• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Could recommend speakers suitable for extra-large spaces?

haerinnn

Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2025
Messages
31
Likes
8
I have a very large plot of land in the countryside. I hope to build a private cinema from scratch, with a screen size of over 350 inches. The cinema is approximately 14 meters long and has a volume of around 700 cubic meters. I want to set up a surround sound system, and I have the following requirements for the cinema's audio:

1. The room will undergo professional acoustic design. The budget for audio equipment is not a concern, and we should strive to achieve the best possible results.
2. A very wide sound field.
3. Neutral, accurate, uncolored sound with large dynamics and high resolution.
4. The best surround sound effect.
5. A very high sound pressure level. I will be sitting about 7.5 meters away to watch movies, so the speakers should be able to reach reference - level volume at a distance of at least 7.5 meters while maintaining excellent sound quality.
6. The best bass effect, reaching infrasound frequencies.
7. Approximately 20 seats.8. Give priority to the sound quality at my seating position.

Are there any speakers recommended that meet these conditions?
 
Hi @haerinnn! Welcome to ASR.

I'd use professional cinema speakers: https://www.spinorama.org/?shape=cinema&page=1

For subs, take a look here:

Also, consider integrating BassEQ to restore infrasonic response to movie soundtracks:
 
User @CINERAMAX would probably know something about setups like this.


Off the shelf and off the top of my head, I don't know a lot of speakers that meet your SPL requirements other than maybe some Danleys or the Genelec 8381, or JBL M2, but for something like this you can probably go with soffit mounts, a double bass array, and so on, so if money is no object I think you can look beyond even those fairly formidable options.
 
I have a very large plot of land in the countryside. I hope to build a private cinema from scratch, with a screen size of over 350 inches. The cinema is approximately 14 meters long and has a volume of around 700 cubic meters. I want to set up a surround sound system, and I have the following requirements for the cinema's audio:

1. The room will undergo professional acoustic design. The budget for audio equipment is not a concern, and we should strive to achieve the best possible results.
2. A very wide sound field.
3. Neutral, accurate, uncolored sound with large dynamics and high resolution.
4. The best surround sound effect.
5. A very high sound pressure level. I will be sitting about 7.5 meters away to watch movies, so the speakers should be able to reach reference - level volume at a distance of at least 7.5 meters while maintaining excellent sound quality.
6. The best bass effect, reaching infrasound frequencies.
7. Approximately 20 seats.8. Give priority to the sound quality at my seating position.

Are there any speakers recommended that meet these conditions?
Without a budget, can't answer. I'd look at something like: https://www.jbl.com/floorstanding/DD67000RW-.html
 
Hi @haerinnn! Welcome to ASR.

I'd use professional cinema speakers: https://www.spinorama.org/?shape=cinema&page=1

For subs, take a look here:

Also, consider integrating BassEQ to restore infrasonic response to movie soundtracks:
Thank you for your explanation. After visiting this website, I found that the scores of these cinema speakers are generally low. I noticed that the speakers with the highest scores on this website exceed 7 points, but hardly any of the cinema speakers exceed 5 points. Does this mean that high sound pressure level and high sound quality cannot be achieved simultaneously?
 
Thank you for your explanation. After visiting this website, I found that the scores of these cinema speakers are generally low. I noticed that the speakers with the highest scores on this website exceed 7 points, but hardly any of the cinema speakers exceed 5 points. Does this mean that high sound pressure level and high sound quality cannot be achieved simultaneously?
Speaker I linked to will absolutely achieve that.
 
Without a budget, can't answer. I'd look at something like: https://www.jbl.com/floorstanding/DD67000RW-.html
My budget for LCR is no more than $200,000. However, if the best sound quality can be achieved with $100,000, I can also lower the budget. I have consulted some dealers and they gave me some advice. But I think maybe they are just promoting the products they sell. Maybe there are better options. So I want to ask for advice on professional forums.
 
No, but if you want both, it does cost more. :)

Also, to some extent the measurement process used to score these speakers is not ideal for cinema speakers, which are often meant to be installed in-wall.
Yes, the key point is how much it will cost to achieve the best sound quality. Building this cinema requires a large amount of money, so I hope to achieve the best possible sound quality. The JBL M2 you recommended is priced lower than I expected, and the 8381 is considerably more expensive than the M2. Is its sound quality that much better than that of the M2? If the M2 can do the job, that would be ideal. Although it is below my budget, it can save me a lot of money. Also, the Danley you mentioned seems to be a PA brand. Does it have any available surround - sound combinations?
 
Speaker I linked to will absolutely achieve that.
Is the sound quality of JBL DD6700 much better than that of JBL M2? I've heard before that JBL M2 is the JBL speaker with the best sound quality. Or is the improvement more in terms of appearance? If it's an improvement in sound quality, I'll put it on my list. The appearance doesn't matter because the speakers will be hidden behind the screen. I don't want to pay more for the appearance.
 
Was randomly checking these out the other day https://www.kaleidescape.com/systems/examples/ though no idea of their recommendation brands.
Though if I ever had the time, money and space, I probably would build an immersive system out of these https://www.genelec.com/home-theatres/8361a-8351b-7382a-immersive-system and maybe throw in a couple of these https://www.genelec.com/8381a

example case study https://www.genelec.com/-/reference/genelec-takes-the-leading-role-at-independent-finnish-cinema
 
Last edited:
My budget for LCR is no more than $200,000. However, if the best sound quality can be achieved with $100,000, I can also lower the budget. I have consulted some dealers and they gave me some advice. But I think maybe they are just promoting the products they sell. Maybe there are better options. So I want to ask for advice on professional forums.

The obvious choice is Meyer Sound Bluehorn. It will come with professional calibration.
1739666853957.png


Why? It’s what studios actually use. Director’s Guild of America swapped out their JBL Professional for Meyer Sound.




Can run Trinnov + Meyer Sound, since that’s what studios actually use…

 
Take a peak at JTR Speakers and Subwoofers.

 
Though if I ever had the time, money and space, I probably would build an immersive system out of these https://www.genelec.com/home-theatres/8361a-8351b-7382a-immersive-system and maybe throw in a couple of these https://www.genelec.com/8381a

example case study https://www.genelec.com/-/reference/genelec-takes-the-leading-role-at-independent-finnish-cinema
Thank you for your advice.Perhaps the 8381 is needed for LCR, and the 8361 can be used for surround sound.
 
The obvious choice is Meyer Sound Bluehorn. It will come with professional calibration.
View attachment 429005

Why? It’s what studios actually use. Director’s Guild of America swapped out their JBL Professional for Meyer Sound.




Can run Trinnov + Meyer Sound, since that’s what studios actually use…

Wow, this looks great.Do you think the sound quality of Bluehorn is better than that of 8381?
 
Based on everyone's suggestions, the preliminary list is as follows:
Genelec 8381, far field speakers
Meyer Sound Bluehorn
JBL M2,
JTR.

The first two are much more expensive, but still within my budget. I'm just not quite sure how much better they are than the others. My requirement is to achieve a reference - level volume ( > 105 dB) at a position of at least 7.5m while having the sound quality of top - notch hi - fi audio.As I sometimes use it to listen to surround sound music.
1739669464548.png
 
Back
Top Bottom