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Recommend speakers for a restaurant sound system

My company is opening a restaurant this summer. We want to install a great system that will be rugged enough to stand up to daily use but still deliver a great sound.

The space is 3600 square feet and the ceiling height is 20+ feet. We will be installing a spray on soundproofing system for the ceiling to reduce sound reflection.

I have been underwhelmed by the commercial systems that are sold for commercial applications. Can anyone suggest speaker systems and amplifiers that would deliver great sound?

The systems I have listened to are: (1) too bright, (2) too muddy with a significant loss of detail and (3) total lack of dynamic range.

We don't have an unlimited budget, maybe $5k to $7k for an amp and three sets of speakers.
jkeniley
mechans
3,048 posts
 
I love JBL but couldn't imagine a speaker less suited to relaxed dinner conversation than the shriek of an Aeon. I really do like JBL. If you contract with them they will put in a beautiful theater type rig. Klipsh is also too distracting. Get something with some warmth but not blurr. Avoid pro with a few costly exceptions.
palasr
527 posts
 
Agreed about the JBL Aeon series - blech. I've heard several rooms with architectural speaker products from both Genelec (the AIC25 and AIW 25/26 - both are active and bypass amplification requirements) and EAW whose SMS surface mount speakers are quite nice. Both are highly regarded professional monitoring/loudspeaker companies and make fine products for commercial applications. Try to avoid home or "prosumer" products in a commercial environment - buy products designed for the job they are supposed to do.

-Richard
martykl
3,578 posts
 
There's a local business that combines -odd as it seems- a high end audio dealership with a Yoga studio. He sells Vandys and has model 1s (if I recall correctly) suspended from the ceiling of his Yoga studio. It's always sounded nice (and suitably relaxing for Yoga - or dinner) when I've passed thru.

Marty
khaki8
206 posts
 
speakers are not nearly as important as the amp. Speakers need to be evenly spaced throughout. You need something like a Sonance 12 channel amp so there is a separate amp for each pair of speakers...this makes a huge difference!
I've done several installations like this with inwalls and the sound has been great.
cleaneduphippy
323 posts
 
I love how people start threads "askimg specific questions" but yet never seem to drop back by after asking the orginal question. IMHO it's somewhat rude. Seriously how hard is stop back by and thank people for their input, and maybe even elaborate more on the question asked. It really is a "two-way street" and truth is we all get to learn something that we might have never known and that's a good thing.
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