WHat kinda equipment in cinema's (1 Viewer)

[Kevin. W]

Just curious if anyone knows the type of equipment(speaker wise) in cinema's? Took my son to see a flick(JPIII), then Planet of the Apes and both times I came away thinking boy that was loud. Not well defined/positioned audio but loud. Just didn't feel right. Even thought when the DTS logo is played on my HT it sounds so much cleaner/clearer/positioned than that in the cinema.
Kevin

 

[Neil Joseph]

I often wondered what kind of (and how many) subwoofers they used. Must be multiple 18's in the larger cinemas.
orangeman
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[Michael Halse]

In Australia, a large portion of the cinema speaker market is covered by Krix Loudspeakers. They are an Australian company that have a very good reputation for cinema, and in the last 15 years have moved into HiFi and Hometheatre markets.

 

[Dan Hitchman]

A lot of more current theaters use THX licensed JBL horn loaded speakers behind the screen (even though the auditorium may not be certified). In the new theater I used to work at as a manager the company put four 18" subwoofers in each auditorium (even the smallest!). However, the amps. driving the speakers are fairly low grade pro amps (THX certified again, but why?-- I've seen better non-THX amps for the home that are cheaper).
However, the best theater speaker system is IMHO the premium Klipsch HPS-4000. Even the surrounds are better, and they can have multiple subs for each channel. They aren't even THX certified, but sound so much better.
Dan
P.S. the surround processors for DD, DTS, and SDDS are very, very expensive relatively speaking and also not of the greatest quality or reliability. The Outlaw Audio Model 950 $899 pre-amp has cleaner boards!
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[Vince Maskeeper]

However, the amps. driving the speakers are fairly low grade pro amps (THX certified again, but why?-- I've seen better non-THX amps for the home that are cheaper).

Could you expand upon this? Do you know specifically which amps they were using. The only "pro amps" I can think of that are THX certified are Crown, QSC and Ashly - and all three would smack the piss snot out of 90% of "home" amplifier products.
QSC has some lower grade THX stuff, but even when referring to that- I would be hard pressed to make the comment you made.
Seriously Dan, I'd be really curious to know what amps they were using, and what amps you're referring to that are "better" consumer products, especially cheaper...
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AIM: VinceMaskeeper
Interested in moving into FRONT PROJECTION with huge 6-10 foot widescreen? Buy my whole HDTV-ready CRT based front projection system delivered, cheap! Click here

 

[Fredrik E]

Some of the amps from Swedish manufacturer LABgruppen are also THX certified. I visited the web site of a Swedish Theater at http://www.rodakvarn.se

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Some of the amps from Swedish manufacturer LABgruppen are also THX certified.

Yeah- forgot about LABgruppen, they aren't too popular with cinemas (that I know of) in the United Sates- but in the last 6 months they ahve become the HOT professional amplifier product in the US for large scale touring companies.
I know of one company who just ordered 600 LABgruppen amps!
Good product, but I think their penetration in the US cinema market is minimal (could be wrong, anyone know for sure?)
Vince
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http://www.musicianassist.com
AIM: VinceMaskeeper
Interested in moving into FRONT PROJECTION with huge 6-10 foot widescreen? Buy my whole HDTV-ready CRT based front projection system delivered, cheap! Click here

 

[John-D]

Speaker wise (let's stick to the topic Pro-amp fans

I've seen JBL, EV and Yamaha in theaters.
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The things we own end up owning us

 

[John A. Gordon]

Regarding the actual question to this thread, there are many speakers used in cinemas, which includes: EV, EAW, Klipsch, JBL, Krix, Martin Audio, K.C.S., ..... you get the picture (no pun intended). Just as in home theater, there are many companies providing speakers for the pro-cinema field.
As to the comment that the movies are/were loud, complain to management have them turn it down just a tad (though not too much). The volume control in cinemas is probably the most abused knob in the industry. It takes quite a bit compared to a home theater to set levels to proper standards. Many theaters are not set to correct standards, though there are many theaters that are.
Dan, I too agree, "do tell."
Most cinemas today do have subs (yes, there are some that do not), and some do not have enough. There is a formula to determine the correct amount of power and speakers needed to reach the recommended SPL levels. Some auditoriums may only require a single 18" sub while others will need a double 18" box, and then some larger auditoriums will require 8, 10, or more 18" drivers just to reach the recommended levels. And it does not mean it is going to be loud. Remember, the typical cinema auditorium is much larger than a home theater room, much larger.
Other equipment in a cinema would include:
- Projector of course.
- Digital sound readers on the projector
Dolby Digital, DTS, and/or SDDS
- Cinema processor (the pre-amp if you will)
Dolby, Ultra Stereo, Panastereo, DTS, SDDS
- Booth monitor
to listen to playback from processor and/or amp.
the booth monitor does not effect the sound
in the auditorium.
- Crossover
for Bi-amp or Tri-amp
- Amplifiers
in a typical bi-amp cinema, you will usually find
six stereo amplifiers (L, C, R, LS, RS, and Sub).
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John Gordon
QSC Audio Products, Inc.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 957-7100
http://www.qscaudio.com

 

[Jason Merrick]

John-D wrote: Speaker wise (let's stick to the topic Pro-amp fans I've seen JBL, EV and Yamaha in theaters.[/quote]Topic: WHat kinda equipment in cinema's[/quote]Where do you see the word "SPEAKERS" in the topic???
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[Edited last by Jason Merrick on September 13, 2001 at 02:37 PM]

 

[Brian Corr]

http://www.thx.com/professional_prod...d_listing.html
Pretty good list of THX certified gear for use in cinema's.

 

[Frank Frandsen]

It seems most of the speakers listed here have horn loaded tweeters....Does that mean to mimic the theater sound I need horn loaded tweeters for my home?? I thought they were low rent.
Frank

 

[Jason Merrick]

Frank,
I may be mistaken, but I believe horn tweeters are pretty much a necessity for large venues... but I'm just an amateur, maybe our resident professional - Vince - will chime in on this one.
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[Jack Gilvey]

Just curious if anyone knows the type of equipment(speaker wise) in cinema's

 

[Kelly Payne]

I believe that horns are the tweeters of choice due to their wide dispersion (as well as the theory of their brightness being an advantage when projecting sound through the screen).
-Kelly

 

[Jeremy Hegna]

"....smack the piss snot "
That is FUNNY!!
Thanks for the giggle, I'll use that one, I'm sure.
Jeremy

 

[AaronNWilson]

WOW Imagine 10 18" subwoofers in a hometheater sized room, DROOOOOOOL

Aaron

 

[John A. Gordon]

You can say horns are a necessity. Remember, theaters are pretty large. The length of an auditorium can be 60, 75, 100+ feet long. Do you think the average two-way 8" woofer with a 1" dome tweeter will be able to produce proper levels at 100 feet, while shooting through a screen? Theaters should be able capable of reaching levels of 105dB, even if they are large. Reference levels are of course calibrated to 85dB, the 105dB level is the 20dB headroom required. Home speakers would fry in no time if used in a cinema. Also, pro cinema speakers HF drivers sensitivity hovers in the 110dB area, compared to the 89dB average for home speakers. Cinema speakers can play much louder.
Another thing to remember is that for every doubling of distance you lose 6dB. If your 8" two-way with 1" tweeter can do 95dB at 10 feet, imagine what you would get you at 75 feet?
Horns do not mean low rent. They are just different applications. I've heard large horn speakers that were calibrated to a very flat frequency response. I was about 25 feet from them in a large room (not a cinema) and you were hard pressed to tell your were listening to "horns."
As for horns being wide dispersion, they can be, but not in cinema. Horns are specific for screen channels and need to be. Common horns are 120 x 40 (120 degrees by 40 degrees), 90 x 40, and 60 x 40. Probably the most common horn in cinemas (for screen channels) is the 90 x 40.

 

[Frank Frandsen]

I had a pair of klipsch Forte II's prior to my Definitives. They sounded pretty good and were very efficient, however, I like my current speakers alot better. Thanks for clarifying that.
Frank