gymnasium speakers..please help ID

[dannymusic]

they look like balls/spheres. I was asked about them during a BB game and I couldn't come up with anything. They sound like crap though, and Im pretty sure they are fairly old. I'm assuming they weren't matched up with the right poweramp or...

any ideas what they are. I know, I should've taken a photo. They look like white globes and they are mounted on the ceiling.

thanks

 

[Jay Ashworth]

They are probably SoundSpheres, theybare generally 70v, and once you replace the blown drivers, they generally sound really nice; I covered a 185 seat call center with about 5 of them.

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[dannymusic]

Eureka! that's them. thanks a bunch, I will help them get their sound right.

u da man jay

 

[Jay Ashworth]

I got replacement drivers, I think, from Parts Express.

Sent from my SPH-L720

 

[museav]

Yep, sound like Soundspheres (Soundsphere Soundsphere | The Best Sound Around™) . I have replaced a number of old Soundsphere systems in gymnasiums over the years and never with another Soundsphere system.

I have had multiple discussions with Soundsphere over the years regarding some of their claims related to coverage and intelligibility as well as on some specifically questionable product data and have never received acceptable responses.

 

[len]

First time I saw one I wondered why there was a Weber grill hanging from the ceiling.

 

[microstar]

Just a second to Jay's experience with Soundsphere's. Installed several Q12's and Q110's powered by QSC amps in a very large county livestock barn/arena almost 15 years ago and they've survived every imaginable scenario and still sound good. They can be low impedance or 70v with the optional transformer.

 

[museav]

Just a second to Jay's experience with Soundsphere's. Installed several Q12's and Q110's powered by QSC amps in a very large county livestock barn/arena almost 15 years ago and they've survived every imaginable scenario and still sound good. They can be low impedance or 70v with the optional transformer.

I coincidentally designed systems for the multiple venues in a state Agricenter around the same time. Those systems used traditional boxes as well as large format paging and sound reinforcement type horns and drivers, the the Owner was very happy with the results and the systems are apparently still in use. What made them even happier was that they managed to get those systems and our consulting services combined for less than had been bid for the original Contractor prepared design that the Owner thought was inadequate for their needs. Just goes to show how there is often more than one possible 'correct' solution to similar situations.

I do wish someone could explain how you get good intelligbility from using low Q or less directional sources in reverberant spaces. That goes directly against conventional wisdom, yet it appears to be what Soundsphere claims to be able to achieve with their products. After multiple requests to Soundsphere for an explanation or supporting data I have been unable to obtain such information, so if anyone knows where to find that information or has an explanation to offer, I would appreciate knowing about it.