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[g'bye, Dick Rees]

Chris, you're on the right track, but I'd go for a powered mixer if budget is tight. Yamaha EMX-series is high quality and cost-effective. Stereo would be a non-issue, and you could experiment with speaker locations before you actually install them on the wall/ceiling.

I'll vote for powered speakers.  The powered mixer idea means running bigger cables and being locked into a single position for the unit.  It also may be a bit of over-kill for the purpose, like "all your eggs in one...larger....basket".  A simple 2XLR and a couple of stereo line input mix pad feeding the powered speakers will offer a lower profile, flexible setup independent of the larger, fixed minimum length speaker cabling implicit in the powered head/mixer setup.

[duane massey]

I'd agree with Dick unless getting 110v to the speaker locations is a challenge. Permanent installs require the power to be within reach of the 6' power cord. Heavy speaker wire is not as big an issue in this application, I've done several installs of this nature using #16 and #14 cable with acceptable results. Either way would work.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

I'd agree with Dick unless getting 110v to the speaker locations is a challenge. Permanent installs require the power to be within reach of the 6' power cord. Heavy speaker wire is not as big an issue in this application, I've done several installs of this nature using #16 and #14 cable with acceptable results. Either way would work.

Good point on the power proximity.

I've done it both ways, passive and powered speakers.  I've had nominally fewer failures overall with the powered option and find that option to be a bit easier to trouble-shoot via telephone......

[Brad Weber]

Chris, you're on the right track, but I'd go for a powered mixer if budget is tight. Yamaha EMX-series is high quality and cost-effective. Stereo would be a non-issue, and you could experiment with speaker locations before you actually install them on the wall/ceiling.

My experience in this type of application is that something like the EMX series may not be the best approach and that you typically want a very simple mixer or source selector.  That is actually why home stereo systems, or perhaps some of the 'receivers' from D&M Pro, actually often work well as the operation is simple and familiar, including possibly having a simple remote for source selection and volume control.
 
Another approach I've used for the speaker system, and this may be similar to what Marty was suggesting, was more of a distributed approach with smaller speakers running at lower levels and each covering a smaller area, then add low frequency reinforcement if desired.  This could be done with ceiling speakers or multiple speakers mounted on the walls.  The problem here may be the number of speakers required due to the relatively low ceiling conflicting with the limited budget.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

My experience in this type of application is that something like the EMX series may not be the best approach and that you typically want a very simple mixer or source selector.  That is actually why home stereo systems, or perhaps some of the 'receivers' from D&M Pro, actually often work well as the operation is simple and familiar, including possibly having a simple remote for source selection and volume control.
 
Another approach I've used for the speaker system, and this may be similar to what Marty was suggesting, was more of a distributed approach with smaller speakers running at lower levels and each covering a smaller area, then add low frequency reinforcement if desired.  This could be done with ceiling speakers or multiple speakers mounted on the walls.  The problem here may be the number of speakers required due to the relatively low ceiling conflicting with the limited budget.

Brad et al.....


I don't know why it took me so long to think of this, but I've had great success using products like this:

http://www.jblpro.com/businessmusic/SMS1/sms1.htm

Very low profile, huge sound presence and the ability to "duck" the playback with a mic.  Very likely a good fit for such an application and lots of bang for your budget bucks.

DR

[Kyle Leonard]

I'm surprised no one has suggested something like a Soundsphere speaker. They run about $350 each MSRP. According to their specs, two would work with a third being optimal (but out of your price range). Add in a distributed amp and you're right at $1000. Of course, that doesn't leave room for cabling and profit.


I agrees that you should explain to your friend what $1000 gets in the real world. Double that and it would make them much happier with the result.


Kyle

[Brad Weber]

I'm surprised no one has suggested something like a Soundsphere speaker.  They run about $350 each MSRP.

I'm not surprised at all.  Soundsphere offers something like a dozen speaker models, so I'm not sure which one you were addressing, but if you were thinking of something like the Q-6 then imagine how those would look in the middle of a 10' ceiling and remember that ballet can include jumps and even lifts.
 
Also consider that the usable low frequency response of the Q-6 is more like 150Hz, which happens to be the crossover frequency for the matching Q-LB product.  While a sensitivity of 88dB at 1W/1M is specified, according to the 1W/1m response chart that, being generous, apparently applies only between about 400Hz and 8kHz.  So you would probably want some additional low frequency support in this application.
 

They run about $350 each MSRP. According to their specs, two would work with a third being optimal (but out of your price range).

Admittedly, coverage may not be that critical in this application, but with a 10' ceiling physics says you can't cover a 28'x48' space properly with two speakers.  And that is not even accounting for any off axis loss of the speaker, according to their published data the 250Hz-1kHz averaged polar data the 'omnidirectional' Q-6 appears to be about 5dB down relative to the on-axis response at just 30 degrees off axis.
 
A good example of where looking at the specifics of a product can give a much different perspective than what the manufacturer may like you to believe.[/quote]

[Jonathan Johnson]

I considered a little sub $100 mixer, 2 stereo sources should be fine, so 4 to 6 channels total.  Most seem to be about that in the price range.

If *cough*Behringer*cough* is among the ones you've researched, I'll warn you that the wall-wart power supplies on Behringer's low-end mixers are well-known for dying if they are plugged into the wall but not into the mixer. (Don't ask me how I know this.) Since there's no power switch on the mixer, it's tempting to turn them off by disconnecting the power cord. DON'T DO IT. If you do get a Behringer small format mixer, also buy a tube of epoxy or a hot glue gun; glue that sucker in place to make sure it's never disconnected from the mixer.

[Ray Cerwinski]

Look into a B52 Matrix 1000 system. Add in mixer, cable, and some rigging (speakers have fly points as well as pole cups) Can't be beat for the price. It is my go-to system for budget full-range installs.

[ProSoundWeb Community]