Keys To A Proper Sound System
This could be a book in itself, so briefly :
- Good electrical supply. A separate circuit(s) is recommended. A
sub-panel with an isolated ground is even better. You want to deliver
clean and stable voltage to the equipment. Be careful about sharing
neutrals with the rest of the building. Use a licensed electrician. Arthur Klem has an excellent
website.
- Fat Loudspeaker Wire. We started with 12 gauge wire, when 10
gauge became available about 15 years ago, we switched to only using
that for all loudspeakers. Hook up a stereo playback system with one
channel 14 gauge and one channel 10 gauge and you'll hear quite a
difference. The 10 gauge we use has over one hundred strands per
conducter. Do not use solid core.
-Amplifiers. Use amps that have a 2 ohm rating and double or triple the
power rating of the loudspeaker. Use
one amp channel per loudspeaker. We want the sound system to
just be "coasting" along and never stressed.
- Use a equipment rack. Even if it's just a small system, put a rack
in, don't stack the pieces on a shelf.
- XLR's. Use balanced, low impedence XLR connections wherever possible.
Use a converter like this
if you need to have RCA jacks.