Professional vs Consumer Speakers? (1 Viewer)

[JoelO]

Anybody can shed any light for me in this area? What is the biggest difference of the 2 types of speakers? I notice prof. speakers have more rugged cabinet.

I'm asking because I'm looking for some new speakers for my church, I've been doing some reading & researching, and Bose came up several times. I don't have to say how we all view Bose Consumer products, but are the Prof. better designed? I can't find any review on prof. speakers nor forum for prof. speakers. So any suggestion is appreciated.

What about the subwoofer? Do you think it's possible to use consumer sub for a church? Say like SVS?

Thx!
Joel

 

[MingL]

Pro-audio speakers are designed for far-field applications, eg sound reinforcement in venues larger than a living room.

Those can really pump out loads of SPL even in large areas. Same goes for pro-audio subs. The biggest diff would be the application.

 

[Philip Hamm]

There really isn't much of a difference. Lots of people use home stereo speakers for studio applications. Now, no consumer speakers are going to replace real PA System speakers. I think really big SVS may be sufficient for a church, but if you are pumping organ pedals through it you may overload the thing. I think for that application the SVS may be good, but I'd go with the biggest unpowered SVS I could get and a pro power amp like a Peavey.

 

[Ron_L]

Joel,

Home equipment will not be sufficent in filling a church full of sound.

Yorkville ( http://www.yorkville.com ) is the best bang for the buck for pro audio equipment and their TX & Elite series speakers sound great.

Stay away from Bose, consumer and professional series. It's crap.

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

I agree with MingL.

If you put home theater speakers that are designed for near field applications in a church, it could sound like a bullhorn or cheap intercom.

Put a pro audio loudspeaker in a church, and it'll sound better from far away. I wouldn't get an SVS for church though. I'd get a pro audio subwoofer designed for high output and not so deep of an extension.

I'd go to jbl.com and check out their pro audio papers and solutions.

I think another difference is Pro audio equiptment doesn't sound good at low volumes like HT speakers. I also think that most pro audio speakers have better sensitivity than HT.

 

[JoelO]

Thanks for your responses guys. I'm getting a clearer picture now. Some suggestion I got as far as brand are: mackie, yorkville & jbl... i was also recommended on Community & EV speakers. Any comment on those? I'm looking for more best bang of the buck since we're on really tight budget.

I'm definitely staying away from consumer type speakers & sub.

Guess stay away from Bose still right?

Joel

 

[Philip Hamm]

You absolutely can not go wrong with JBL. I recommend the Eon series, with the sub.

 

[Arthur Vino]

EAW is as good as it gets for Commercial..

 

[Arthur Vino]

www.eaw.com
my fav is here..
La325

 

[Arthur Vino]

Crown amps are well known in the industry.. 4000 series..

 

[Arthur Vino]

JBL are good also..
Check out www.clubspace.com web In Miami web site.. They just built a new club with a new sound system, I was there 2 weeks ago, it was nice and loud, very loud, but when I leave the club ears didn't hurt and I could speak normally..

 

[Ron_L]

Yorkville with QSC amps...bulletproof combo.

 

[Arthur Vino]

QSC are good also.. Many home theaters use them I believe..
I have heard people @ AVS use QSC @ home with success... Cheaper too..

 

[Arthur Vino]

Oh ye, some commercials speakers have built-in AMPS..

 

[Philip Hamm]

Oh ye, some commercials speakers have built-in AMPS.

That's what makes the JBL EON so nice. They are actively biamped with built-in amplification. Just send a Hi-Z cable out of your mixer to the Eon and you're good to go.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

For additonal information, Joel, check out the Live Audio Board.

I recommend the Eon series, with the sub.

Hmm, I’ve never been overly impressed with the Eons. They’re fine for a “quick and dirty” temporary set up in a smallish room, but I’d sure look for something better for a permanent installation – especially if the auditorium is large.

I don’t know if they’ve improved the Eon sub in recent years, but the one I checked out 5-6 years ago did not impress me at all. After I whupped out my RTA and fed it some pink noise, I could see why: Haystack response, centered on 80Hz.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Arthur Vino]

I am telling u all, EAWs are so awesome....
Made in England..

 

[John Dude]

One thing you need to consider is how loud do you need to play. What dB SPL levels do you need reach? Professional locations are almost always much much larger than home theaters, so requires a lot more power and power handling than what consumer gear can provide.
For example, if your church has a length of 50 feet, and your requirement is to cleanly reach 100dB SPL levels, with one consumer speaker with a sensitivity rating of say 90dB, would take about 2295 Watts to reach 100dB at 50 feet. On the other hand, a pro speaker with a speaker sensitivity of 100dB, would only require about 230 Watts.