Using PA System Speakers for Home Theatre (1 Viewer)

[RajanKG]

Hi! I have a Yamaha Stagepas 400i PA system with its own mixer-cum-amp. I was wondering if I could also use these two speakers as front speakers as a second Home Theatre (with two sets of input cables coming to the speaker jacks - one from the mixer-cum-amp for PA use and another from the AV receiver. Plug the cables in & out depending on which amp I want to use).

If yes, what should be specs for the AV Receiver that I would need?
I am only looking at a basic 5.1 system here (I already have a good primary Home Theatre in a separate room).
Would appreciate any guidance.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

There’s no problem doing this. Yamaha doesn’t spec the impedance on the speakers, so you should probably get an AVR that can drive a 4-ohm load.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[RajanKG]

There’s no problem doing this. Yamaha doesn’t spec the impedance on the speakers, so you should probably get an AVR that can drive a 4-ohm load.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Thanks a Lot! What should be the Power Rating of the AVR that I should consider?

 

[JohnRice]

Just keep in mind, PA speakers are designed for much larger rooms than home speakers. Their sound dispersion is intended for those venues and while they absolutely will work, the priority with PA speakers is maximum output. They're not ideal for home use, but yeah, you can use them.

 

[RajanKG]

I am reviving this thread as I couldn’t go ahead with the set-up as planned earlier for various reasons.

I already have a primary home theatre and am planning to set up a second home theatre (5.1) in the living room using whatever gear I already have and with bare minimum additional purchases.

I plan to use my Yamaha Stagepas 400i PA speakers as the front speakers for the second HT because I do not have space for a second set of front speakers here and at the same time I cannot do away with these PA speakers as they are used a lot for party music, karaoke sessions and playing instruments. I’ll have to somehow make do with these as the front speakers. These speakers will be driven by its dedicated amp-cum-mixer when used for PA and by the AVR when used for HT.

Here are some of the specs that I could find for the speaker and it’s amp to give an idea about it’s capabilities & limitations-

1. 2-way bass reflex speakers (8” woofer and 1” compression driver).
2. Frequency Range (-10 db)*: 55 Hz to 20 kHz.
3. 400 watts into 4 ohms* (on paper).
4. It’s rated at 125 watts before clipping (with 1% THD, 1 kHz @ 1W)* per channel. Nominal, it’s no more than 37 watts.
5. The Stagepas 400i is rated at 125 db SPL*/ speaker. but in the manual there is nothing about the speakers.
6. The addition of a powered sub woofer of at least 120 watts RMS should give it the bottom end power.

(I am not very clear about the terms underlined above and marked with asterisk. Would appreciate some clarity on these).

The rest of the components (existing & proposed):-

AVR: I’ll be using one of the following two AVRs that I already have:-

1. Onkyo TX-NR626 (2013 Model)
2. Denon AVR-2311 (2010 Model)

SUB: I already have an SVS PB 1000. I can either use this or buy another Sub.

CENTRE: I am considering the Polk Audio Signature S30.

SURROUND: I am considering the Polk Audio Signature S10.

I understand that I am trying to mix & match diverse gear and cannot expect the seamless integration that one can get from perfectly matched speakers. It’s a compromise I could live with. Having said that,

> Are the specs of the Yamaha speakers okay?

> Will this set-up be any good?

> Any better suggestions and ideas would be welcome.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

You can’t tell if a speaker sounds good by its specs. Even lousy speakers have “good” specs.

There’s no point in answering moot questions since the equipment has already been chosen and is in-house. It’s sufficient to know that the Yamaha system has the capability to play much, much louder than the rest of your equipment. Just hook it all up and enjoy!

Here's a good read on definitions of audio specifications.

Audio Terms and Definitions

Audio terminology can be very confusing and ambiguous. Below is a basic list of most common words related to audio specifications and terminology.

www.audioholics.com

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[RajanKG]

Thanks Wayne! Fully agree with you....it’s the very reason we prefer to do a live audition before buying speakers even very with good specs/ reviews.

I quite like the music quality of the Yamaha though I admit it’s a bit bass-heavy. I don’t think it should make a huge difference for a second Home Theatre? I am just worried that I shouldn’t end up spending on Centre, Surrounds and a Sub only to regret the move later. So I am just trying to exercise some diligence before the purchase.

The things that confuse me mostly are these:-

1. Frequency Range: Most speakers give it at -3db. Yamaha gives it at -10db. Is there any way to know roughly how this equates to -3bd levels?

2. Sensitivity: Higher sound sensitivity is supposed to mean more capable speakers.Though most speakers give the sensitivity figures in the 80s & 90s, the Yamaha gives 125 dB! Is it purely ’loudness’ and nothing else...since the figure is suffixed with SPL?

3. Matching the Centre & Front Speakers: Since the pandemic has forced most purchases to be made online, is there any way to broadly figure out (by studying the specs) if a particular centre speaker would go well with these Yamahas? (I am not expecting a ‘perfect’ match...just something reasonably okay).

4. What is the drawback of horn-type tweeters (as in the Yamaha) in a Home Theatre?

Regards,

Rajan

 

[JohnRice]

1) Means that the specs are intended to make the speakers appear to have more full range than they do. Their -3dB point might be closer to 100Hz. Their response might be wildly inconsistent otherwise.

2) Absolutely NOT. High efficiency is essentially a tradeoff of other factors to achieve. Of course, that depends on what you mean by "capable", which is rather vague.

3) You might get a better match with horn loaded speakers, like Klipsch. But, you're still mixing PA with home speakers.

4) They can sound harsh compared to traditional drivers.

 

[jcroy]

(Anecdotally).

Back in the day, I played my stereo through an electric guitar amplifer setup.

It definitely sounded a lot harsher.

Then again, a guitar amplifer speaker is designed to take a lot of punishment and handle heavily distorted signals played really loud. Very different design criteria than a speaker designed for a home stereo/hifi system.

 

[RajanKG]

1) Means that the specs are intended to make the speakers appear to have more full range than they do. Their -3dB point might be closer to 100Hz. Their response might be wildly inconsistent otherwise.

2) Absolutely NOT. High efficiency is essentially a tradeoff of other factors to achieve. Of course, that depends on what you mean by "capable", which is rather vague.

3) You might get a better match with horn loaded speakers, like Klipsch. But, you're still mixing PA with home speakers.

4) They can sound harsh compared to traditional drivers.

Thanks John for the very specific reply/ suggestions. Makes things a lot clearer now!

 

[RajanKG]

(Anecdotally).

Back in the day, I played my stereo through an electric guitar amplifer setup.

It definitely sounded a lot harsher.

Then again, a guitar amplifer speaker is designed to take a lot of punishment and handle heavily distorted signals played really loud. Very different design criteria than a speaker designed for a home stereo/hifi system.

Thanks a lot JCRoy!