I have run the speaker cable and have the speakers ready to be installed in the foyer and dressing rooms. Mt question is what do I need to drive the speakers? I need to be able to talk to the foyer and dressing rooms separately. So does this mean I need a preamp with two outputs so I can switch between the two areas or would I need a powered amp?
Sort of depends on the system you are using. Perhaps a bit more detail ? Are you actually building a 'Talkback' system or is it merely a Paging system? Our theater uses a paging system for the dressing rooms. The paging system is tied into the Intercom and uses the paging capabilities included. I ran a 4 wire cable to the dressing rooms and the greenroom. 2 wires carry the audio signal from the headsetsystem the other 2 wires carry 24v DC to operate the small, on-board amps that each of the speakers have. I'm using Valcom V-1020C's tied to a Production Intercom MS-200. I inquired about installing a true talkback system but there were too many questions of "People listening to private conversations in the Dressing rooms".
As Van noted, we need to know more about the overall system concept and its envisioned purpose and use to offer much help. I am a bit concerned that if you have already procured and installed the speakers and cabling then those might determine what is practical for the rest of the system, basically the opposite approach of what would normally be applied with the cable being determined last based on the system concept, signal levels, cabling paths, etc. involved.
