Sound systems

[scotch&water]

Hi to the experts. I am currently the point man on a project involving a 60ft Tour Boat. There is a differing of opinions on how the sound syst. is powerd 12 volt or 110 AC .The syst. will have 12 to 16 speakers , with voice clarity the main object with an option of music as a back ground or for weddings and other options. My choice is 12 volt sice we have 2 Cummins with 12 volt alternators, yes we have a generator but it is not needed all the time,only for A/C and heat. With 12 volt the options in speakers and other part in marine grade is good and pricing not to bad. So any input I could get from the Group is appreciated and thank you all.

[DianneB]

The advantage of 115VAC is that a broader range of professional and semi-professional equipment is available for mains power. 12VDC seems much more limited and aimed at the domestic consumer though with the spread of digital technologies, the sound quality is much better than it used to be.

I would be inclined to go with a commercial amp, a reasonable CD player, a small mixer (all 115VAC) and a good mic. For more than 2 speakers you would, of course, go with a 70V distribution system and speakers with individual volume controls to balance the sound throughout the ship. That gives you a totally professional setup.

[scotch&water]

Thanks Dianne for the input , one problem I am finding is that the bidders on this job feel more comfortable with 12 volt over 110, but I have requested bids for both , so we will see,thanks

[Tim B]

As with most questions on this forum, there are at least 100 right answers! I can see the advantage of the 12 volt system, as there is a lot of automotive kit around (amps, cd players, etc.) which is actually not bad quality. You might look at running a 4 channel amp (or 2x2) and running three speakers in parallel, per channel. Assuming 8ohm impedance speakers, this runs at 2.6ohms for each speaker bank, which is well within the range of most amps.

For a mixer, however, you may be forced toward mains powered kit, but if you can keep the power-amps at 12 volts, then you could use an inverter to provide power solely to the mixer as you will not be drawing significant power.

Cheers,

Tim B.

[scotch&water]

Hi Tim I am looking at12 speakers for the forward section ,closed in with heat and A/C, 5 speakers aft, a bit exposed with 2 chanel mixer . Still a work in progres and open to ideas!