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Connecting powered speakers to a mixer

julien06950 Posted messages 1 Status Member -  
SurfAdCom Posted messages 4214 Status Member -
Hello, I would like to create a very powerful outdoor sound system. I have some knowledge about amplifiers and passive speakers since I own some (yes, I used to mix before :p). So with, for example, 6 large powered speakers and a 6-channel mixing console (or more, but I'm just using this as an example), can they be connected directly to it without anything else? If so, would it be through the line outputs? Thank you :)

1 answer

  1.
    SurfAdCom Posted messages 4214 Status Member 1 843
     
    Hi julien06950, each powered speaker has its own amplifier inside, that's basically the only difference with the amp/speakers system.

    Where the system is more flexible is that powered speakers with OUT output can be daisy-chained. You use the line outputs from the mixer and connect the speakers in series (from the Line Out of one speaker to the Line In of the next). In your example, 3 for the left channel and 3 for the right.
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    1. Char Snipeur Posted messages 10112 Registration date   Status Contributor Last intervention   1 331
       
      With the length of the cable, we must lose some signal at the end of the chain, right?
      Any idea of the maximum length?
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    2. SurfAdCom Posted messages 4214 Status Member 1 843
       
      I don't know if the signal is re-amplified to line level at each speaker output to act like a repeater, but apparently there is no loss with mine (BST WP 380A) with 4 speakers and good 10 m XLR cables (i.e., 20m on each channel).

      I really have no idea what the maximum length you can achieve is, 100m? For a sound system, what purpose would such a distance between the left and right channels serve? Generally, it covers the edges of the stage and that's sufficient.
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