Hello! I hope this is the correct place to post this since I’m asking for recommendations and advice on how to set up a speaker system outdoors.
I currently own an old home theater sound system that I cobbled together and I’ve run into some issues.
Here is what I have:
So here is where I need help: I DJ an annual outdoor private event and would like to upgrade my current sound system to prevent my receiver from overheating/shutting down when playing music at a higher volume. With my current setup, I’ve had to use a box fan to help keep my poor receiver from overheating. I would like to hook up 8 speakers total to my Pyle Speaker Selector so I can control the volume in the different zones. Background music at a moderate to high volume would be piped in for 16 – 17 hours a day, 4 days in a row and I’d need to be able to crank up the volume for dance music in the evenings. I would probably only need to use the powered subwoofer for the dance music as well.
I don’t want to invest in a PA system with just two large speakers because the event is set up like an immersive themed party in a forested area (near a home on private property). A few of the speakers would be strapped to trees and a few of the speakers would be hanging in event tents. I am wondering if I should invest in a whole new outdoor speaker system or a commercial system like the ones used in bars and restaurants?
I contacted PYLE customer support and they were stumped when I tried to explain my situation. The amp they recommended was their Wireless BT Home Theater Preamplifier PD3000BT Wireless BT Home Theater Preamplifier PD3000BT (which I found cheaper on Amazon!). If something like this would work with 8 speakers connected to my PYLE speaker selector, that would be great! But they could not give me any confirmation on if that would work or not. Having the microphone input on a preamplifier would be a bonus so I could make announcements at the event.
Things I’d need to also consider are:
- What is the correct gauge wire I should use for the speakers?
- Would the long distance between the speakers and the receiver affect the sound/impedance (there are several 20X20 and 10x20 tents on a large piece of land)?
- I do have access to electrical outlets on the property but I’m wondering if I’m using the correct extension cord to power everything? Would I need to be careful if I’m having to power a 3000W Preamp or something similar? I don’t want to overload a circuit.
- If I want to save money and only buy a new amp, can I get away with mixing my old 6 ohm speakers with 3 newer speakers?
- A bonus would be if I could play different music in different areas of the event site from the same amp – would I need to set up another receiver to do this so the music is coming from two different sources?
Whew! Apologies for the huge wall of text 😅. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated!
I currently own an old home theater sound system that I cobbled together and I’ve run into some issues.
Here is what I have:
- Five RCA surround sound speakers (6 ohm, 80 – 120W)
- Denon in command AVR-2312CI 7-channel amplifier 105 watts per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) 2 channels driven
- Pyle PSPVC4 Speaker Selector 4 channel high power stereo speaker selector – 100 watts per channel with speaker systems that have a minimum impedance of 8 ohms
- Polk Audio powered subwoofer
So here is where I need help: I DJ an annual outdoor private event and would like to upgrade my current sound system to prevent my receiver from overheating/shutting down when playing music at a higher volume. With my current setup, I’ve had to use a box fan to help keep my poor receiver from overheating. I would like to hook up 8 speakers total to my Pyle Speaker Selector so I can control the volume in the different zones. Background music at a moderate to high volume would be piped in for 16 – 17 hours a day, 4 days in a row and I’d need to be able to crank up the volume for dance music in the evenings. I would probably only need to use the powered subwoofer for the dance music as well.
I don’t want to invest in a PA system with just two large speakers because the event is set up like an immersive themed party in a forested area (near a home on private property). A few of the speakers would be strapped to trees and a few of the speakers would be hanging in event tents. I am wondering if I should invest in a whole new outdoor speaker system or a commercial system like the ones used in bars and restaurants?
I contacted PYLE customer support and they were stumped when I tried to explain my situation. The amp they recommended was their Wireless BT Home Theater Preamplifier PD3000BT Wireless BT Home Theater Preamplifier PD3000BT (which I found cheaper on Amazon!). If something like this would work with 8 speakers connected to my PYLE speaker selector, that would be great! But they could not give me any confirmation on if that would work or not. Having the microphone input on a preamplifier would be a bonus so I could make announcements at the event.
Things I’d need to also consider are:
- What is the correct gauge wire I should use for the speakers?
- Would the long distance between the speakers and the receiver affect the sound/impedance (there are several 20X20 and 10x20 tents on a large piece of land)?
- I do have access to electrical outlets on the property but I’m wondering if I’m using the correct extension cord to power everything? Would I need to be careful if I’m having to power a 3000W Preamp or something similar? I don’t want to overload a circuit.
- If I want to save money and only buy a new amp, can I get away with mixing my old 6 ohm speakers with 3 newer speakers?
- A bonus would be if I could play different music in different areas of the event site from the same amp – would I need to set up another receiver to do this so the music is coming from two different sources?
Whew! Apologies for the huge wall of text 😅. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated!