Sound System Articles | Queen Security Systems

Guides about sound systems: choosing, installing and using them for homes and businesses.

Sound systems: matching speakers, amplifier and space

A sound system fails in one of two ways: it is too quiet at the far end, or it is painfully loud near the speaker. Both come from the same cause — speakers and amplifier chosen without reference to the shape of the space.

100V line or low impedance?

This is the first decision and it decides everything after it. A 100V line system lets you connect many speakers on one pair of wires over long distances with little loss, and set the volume of each speaker individually with a tap setting. It is the standard for mosques, schools, factories, hospitals and any building with many zones. Low impedance (the familiar 4/8-ohm arrangement) delivers higher fidelity over short runs and suits restaurants, cafés and halls where music quality matters more than distance.

Speaker types

• Ceiling speakers: even coverage in offices, corridors, showrooms and clinics — one every few metres rather than a few loud ones.
• Horn speakers: high output and long throw for yards, factories, car parks and outdoor areas.
• Column speakers: narrow vertical dispersion that reduces echo, which is why they suit mosques and halls with hard reflective surfaces.
• Wall and box speakers: for restaurants and shops where music is the main use.

Sizing the amplifier

Add the wattage of every speaker, then choose an amplifier with meaningful headroom above that total. An amplifier run permanently at its limit distorts and overheats, and it is the most common reason a system that sounded fine in week one sounds harsh in month six. Headroom is not waste; it is service life.

Zones and paging

In any building of size you will want to address one area without the others: a paging call to a factory floor should not blare into the meeting rooms. That needs a zone selector and a paging microphone with priority, so an announcement automatically ducks the background music.

Feedback and echo

Feedback happens when a microphone hears its own speaker. It is solved by placement and by keeping speakers ahead of the microphone line, not by turning the gain down until nobody can hear. In halls with glass, marble and bare concrete, reflection is the real enemy — directional speakers and some soft surfaces do more than extra wattage ever will.

Emergency use

In many premises the sound system doubles as the evacuation announcement system, linked to the fire alarm. If that applies to you, it changes the specification: the system needs battery backup and priority override, and it must be planned with the fire system rather than bolted on afterwards.

What this section covers

The articles here explain speaker and amplifier types, prices by area, distribution and installation, and how to specify a system for a mosque, school, factory or restaurant.