Count Bassy Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 For a few years now our village has runs a Soapbox Derby, and I get dragged in to help out with the sound. Being a fund raising thing we try to do it on the cheap, borrowing PA amps and speakers from all and sundry and cobbling them together with very long XLR leads between them. Generally take the feed into an amp via various adapters, then take an aux out of that amp (via various adapters again) to the next one down the hill and so on. Last year we had four amps, each driving two speakers, with getting on for 80 metres between them. This sort of works, but each year we end up with different amps, and getting them to work together with adequate volumes, and no hum is complicated and time consuming (it's all set up the morning of the event, and taken down again straight afterwards). SInce it looks like becoming a regular event I was thinking of ways to simplify this: What I was thinking was some sort of box that takes a balanced XLR signal in, and gives a buffered XLR out (to feed to the next such box) and a line output to feed to the amplifer (probably 10 metres away at most). Due to needing the line out and the number of boxes in the run I think they'd need to be active, though still isolated to avoid loop and noise problems. The total run would be around 400 meters. (Fortunately we have a contact at Radio Northamton and can borrow very long XLR leads for the event). PP3 Battery powered would not be a problem as it's only for a few hours. Any one got any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Usual way to do outdoor PA like this is 100v line transformers. You could probably hire a decent setup for the day and have something that does the job properly quite cheaply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keving Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 It sounds like you are looking for one of these [url="http://www.performanceaudio.com/item/rolls-da134-distribution-amplifier/32581/"]http://www.performanceaudio.com/item/rolls-da134-distribution-amplifier/32581/[/url] or these [url="https://www.studiospares.com/ProductDetail.aspx?p=359431"]https://www.studiospares.com/ProductDetail.aspx?p=359431[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 [quote name='keving' timestamp='1445585375' post='2892507'] It sounds like you are looking for one of these [url="http://www.performanceaudio.com/item/rolls-da134-distribution-amplifier/32581/"]http://www.performan...mplifier/32581/[/url] or these [url="https://www.studiospares.com/ProductDetail.aspx?p=359431"]https://www.studiosp...l.aspx?p=359431[/url] [/quote] Thanks for the idea, but those would have the distibution at the to of the hill, and cables of, sy, 20m, 100m, 150m, 230m etc running down the hill. I was hoping for some way of daisly chaining, like a multidrop network. - also the second one is somewhat expensive!. I guess I was thinking of some sort of reverse DI box. XLR in, line output (to the local amp) and buffered/boosted XLR Balanced output (to go to the next box) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1445439302' post='2891496'] Usual way to do outdoor PA like this is 100v line transformers. You could probably hire a decent setup for the day and have something that does the job properly quite cheaply. [/quote] Thanks. I'll make enquiries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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