Would home theater equipment work in a larger space?

[Adam Viklund]

Hi everyone,

My name is Adam, and I'm currently working with a group to renovate and refurbish an old movie theater. Because our group is a non-profit, charitable society I have to scrutinize every penny put into the place.

I'm fairly new to the audio world, so I apologize if this is a ridiculous question. I'm at a point in the build process where I need to think about audio and video equipment, and am wondering if some of the higher end home theater equipment might be a more cost effective option than going with the big cinema equipment. I have a quote for a total QFC equipment package, but it's REALLY expensive (and it's PER theater!). I was looking at the Audioholics High End 7.x Channel Recommended Home Theater System and was wondering if that kind of system might work? If I can go with something like that it would be roughly half of the QFC quote!

Oh, and the two spaces I'm working in are roughly 45'x20' and 65'x25'. The walls are bare at the moment and we won't be able to afford sound curtaining throughout, although we will be covering the back wall with sound panels, and the side walls with vertical stacks of sound panels. I'm not sure the coverage percentage on the side walls, though.

Thanks so much for your time and any help you can provide!
~Adam

 

[markw]

Simply pit, no. That's like expecting a Hyundai Sonata to pull a 4500 trailer. It's a very nice car but it has it's limits. It might work for a short time but it's soon going to go up in smoke.

Seriously, you need to look into pro gear, maybe even hire an expert.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

It might be nice to have some indication what your idea of “really expensive” is.

The bad news is that as Mark said, using home gear in pro applications is seldom a good idea. Home amps in particular and also speakers just aren’t built to take the demands required for large rooms.

The good news is that you’re talking about a pretty small venue by pro audio standards, so you don’t need massive amps or speakers. In fact, pro audio speakers are generally really efficient compared to home speakers, so in pro setting a 150 watt amp will get you further than the same amp would in a home theater. So you should be able to get by just fine with lower-end pro gear.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

You could probably get away with using consumer/installer grade pre-pro like integra DHC-80.6, but for amps and speakers you need to go with pro stuff. Doesn't have to be super expensive, but pro audio is the way to go

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

Forgot to mention, lower-end pro audio will be much cheaper than the high-end home gear you’re considering.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt