Do coffee shop background music speakers need to be delayed?

D

Daniel Postilnik

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Jan 14, 2011
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I may be doing a basic install job for a high end restaurant. It's one long room, about 30' wide by 80' long.

There are remnants of systems from earlier restaurants in the same space:
--In-ceiling speakers running the length of the room on side spaced every 6 feet or so
--10 holes in the wall with cables coming out where bracket mounted speakers used to be.

I don't know how everything is/was wired (home runs, 70v, etc.) but my question is more about theory.

Whatever the wiring, Will I need to include a processor in the new system to create different delay zones in the same room? If I had that many sound sources in a live setting everything would be delayed accordingly. Do restaurant systems usually have this kind of processing?

More generally, why do I never hear multiple sources when I'm in coffeeshops that don't have anything but 6 speakers around the room near the ceiling, wired on a multi-channel home theater receiver unit? Is it because it's usually not loud enough to matter? I've been to shitty sports bars with two tv sets on either end of the room and the echo effect is noticeable...
 
Re: Do coffee shop background music speakers need to be delayed?

Daniel Postilnik said:
I may be doing a basic install job for a high end restaurant. It's one long room, about 30' wide by 80' long.

There are remnants of systems from earlier restaurants in the same space:
--In-ceiling speakers running the length of the room on side spaced every 6 feet or so
--10 holes in the wall with cables coming out where bracket mounted speakers used to be.

I don't know how everything is/was wired (home runs, 70v, etc.) but my question is more about theory.

Whatever the wiring, Will I need to include a processor in the new system to create different delay zones in the same room? If I had that many sound sources in a live setting everything would be delayed accordingly. Do restaurant systems usually have this kind of processing?

More generally, why do I never hear multiple sources when I'm in coffeeshops that don't have anything but 6 speakers around the room near the ceiling, wired on a multi-channel home theater receiver unit? Is it because it's usually not loud enough to matter? I've been to shitty sports bars with two tv sets on either end of the room and the echo effect is noticeable...
Click to expand...

The thing you have to think about is "delay to where?". For example in your 2 TV set situation. If you go to TV A and delay its sound to the arrival of set B, then you have them now matched-right? NO. THey may be matched around location A, but now are way more off around set B.

It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish-is there something that is the focal point? If not, then don't worry about it.

You also have to condsider what is happpening to the seats that are located between the zones. It can get weird there if they are hearing different arrivals.

A down firing system is different than system that is all "going in one direction".

That being said-I have done some (I said some-not actual physical times) delay in performance systems in large rooms that have people quite a ways from the stage. It is all a matter of compromise.
 
I actually just did a fix on an audio install on a LAN center. No delay and there's a total of 6 wall mounted speakers. Covering a 40 by 60 room at about 80 db it goes from computer to amp to speaker only processing is a crossover for the subwoofer... good thong to mention is if its a fairly large room you will want to run mono.

Sent from my ADR6300
 
Re: Do coffee shop background music speakers need to be delayed?

I agree with Ivan, the purpose for delay would be to maintain directional cues and 'time alignment' relative to a particular physical source. It might be different if this was something like a banquet room that had a dais location but in your application it sounds like there is no such specific physical location or source for which delay would be applicable.
 
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