio as well as ability to handle XM, iPod, CD, etc)

Don't be afraid to involve a local installer in the process as it could be well worth the money and save you headaches in the future.

 

[Xsound]

Clint's right, local installer is usually the better option. If there isn't someone who can do what you want, try these guys, they have done sound installations all over the US. They can get just about any brand of pro stuff. Just did a big thing for a BYU extension in Hawaii (didn't even know they had one).


info@mcsoundlightandvideo.com

 

[Mark Seaton]

Don't be afraid to involve a local installer in the process as it could be well worth the money and save you headaches in the future.

It sounds like you are talking about a retail/showroom for business use (even if a fun business ). First and foremost, hire a professional to hang anything that goes overhead. There are both proper and extremely dangerous ways to hang heavy objects overhead, and you don't want to be liable for them dropping on a showpeice or a person! Many nightclubs and churches are good examples of VERY dangerous rigging practices.

One question is if you have any sort of budget constraints in mind? If you work on custom cars & bikes, building a subwoofer might be right up your alley. If you want to search out the LAB Sub project on ProSound Web's Live Audio Board, you will find somewhat complicated, but doable plans for a subwoofer that you simply won't beat without spending a good bit more. Two of these placed properly or even one in a corner will probably be enough to piss off the neighboors, even if you have cinder block walls. You could even build them into the platform for the stripper pole.

With the speakers, the JBL Eon and maybe the powered Mackie stuff isn't bad, but if you can find a place to buy them, I would check out the Yorkville U15 Unity products, and maybe even the matching horn subwoofer if you want to purchase a sub that's ready to go.

The layout will dictate how many speakers you need, and there are reasons and strengths to goign with 2-6 speakers or 6-12 as Clint suggests, although I wouldn't think of not including a subwoofer based on your description. While I doubt budget will allow, if you can splurge for a Danley Sound Labs TH-115, one would probably do nicely with a decent amp driving it (>1,000W).

Note that some speakers are much more directional than others (for example the U15s) which can be very helpful, depending on your intention. You might want to have one area that is where the sound primarily radiates from or is anchored, or you might just want a more even sound distributed around with smaller speakers and a robust subwoofer.

 

[B5I8]

These guys make some pretty awesome stuff.

http://www.danleysoundlabs.com/

Get some SH-100B's and a DTS-20.

 

[stratman]

Loudand proud,

Pro-sound is just a moniker for equipment used by "pros" or for professional applications where usually aesthetics are not as important as endurance (reliability)

The bottom line: What's your budget?.....my recommendation is based on a modest budget, hence 2 speakers, placed on either corner, ceiling height, yes 4 would be great, like I said this is mainly for working around your cars and bikes, you're not doing "serious" listening....you're probably jamming, right? We used to rehearse in a warehouse pretty much with the same dimensions as yours, I ran my Marshall amp (for my guitar) through a Tascam board (that amp is "only" is 100 watts) and it was plenty loud.

If you have an ample budget you might consider what Clint DeBoer posted.

 

[highfihoney]

I like my tunes LOUD!

For loud music in large spaces such as yours its hard to beat a pair of klipsch cornwalls,they are very efficient at 101db with a 100 watt rms & a 1,000 watt peak,the thing that makes the cornwall so great for seriously loud music is that as long as the power stays clean(no clipping) they can take every bit of 1,000 watts for extended periods.

While looking for a link to a pair of cornwalls for you to see i ran across an ad from a guy selling a pair that i was the original owner of,i ran gobs of power through these puppies without a burp & they seriously rock,you should be able to find a cheaper priced pair though,the going rate for a pair in that condition is about $600.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1165802644

I gotta agree with the others on amplification by using professional amps instead of audiophile or mass market amps,crown would be my choice to match up with cornwalls,the crown ce-400 will be able to easily drive the crap out of cornwalls at 600 wpc.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CROWN-CE-4000-AMPLIFIER-GOOD-CONDITION_W0QQitemZ170043711245QQihZ007QQcategoryZ64451QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You could run this amp/speaker combo direct from a cd player but all you'd have is volume control but by adding a preamp/tuner combo you get a tuner(radio) & the ability to use tone controls which is very handy.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CARVER-Preamplifier-Tuner-CT-24_W0QQitemZ250044473467QQihZ015QQcategoryZ71565QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

No need for pro instalation either just buy some simple cables from a guitar shop,some speaker wire & your all done,rough system cost is $1,200 to $1,500.

 

[RLA]

Don't be afraid to involve a local installer in the process as it could be well worth the money and save you headaches in the future.

This is good advice that will save you time, money and grief.
I started my A/V career 19 years ago installing Pro A/V systems. Pro speaker’s dispersion characteristics and frequency response vary and they are designed for specific installation criteria. The best thing you can do is at least hire a Pro A/V consultant that can provide you with calculations, installation blueprint and gear list. The actual installation is not that difficult but load ratings and capture cables must be considered for anything mounted or flying overhead. Liability not withstanding consider the consequences if something falls on one of your clients.

 

[Loudandproud]

Thanks for all your advice (Can you help with the fine tuning - no pun intended)

Lots of advice here guys (some of which is counteracting each other), so I think everyone would agree that a professional in some capacity may be the first step. I will tell him (or her - hopefully she's cute) that I'm leaning toward the following gear:

Speakers:

a. Klipsch cornwalls
b. JBL EON G2 with EON SUB
c. JBL JRX115i Suspension 15" 2 Way Passive PA Cabinet
d. JBL JRX125 Dual 15" 2 Way Passive PA Cabinet
e. JBL MPro MP215 15" Passive PA Cabinet

Power Amp:

a. Crown (model?)
b. Behringer EP1500 or EP 2500

Pre-amp:

a. CARVER Preamplifier/Tuner CT-24

Question #1 - Go ahead and recommend your speaker/power amp/pre-amp
combination.

Question #2 - What is the difference between the JBLs listed above?

Question #3 - Is it ok to hang the speakers off the floor and if so, then how high? The ceilings are 25 feet high. So do I put them half way up, or ok to put them all the way up?

Thanks again to all. I started this string not knowing ****, now I'm about to start giving my own advice, lol.

LOUD&PROUD

 

[Loudandproud]

Whoops, forgot the SUB

Guys,

Forgot to ask about the SUBWOOFER.

What does everyone recommend?

Powered or unpowered (see, this is the kind of question I would never have been able to ask just a few short days ago)?

Thanks.

LOUD&PROUD

 

[jaxvon]

I would recommmend that you NOT go for the JBL EON speakers. I have used them in the past and was basically disgusted with the sound. They have audible noise without a signal present. They have an uneven frequency response with abysmal sound in the midrange. To but it bluntly, they suck. Royally.

As for all of these suggestions going around, no one has really asked what your overall goal is for sound. So I will now: What *is* your overall goal? Do you want even sound all over your shop that has the ability to be anywhere from background music to rocking? Or do you want to have a stereo system in one part so other parts of the shop are quieter? To achieve even sound over the whole place, you'll need ceiling mounted speakers, something that would make hiring an installer a good idea. If you're just setting up a stereo in one section of the place, then you don't really need an installer.

 

[Loudandproud]

Overall goal

Jaxvon,

Good point. I guess I never define the overall goal.

The area is divided into three sections. A bar/tv section (1/4 of the space), a storage section (1/2 the space), and a working section (remaining 1/4)

I would like the best (cleanest sound) around the working section, with overflow sound reaching all other areas.

Ideally, I would want the flatscreen (lcd or plasma) tv to be tied into the speakers so I could play the tv through the speakers for football or Tyson fights (if that is even possible).

Thansk for drilling down on the details.

LOUD&PROUD