Speaker Set-Up Help

[Avaraelion]

Hey guys and gals, I have a situation that I need to solve and I need good info. I'm helping my friend start up a business on a budget and we need to provide background sound throughout a barn. Just several basic mono outdoor speakers would do wonderfully if they could be affordable.
Basically I need to know what to get and how to hook everything up to get things working. Speakers, wiring to speakers, do I need an amp? How to I wore the speakers to the amp... answers to these kinds of basic questions I would really appreciate!
Thanks!

 

[Ralston18]

Please be aware that some areas require licensed installers now - even for low voltage (less than 50 volts) installations. Including telephones, networking, home theaters/audio systems. Or at least some inspections thereof...

If licensing is required in any manner and you/your friend are not licensed then stop.

That said, what kind of business? Any specific services or products? Seems not.

In any case, it appears that you and your friend need to be ready for a steep learning curve.

There are all too many variables involved and starting at the ground level with zero knowledge and experience is not likely to end well for anyone.

However, many entrepreneurs have gotten started in much the same manner and at least survived if not succeeded....

Gimli: "Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?"
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

So the following is not an endorsement nor an approval of any sort. Just a simple answer to help you at least have some chance.....

You must document what the customer wants and is expecting. In detail with written specifications, requirements, drawings, equipment lists (make & models, standards). Take photographs, measure the barn, check power sources and outlets.

Start looking at speaker and amplifier products. Find the User Manuals/Guides and installation requirements.

Sketch out the barn and start planning the wire runs and connections.

Google "how to set up a speaker system for home". Or use other similar wording and phrasing. The more specific the better.

And look for amplifier and speaker information such as the following:

http/www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-3345185/match-speakers-amplifier.html

https/www.qacoustics.co.uk/blog/2017/08/14/beginners-guide-matching-speakers-amplifiers/

There are many sources of information to be found. Many are just disguised advertisements so be sure that the information is truly relevant to you and your customer's needs.

"Affordable" is not very helpful: what budget do you have? Either with respect to the contract in place (if any) and/or what the customer may be willing to spend.

End recommendation: Reconsider and bow out of the job. Do work that you know how to do.

[Edit for typo.]

 

[americanaudiophile]

I would suggest that for this commercial application a 70v distributed audio system would be best.
https/www.bogen.com/support/productcatalog/pdfs/SysDsgn.pdf
You can connect any music sources you want to the amplifier.

 

[Avaraelion]

Please be aware that some areas require licensed installers now - even for low voltage (less than 50 volts) installations. Including telephones, networking, home theaters/audio systems. Or at least some inspections thereof...

If licensing is required in any manner and you/your friend are not licensed then stop.

That said, what kind of business? Any specific services or products? Seems not.

In any case, it appears that you and your friend need to be ready for a steep learning curve.

There are all too many variables involved and starting at the ground level with zero knowledge and experience is not likely to end well for anyone.

However, many entrepreneurs have gotten started in much the same manner and at least survived if not succeeded....

Gimli: "Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?"
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

So the following is not an endorsement nor an approval of any sort. Just a simple answer to help you at least have some chance.....

You must document what the customer wants and is expecting. In detail with written specifications, requirements, drawings, equipment lists (make & models, standards). Take photographs, measure the barn, check power sources and outlets.

Start looking at speaker and amplifier products. Find the User Manuals/Guides and installation requirements.

Sketch out the barn and start planning the wire runs and connections.

Google "how to set up a speaker system for home". Or use other similar wording and phrasing. The more specific the better.

And look for amplifier and speaker information such as the following:

http/www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-3345185/match-speakers-amplifier.html

https/www.qacoustics.co.uk/blog/2017/08/14/beginners-guide-matching-speakers-amplifiers/

There are many sources of information to be found. Many are just disguised advertisements so be sure that the information is truly relevant to you and your customer's needs.

"Affordable" is not very helpful: what budget do you have? Either with respect to the contract in place (if any) and/or what the customer may be willing to spend.

End recommendation: Reconsider and bow out of the job. Do work that you know how to do.

[Edit for typo.]

First off, thank you so much for your response! It covered the general topics I assumed would be responded to. That said, I'm not completely inexperienced with audio equipment. I've worked with studio and stage audio set-up and application thereof; I just haven't done this specific type of job.

The barn I am installing the speakers in is very big. Probably 125' x 75' with a large loft, so I have plenty of room to work with. But, I also have plenty of space to hint in subtly sound. What I need are relatively small speakers I can mount above several doors in our barn in about 7 -9 location, the furthest being approximately 175' from where I plan to put the amplifier and either a mixing board I already have or directly to a media player.

That's all I really need. I was mainly posting to see people's response to my dilemma and what they would suggest for me to use for speakers, speaker wire, and what kind of amp to use. Our budget is whatever I can afford. I've been looking on craigslist and other local selling sites trying to get some equipment at more affordable pricing, but I haven't been completely sure on what I need exactly. Any help on this would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Ralston18]

Fair enough:

You still need a baseline plan to start from.

Draft a working plan as best you can with what seems best to you as you know the circumstances better than anyone else.

Diagrams, specifications, equipment lists, and so forth. The plan is only a first draft that you will need to refine as you learn more, figure things out, receive suggestions and comments.

No plan is perfect and the plan will evolve. And remember the quote: ""No plan survives contact with the enemy." (Helmuth von Moltke.)

The plan is your guide and checklist. You should be able to look at the plan and have confidence that, with your experience and knowledge, yes you can do the job. And hopefully even bigger or more complicated jobs in the future.

And the plan does not need to be some stuffy lengthy document. Just enough that someone looking over shoulder can say, for example, "Ahh, your layout requires 1,200 feet of wire. Your order is for only 1,000 feet" Or perhaps you did not include some fire code required components. Whatever.

I also always recommended going "idealistic". Nothing wrong with that per se. As long as you realize that circumstances, time, and budget will scale the plan back. But then again it may turn out that for just a little somewhere, a lot may be gained.

Not an acoustics person per se (full disclosure) but there are several such well-versed members within this forum. Will defer to any specific hardware recommendations to them.

Still list what you think is best for the customer's requirements. Need to start somewhere. And your selection may trigger a memory or suggestion from another poster.