Audio braintrust:
Ballroom, about 2500 sf, rectangular. High ceilings, wood floor, minimal draperies. Used for weddings and ballroom dances, bar mitzvahs, social gatherings, etc. For weddings typically half the room is tables and the other half for dancing. For dances the whole room is used.
I need to get a permanently installed sound system for the weddings. The wedding party renting the venue typically brings their music on a laptop or iPod, i.e. MP3 via a 3.5” audio jack, with Lightning or USB-C or micro-USB adapter dongle if needed. I guess it would be nice to accept a USB or HDMI input but it’s not necessary.
Max sound level desired is 85 dB. As in, we don’t want the system to be capable of going louder, no matter what the renter does or how much they turn up the volume on their laptop etc.
Do not want the system to be capable of producing heavy bass, no matter what the renter does.
The reason the desired SPL and bass are limited is because there are neighborhood noise restrictions we need to comply with, and I don’t want the manager getting in conflicts with some drunk guest who is trying to really crank up the sound.
Audiophile quality sound is not required. This is for wedding party music basically. Also background music.
Has to be idiot proof. The amp, controls, etc can be in a locked cabinet. At the start of the event, the manager unlocks the cabinet, turns the system on, then closes and locks the cabinet. The 3.5” cable would be accessible for the renter to use, but the renter would not be able to adjust the system’s volume or other controls.
Speakers will be mounted up high, out of the reach of renters. It would be nice to not have many speakers all over the place.
Budget is not large. Used gear fine. Plenty of change back from $1,000 would be nice.
What would you all suggest?
By the way, for simplicity I’m thinking of having the PA duties - for the speeches etc - handled by a separate PA system with a couple of wireless mics and some medium PA speakers. And if a group brings in a live band or DJ, they can bring in their own sound gear if this isn’t to their liking.
Here is the room (taped up for painting). This shows the end of the room that would typically be used for tables and dining.
This is the end of the room that is typically used for dances, and the stage where people would speak, live bands set up, etc. Sometimes ceremonies are on the stage.
