They have good advice even though they can't see where I am at or experienced the space. (Or know what I can
purchase in Canada for that matter.) After explaining the problem, much like I have done here, these are some of the systems that it was recommended I look at.
As I noted, RoomMatch, Varia and Vertec are multiple box
speaker systems, they really require some design effort in order to determine what would be required or appropriate. Which leads to...
It was also recommended I get an audio consultant. I did not win that battle. (However, the school did agree to get me a
theatre consultant for a major renovation to the
stage in 2015.) I would wait if I could, but I can't.
Whether it is a consultant or a design/
build contractor, at some
point you will be paying someone to design the
system (assuming any actual design is performed). The difference in the potential benefits between those two parties often depends on how well you feel you can define what you want and then assess the systems proposed and subsequently installed.
We are looking for an overall solution, not just a new set of loudspeakers. The money needs to
cover products (speakers, amp,
processor etc) and installation, however, installation will be easier than most I think. We are looking for a stereo
system, there are existing
power and cabling pathways (lots of them actually). There is plenty of space to hang things. It is an open
flat wood floor. There are bleachers at the one end, however they are small and low
profile.
I agree that $30k is likely to be a very tight budget. Design, installation,
system tuning, equipment racks, cable, microphones, stands, DI boxes, plates and hardware, bid/performance bonds and all the other ancillary items and costs that are likely to be involved could easily represent a significant portion of that budget, especially if you are looking at flying multiple arrays. Add to that a
mixer,
system processing and amps and realistically, I think the
speaker systems noted are likely outside your budget.
As it may also impact the budget, an actual stereo
system can often be difficult to achieve in a
gymnatorium space as both arrays have to fully
cover all of the listeners and unless your uses include a lot of live music performances I am not sure how much you may actually benefit from stereo. However, and perhaps most important, a stereo
system with two physically separated sources reproducing the same sound in a live space would almost certainly work against you in regard to intelligibility for spoken word. So in terms of improving intelligibility and working within the budget defined you might want to consider if a
mono system might be more appropriate.
This is also an example of where you may run into differences between consultants and contractors and quite possibly even between contractors. If you tell a design/
build contractor that you want a stereo
system many will simply proceed on that basis without any further discussion as they are giving you what you requested and avoiding investing any additional time or effort. However, some contractors and most consultants would want to verify whether a stereo
system is the best approach for the application before proceeding in that direction. The more comfortable you are that what you will ask for truly represents and accurately defines what you want in terms of the final product and results, the less of a potential factor this becomes.
It is a gym with a
stage tucked into a wall on the side. The
stage closes off with a partition wall. Which products do you think will present a challenge in a typical gymnasium space?
I'm thinking things like clearance for motorized backboards, not interfering with lighting/
HVAC/sprinklers, being targets for basketballs and volleyballs and so on. Several of the products noted are '
line array' type products that would represent a physically larger vertical
speaker array and those would seem likely to present greater challenges if some of these issues are relevant.
A
bit detailed but also on the gymnasium aspect, may other uses of the space affect the installation of the
system? If the installer has to work outside normal business hours, has to have the space ready for use each morning, has to move all their tools and equipment off site every day,
etc. can definitely affect the cost. Imagine what something like setting up scaffolding to hang one
array then possibly having to take the scaffolding back down, move it off site and go through it all again the next day to hang the other
array does to the cost. Just something to think about in terms of budget and scheduling.
As to the treatments they consist of acoustical panels that surround most of the space. They are attached to the wall about 20 feet up. Each panel is about 3 x 2 1/2 feet. They do help with sound in the gym at a conversational
level.
Given the location and type of treatments described someone likely either simply tried to create the impression of having done something to help, thought that anything would help or at best looked the
effect on overall reverberation time. They probably did not look at the space having proper
acoustics for the
auditorium use or at the direct
effect of the treatments installed on any audio
system or the associated listeners.