In ceiling speaker help

[Suprnova04]

Hey guys:

I've been asked to convert half of a break-room at work into a presentation and training environment, with a mounted projector and drop-ceiling mounted speakers. I was thinking of something like these, but I'm not sure what all I need to power and connect them. I would like to run the wiring down the wall into a junction box so that I can connect an input device to them via RCA, but I don't know what all needs to happen in between. Can someone point me in the right direction??

Thanks!
-Kyle-

 

[Dalfo002]

those speakers require a 70v PA system amplifier, antique units are cheap on ebay. But i would personally go for normal 8ohm speakers and get something like the discontinued radio shack accurian amplifier (~20 dollars on ebay), these were intended for powerline audio, but can be 'modified' to use standard line-level inputs by simply swapping an internal cable. A PA amp would be more appropriate for a VERY large installation

 

[Suprnova04]

awesome, thanks for the suggestion. If possible, would you be able to link to something that would work with what you suggested so that I know what to look for?

Thanks!

 

[Suprnova04]

If I were to route sound through the mounted projector, would the scenario in this rough diagram be correct? Or... is it not possible to use the VGA video input and the RCA Audio input at the same time??

 

[Dalfo002]

Sorry for the delay, i was at a remote site without a workstation of my own today, let me look around and i'll get back to you.

 

[Dalfo002]

DRAT, i accidentally deleted my whole damned post... aahhhhh, here goes again.

your setup should work fine, but you may want to find a way to turn off the amp when not in use. When mounting speakers to roof panels you may want to back the panel with luan (and secure speaker to both) as the weight of the speaker can cause the panel to sag over time.

Unmodified accurian: ebay number 270907829417 ($30)
modified accurian: ebay number 180737214215 ($40)
(prices have gone up, but they occasionally pop up for less, the mod is VERY simple)

If you have some budget to burn, try searching crutchfield.com for "in-ceiling" they have excellent support and generally sell mid to high end equipment.

for inexpensive components try parts-express.com (though their site seems to be acting up right now)
CHEAP Part number: 310-2132 ("stereo" single speaker) ~30
cheap Part number: 310-2634 ("stereo" single speaker) ~40
moderate part number: 300-418 ~100 per pair
nicer part number: 303-484 ~65 each

EDIT: parts-express usually has some good prices on wire, might want to pick up some 16 to 20 gauge to wire everything up.

 

[Suprnova04]

Thanks so much for the help! I'll see what I can work up

Would a simple amplifier like this serve the same purpose? Can you think of a good way to be able to turn it off/on remotely?