Are Sony SRSD211 PC speakers OK for presenting in 175-seater hall?

[Josephine]

I have to make a presentation in a medium sized hall (175 seats), which does not have an integral sound system. The presentation will include clips from films and documentaries with varying sound qualities: some of the films are quite old and the commentary consequently fainter than on the modern product. I have a set of Sony SRSD211 speakers which I use with my PC, and they are fine for general purposes. However, I'm wondering if a lot of sound will be lost in the hall with its higher ceiling and larger dimensions overall. Might I need something with more volume capacity? Has anyone used these speakers in a similar situation? Would be grateful for any advice. Thanks.

[Nelson37]

Stop wondering, absolutely positively a lot of sound will be lost, also, 175 people make a lot of noise just being quiet. I would be very surprised if any set of speakers designed for PC use would be sufficient for this purpose.

Not familiar with those particular speakers, but you need something that will make your ears hurt in a standard-sized room.

Can you take your rig to the hall and test?

[Josephine]

Thank you Nelson37 for your thoughts. I have already asked for a test run with the speakers at the hall, but it will have to be when the hall is empty and will therefore not be under presentation conditions. As you say, with a 'full house', I'll lose a lot of sound anyway. I'm currently seeing if I can rent or borrow more powerful PC speakers + amp.

Appreciate your taking the time to reply.

[Nelson37]

Do you have a decent home stereo amp with good speakers you could use? PC speaker sets are just not designed for this type of use. All you have to do is keep them a few feet away from the monitor and hard drive.

All you need is a mini-RCA to stereo adapter (or digital-out on the PC, assuming the amp has digital-in).

For your test, hit play and go to the back of the hall, while you have somebody bang some chairs around for noise.

[Josephine]

Yes, I do have a stereo amp and speakers. Think I'll have to get stereo adapter as you suggest. I'll give it a try. Many thanks for great suggestions.

[jimpny22]

I think you are trying to do this on the cheap (nothing wrong in that, but it may be a false economy)
Others have alread said PC speakers are unsuitable - and modern HiFi are pretty rubbish IMHO, but worth a try,
However, they are not designed to run at full volume continuous - you shouldn't need stereo if you can get a fairly large guitar amplifier/speaker that may do. But halls will soak up whatever you have, in domestic terms.
One aspect you may need to consider is the weight of all this kit - you'll need some muscle to shift big speakers and putting up a Video-screen is almost a 4-man job.
A prior-visit to the hall may help- and might be worth checking what they do for audio? For example, there may be a local audio expert who has links with the Hall...

Another worry that no-one has pick on is the video projector - is that your plan . . . ? You will need to be sure to blackout the windows (and doors). Take it with you and check the projection distance and screen brightness. Few digital projectors will be suitable in a Hall due to limited output. You may also need a mixer, to balance the Audio and a microphone (ideally waer a wireless one on a clip) - these aren't cheap. However, if you are static then a wired-mic will be MUCH cheaper - just keep away from the speakers to avoid howl-around.
You probably knew that.

Is this a 1-off presentation, I wonder?

Finally, i hope you've cleared Copyright - a very difficult area if you don't do it "before" the event.

It might be worth trying to film your Presentation; so you can assess the Audience reaction . . something like a web-cam "might do" but light-=levels may prevent it, and you'll need to rig a mic in the middle somewhere (vase of flowers?)
Good Luck.

[Josephine]

Thank you jimpny22 for your thoughts.

Yesterday I spoke to someone who has done a presentation on music at this hall, and he says that his ‘boomblaster’ was fine for sound. That’s a relief, because as you probably know a ‘BB’ is in fact just CD player, albeit a powerful one.

The guitar amp is an inspired idea!



For your info, I'll be running the clips through a multi media projector via a laptop (so aspect ratio/brightness can be ajusted)and there is a wall screen installed at the hall. There will be staff on hand on the day to help with the equipment.



The copyright question is fine, by the way. The institution I’m being employed by has an agreement in place.


Many thanks!