Select the Right Audio Components to Best Meet Your Business Needs

Note: This blog was originally published June 2021 and has been updated in August 2024 with new information. 

Every business or institution in Tampa, FL, needs a high-quality sound system for playing music, making announcements, or amplifying voices in a large room. But choosing the right solution can be challenging if you’re not sure what to look for.

Sound systems include components like speakers, amplifiers, cables, microphones, mixers, volume controls, and more. To design the right solution for your audio needs, you’ll need to think about your commercial environment and how you plan to use your system.

While it’s best to leave the details to a professional audio installer like AV Specialists, we hope this blog serves as a brief guide to helping you decide what you’ll need for your commercial sound system, whether it’s for a restaurant, office, house of worship, or gym.

SEE ALSO: Can Your Building Benefit from Acoustic Treatment?

Restaurant Sound System

Whether you run a sports bar or high-end eatery, you should use a restaurant sound system to set the tone of your establishment and keep customers engaged. Music plays a key role in the restaurant industry by entertaining guests and influencing how they dine and spend money with you.

Consider a system that features wide-coverage in-ceiling or wall-mount speakers that blend with your environment and multi-zone control to easily adjust volume and music selection in different areas. For patios, you’ll need outdoor-rated speakers and cables from durable bands like Coastal Source and an amplifier that can supply enough power.

Challenges to beware in restaurants are reflections and echoes caused by hard surfaces and room design. You don’t want music and conversations to overpower the space, making it impossible for guests to hear each other speak. Acoustic treatments on walls and ceilings can help balance sound to create a comfortable dining environment. 

Office Sound System

Office sound systems can help keep workers focused by distributing soft, ambient music from the lobby to the lounge to the cubicles. Beyond setting the mood with music, office sound systems can also feature sound masking to keep conversations private and ensure no one overhears sensitive discussions in a nearby meeting room. 

Consider a system that features full-range in-ceiling speakers and support for wireless music streaming, multi-zone control, sound masking, and paging if needed.

House of Worship Sound System

House of worship sound systems are typically used to amplify music and testimony clearly throughout the sanctuary, but you may also want to distribute sanctuary audio to other locations, like the lobbies, offices, classrooms, and nurseries.

Sanctuary and distributed sound systems will require different components as they serve different purposes. For the sanctuary, you’ll need microphones, audio mixers, front-of-house speakers, amplifiers, and monitors—to name a few essential components. Your distributed sound system should include in-ceiling or wall-mount speakers, an amplifier, and individual volume control capability for each area.

Gym Sound System

A quality gym sound system provides plenty of juice to fill the exercise floor with upbeat tunes. Your speakers and amplifier should be able to handle the power needed to crank up the volume across a wide, open space. 

Look for speakers with large woofers for excellent bass response. You may also need weather-resistant speakers if your gym has a swimming pool or hot yoga studio. Consider a media player that supports radio, CDs, and wireless streaming, and be sure to have wireless headsets for your training instructors.

Ready to Install or Upgrade Your Commercial Sound System? 

Let AV Specialists sweat the details for you. We can recommend the perfect sound system solutions based on your commercial environment, audio needs, and budget. We’ll also design and install everything for you and show you how to get the most out of your system. 

Get started by contacting us here or sending us a message in the chat box below!