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Author Topic: Are speakers protruding out the back wall good practice? Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 04-18-2006 06:48 PM                     At some theatres (like the one I was at today), in order to save on square footage, the speaker boxes for the screen speakers go out the back wall. You can see the boxes in the back of the building. Since the back wall is only cut out where the speakers are, it sort of creates a baffle wall. My question is, is there any downside to installing screen speakers this way?  |  IP: Logged Richard May Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1057 From: Floral Park, NY USA Registered: Aug 2004 posted 04-18-2006 07:25 PM                     Try getting to them if you need to.  |  IP: Logged Mike Babb Master Film Handler Posts: 250 From: Norwich UK Registered: Jul 2002 posted 04-18-2006 07:43 PM                        I don't know about Florida but exposing speakers to the elements in Michigan is probably a mistake. Plus, to replace a driver or something do you have to take down the screen?  |  IP: Logged Floyd Justin Newton Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 559 From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA Registered: Jun 2002 posted 04-18-2006 07:50 PM                     If the speaker enclosers themselves are stuck through the wall with no protection from the elements.... I'd say NO. Why treat an investment in equipment with such insanity?  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 04-18-2006 08:05 PM                     In Florida it was a common thing with many U.A. and some Cobb houses. Usually it was a weather resistant metal or similar enclosure. We always had to loosen the screen to do repairs  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-18-2006 09:01 PM                     Can be very beneficial if done right. Concrete forms the best baffle wall there is but it has to be treated correctly. Mark  |  IP: Logged Eric Robinson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 538 From: Santa Rosa, CA Registered: Jan 2005 posted 04-18-2006 10:57 PM                     OK I agree that there may be some type of benefit; however, I protest the whole concept, especially if accesing or servicing the speakers requires manipulation of the screen or anything more. Getting access to some speakers is sometimes more than difficult, but get serious...if you completely blockade access to the speaker, how can you expect anyone to have the the motiviation to perform a quality assesment of your sound problem? We all know that techs are limited to small amounts of time with expectations of high yeild results. How could any technician decide that they would like to sink a significant amount of their time into trying to gain access to a speaker? This just makes me irritated!  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 04-18-2006 11:37 PM                     quote: I protest the whole concept, especially if accessing or servicing the speakers requires manipulation of the screen or anything more. NOW...when was the last time that ANY speaker had to be accessed, or serviced - outside of the speakers getting stolen out of the bins, and who is gonna remove the screen from the frame to steal speakers in the first place? Plus, if a speaker driver does blow, you take the speaker out of the bin from the front, thus there is really no need to swing the bin around. Also, if the HF driver acts up, I'm sure that the task of sliding that bin out of that enclosure isn't all that tough to get to the HF driver (which are also rare cases of going out..unless some freaking idiot upstairs on the amp rack decides to set the dips on the processor to full bandwidth instead of biamp, where all of the frequencies are sent to both HF and LF speakers via the amplifiers..then the HF diaphram loves to be destroyed..) One doesn't have to COMPLETELY remove a screen to access speakers, even if they are on a platform. It's not that hard to rehang, and restring/respring any screens..(if you know how to do it right, and if you don't, better holler at a tech to do such of a task). Sorry, that's a bit of a good one. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Eric Robinson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 538 From: Santa Rosa, CA Registered: Jan 2005 posted 04-18-2006 11:46 PM                     quote: Monte L Fullmer NOW...when was the last time that ANY speaker had to be accessed, or serviced - outside of the speakers getting stolen out of the bins It may be that I must be in a unique situation or perhaps the victim of a poor install because I service one theatre which has blockaded access to their speakers through many creative methods and unfortunately many of the low frequency drivers have blown in addition to other speakers which have simply fallen forward or backwards for some reason. I can certainly gain access when I need to, but I sure can not guess what the developers were thinking of when it comes to speaker maintenance.  |  IP: Logged Louis Bornwasser Film God Posts: 4441 From: prospect ky usa Registered: Mar 2005 posted 04-19-2006 03:46 PM                        Monte: EV speakers: the glue fails after 4-7 years. Altec (A7): the diaphragms are failure prone when cold JBL seem not to care "Waterbed" speakers will freeze All of these problems are made much worse when not kept in normal room temperature and normal humidity. Couple this with loose wires and mice and you will note that speakers do require access. (I am in Louisville, Ky and NOT in the frozen North.) Louis  |  IP: Logged

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