First Post. Need a little advice

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paul oberman

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Jan 27, 2016
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This is my first post, so please be patient with me.


I am installing a sound system in my restaurant. There are 4 zones, which I have decided to supply with mono sound.


I am using a laptop as sound source, split into 2 xlr's. Those xlr's are routed into the back of my amp


The amp is a Behringer NU4-6000. It has gain controls on the front.


Each channel is driving two Definitive Technology AW6500. They are peak 200w 8ohm.


With the two speakers in parrallel, we are driving 4 ohm at a supplied 600 watts for each channel (give or take)


What I am not understanding is this: Do I have to run some sort of a preamp, with volume control for each zone? I am just googling my way through this, but I am having to set the gain at 75% to get top volume. That seems like the wrong way to do this.


Please advise if I need to drop in some sort of additional equipment to do this correctly.


Thanks.
 

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Re: First Post. Need a little advice

Welcome!

Two thoughts:

1) It's a 4 channel amplifier. Have you given thought to running one speaker per channel? Might help better adjust volumes for your zone coverage.

2) Typically, there would be some sort of preamplifier in the chain. If nothing else, to provide tone controls. If you're coming out of a laptop's headphone jack, you risk sending a distorted signal and I'm not sure if/how that matches up with your amp's input. Consider inserting an economical mixer. That would also give you a chance to plug in a microphone for paging.

Dave
 
Re: First Post. Need a little advice

paul oberman said:
This is my first post, so please be patient with me.


I am installing a sound system in my restaurant. There are 4 zones, which I have decided to supply with mono sound.


I am using a laptop as sound source, split into 2 xlr's. Those xlr's are routed into the back of my amp


The amp is a Behringer NU4-6000. It has gain controls on the front.


Each channel is driving two Definitive Technology AW6500. They are peak 200w 8ohm.


With the two speakers in parrallel, we are driving 4 ohm at a supplied 600 watts for each channel (give or take)


What I am not understanding is this: Do I have to run some sort of a preamp, with volume control for each zone? I am just googling my way through this, but I am having to set the gain at 75% to get top volume. That seems like the wrong way to do this.


Please advise if I need to drop in some sort of additional equipment to do this correctly.


Thanks.
Click to expand...

ok, First things first , The " Gain" controls that are on the front is not gain controls , They are sensitivity attenuators, What i think you are needing is a small mixer to go between your laptop and amp. You will have a better control over the volume. It doesnt have to be a big mixer like a 16 channel , they make a small 4 channel, That can do the job that i think you are needing to do. The setup would go like this.

Laptop>Mixer>Amp>Speakers
 
Re: First Post. Need a little advice

Hi, I'm also a first time poster, but a long time reader.

I'm curious about the mono sound part. How does the OP get what I presume is a stereo output combined into mono without a little mixer or the knowledge to make a passive combiner? Maybe my presumption is wrong and the computer can be configured to provide a mono output?

If it is a stereo output and a splitter cable, I think you would wind up with either one of these scenarios (depending on the splitter wiring).

1. Two unbalanced signals (L and R) that would be going separately to different zones with each missing some information from the other stereo signal.
2. L and R connected to pins 2 and 3 of a balanced input, which would remove any components of the signal common to both sides.

Don
 
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