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[Adam Pace]

Alright, so I am working on an install for a new amphitheater where they want to be able to have presentations, music, MOVIES, skits/dramas, etc.

What kind of speakers are there that are weather proof etc that can give Hifi sound with great low end?

If there is no product out there, then what is the solution?

I tossed around the idea of having portable stacks on casters that we can just roll out etc but then I am worried about dispersion.

Anybody out there done anything like this before?

Any advice is helpful.

[Ivan Beaver]

The whole sound business is one of compromise.  When you mention weatherproof-great low end-Hi Fi sound the list gets real short (is there anything on the "list" at that point?).

This is assuming off the shelf products.

The next question is how loud do you need it to go?

You can get (from some manufacturers) the standard box that meets all of your above criteria-but in a special order configuration that is weatherproof.  This is done by having additional treatments done to the box, or a different shell etc.

Did you have a budget in mind also?  That can really affect things.

It is easy to get some of the requirements, but getting them all at the same time is going to cost you.

I guess you need to set priorities of what you want first.

I would start with how loud it needs to be and coverage pattern and price-then go down the list.

[Joseph Macry]

Without knowing any of the specifics of your venue's requirements, my usual answer to all-weather hi-fi is Community's R-series.  They have a variety of sizes and dispersion patterns, including subs.  Community also has lots of other weatherized options.

[Mike Pyle]

One Systems specializes in the type of cabinets you are describing.

http://onesystems.com/

[Arkady Gloukhov]

Take a look at EV Zx5-90PI speakers. They are good for up to 25m distance. For subwoofer they have FRX-181SPI, also weatherized cabinets.  

[Nathan Short]

The Martin Audio London AM Series sounds very very good.

http://www.martin-audio.com/outdoorinstallation.asp

You can PM me for pricing if you wish.

[Brad Weber]

Adam,

You really need to answer some of the questions that Ivan asked (level, coverage, budget, etc.) to get anything other than generic suggestions or suggestions for what someone uses in an application that may or may not be that similar to yours.

Another consideration in some outdoor applications is whether there is any need to not have sound to certain locations as well as having sound to the desired areas.  I have worked on numerous projects where one of the critical goals was to minimize the sound to adjacent properties or facilities while still providing appropriate performance for the listener areas and this can definitely affect the speaker locations and products.

Arkady Gloukhov wrote on Fri, 10 April 2009 10:35

Take a look at EV Zx5-90PI speakers. They are good for up to 25m distance. For subwoofer they have FRX-181SPI, also weatherized cabinets.

Not trying to be a jerk here, but good for what up to 25m?  Without knowing the desired performance, physical conditions or any other aspects of the application, it seems to be impossible to make such a general assertion for any speaker.

[Ivan Beaver]

Brad Weber wrote on Sun, 12 April 2009 14:16

Not trying to be a jerk here, but good for what up to 25m?  Without knowing the desired performance, physical conditions or any other aspects of the application, it seems to be impossible to make such a general assertion for any speaker.

Just to put some numbers to Brads statement.  The ZX590 is rated at 132dB max output.

A 25M distance is a 28dB loss.  This works well since the venue is outside.  

Assuming 20dB for headroom.  Subtract all this out and you have a average-or continous or whatever name you want to, and you have 84dB at 25M.  

Is that loud enough?  Maybe-maybe not-we have no way of knowing without more details.  

[Arkady Gloukhov]

Brad Weber wrote on Sun, 12 April 2009 13:16

Without knowing the desired performance, physical conditions or any other aspects of the application, it seems to be impossible to make such a general assertion for any speaker.

Brad,

I'm afraid that web forum is not that place, where we expect complete data about the venue/system someone is asking about. I need such exact data when the client comes to my office or I come to him for the survey. I recommended to look at Zx-5PI only because they are successors of Sx500PI – an official EV outdoor cinema speaker. My company supplied Sx-500PI to several open cinemas and the client was happy. If Sx-500PI were available, I would recommend them.

Arkady Gloukhov

[Josh Hoevelmann]

I have a small amount of outdoor experience, but I did install a couple of Technomads in a fairly large socccer/track stadium and think they sound great!  Pretty good throw too.

[Brad Weber]

Arkady Gloukhov wrote on Mon, 13 April 2009 09:11

I'm afraid that web forum is not that place, where we expect complete data about the venue/system someone is asking about. I need such exact data when the client comes to my office or I come to him for the survey. I recommended to look at Zx-5PI only because they are successors of Sx500PI – an official EV outdoor cinema speaker. My company supplied Sx-500PI to several open cinemas and the client was happy. If Sx-500PI were available, I would recommend them.

If you look at past threads here, addressing this type of information is a pretty typical and I think that this forum is a very good place to discuss that the goal should be developing solutions rather than just addressing products, and that means first defining the goals and/or problems to be addressed.  In this case, knowing factors such as the physical audience area, the desired sound levels (even if relative) and the budget are critical to determining if any product is a solution.

You noted that the ZX5-90PI "are good for up to 25m distance."  "Good" is a subjective descriptor and has no meaning without some definition or reference.  From your subsequent post I assume that your reference is cinema applications, and the ZX5 would indeed come close to offering the standard level of 85 Leq(m) and 15-20dB of headroom, at least on axis (it could be a little low off axis).  So the ZX5 might indeed be good at 25m - for that specific application.  However, I've measured outdoor music performances where the AX5 would be "good" as far as level to maybe 4 or 5m.  Or it might be that they don't want it that loud do the the location or surrounding areas.  The point is that whether anything is "good" at all, much less at some specific distance, depends entirely on the goals and expectations for each application and that requires first understanding as much as possible about the application.