Watts needed for show

Derf

am now a 5v hypocrite
Joined
Dec 1, 2016
Messages
251
Location
Narellan Vale, NSW
Hi everyone.
I'm new around here. Greetings to all.
I was thinking of incorporating sound into my Christmas show.
And I have an important question. For a typical show, in a garden (like https://auschristmaslighting.com/videos/all-i-want-for-christmas.1115/ or similar), what is the power, in watts, of the sound amplifier that I need? (more or less) so that it sounds long enough.
Thanks
Hi Manuel,

The audio you hear in the video is edited in. Audience do not hear it like the video. Also the more people you have the quieter it becomes due to the sound absorbing.

You will find that a small amplifier is okay with some 100w speakers if you want to listen to the show.

Alternatively you can do a FM broadcast and use a radio to listen.

Something like this is a good start and is plenty loud I use it in my display.
(All amplifiers will say 200w, 3500w. Its all a Lie and is just ebay marketing). These amplifiers run at 12V/2A or about 20watts.

Here is a video of my display with that amplifier on about half. It is hard to give you an idea without physically being there
 

Notenoughlights

400,000+ twinkly lights
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Oct 16, 2016
Messages
641
Location
Christchurch, New Zealand
If you have any neighbours close by, check with them first if they'll mind music being played at levels they'll probably hear every evening on repeat.
I use a small bluetooth speaker that has an AUX in feature, plenty loud enough as it's directed towards people on my driveway, they absorb the sound enough to stop it annoying the next door neighbours.
 

bpratt

Senior elf
Joined
Mar 31, 2019
Messages
562
Location
Jimboomba, Queensland
I'm looking at getting a old car fm stereo radio and some cheapo outdoor 'rock' speakers, set to a reasonable level (if they want more, bring their car down and listen to it inside their car).

I'm looking at setting up a push to hear button, that'll let it play for about 3 minutes at a push, that way it'll be mostly off every night, as just the occasional person who wants to walk up and listen.
 

Manuel

New elf
Joined
Feb 24, 2021
Messages
13
If you have any neighbours close by, check with them first if they'll mind music being played at levels they'll probably hear every evening on repeat.
I use a small bluetooth speaker that has an AUX in feature, plenty loud enough as it's directed towards people on my driveway, they absorb the sound enough to stop it annoying the next door neighbours.
Thanks. How many watts?
 

Manuel

New elf
Joined
Feb 24, 2021
Messages
13
Hi Manuel,

The audio you hear in the video is edited in. Audience do not hear it like the video. Also the more people you have the quieter it becomes due to the sound absorbing.

You will find that a small amplifier is okay with some 100w speakers if you want to listen to the show.

Alternatively you can do a FM broadcast and use a radio to listen.

Something like this is a good start and is plenty loud I use it in my display.
(All amplifiers will say 200w, 3500w. Its all a Lie and is just ebay marketing). These amplifiers run at 12V/2A or about 20watts.

Here is a video of my display with that amplifier on about half. It is hard to give you an idea without physically being there
I love bubbles :) in your show.
Do you have everything programmed (do you use DMX512?) Or do your lights go to the rhythm of the music automatically?
Thanks for your answer.
 

Derf

am now a 5v hypocrite
Joined
Dec 1, 2016
Messages
251
Location
Narellan Vale, NSW
I love bubbles :) in your show.
Do you have everything programmed (do you use DMX512?) Or do your lights go to the rhythm of the music automatically?
Thanks for your answer.
Everything is programmed with Xlights / Falcon Controllers using Streaming ACN (E1.31) which is a similar to DMX512.
 

Manuel

New elf
Joined
Feb 24, 2021
Messages
13
Thanks for your answer. Love it.
I use DMX512 and E1.31 (not with Falcon).
I have a question. When you already have all your lights, all your elements, your decoders, etc. and you have programmed your show with xlights .. every day you open the pc and "launch" the programming or record all the programming on a sd card (or similar) and from there you "launch" the show?
If it is with a card, what do you use?
Thanks
 

Croydon Lights

Apprentice elf
Generous elf
Joined
Jan 6, 2018
Messages
98
I'm looking at getting a old car fm stereo radio and some cheapo outdoor 'rock' speakers, set to a reasonable level (if they want more, bring their car down and listen to it inside their car).

I'm looking at setting up a push to hear button, that'll let it play for about 3 minutes at a push, that way it'll be mostly off every night, as just the occasional person who wants to walk up and listen.
How did the car radio idea go as I am think of doing the same idea as I have 12 volts in the area I am thinking of putting a push button box with speaker and car radio inbuilt and don't want to run a audio cable from my PI as it is about 10m away
I am going to have a timer on the button which will cut the speakers off from the radio and just leave the radio on
 

bpratt

Senior elf
Joined
Mar 31, 2019
Messages
562
Location
Jimboomba, Queensland
I actually never got around to doing it. Had mum go in to hospital and daily visits (110km return trip) pretty much prevented me from hunting down a cheap radio, let alone setting things up. I also never got around to making a weather resistant box for my second 'indoor' moving head to leave outside for the season.

I intend on hunting down a FM car radio fairly soon, to start on this particular project again.

I have heard some mention the typical meanwell psu generates a bit of RF noise on the FM radio, so I'll find a way with rf chokes on the power cables to the radio to fix that up.
 

Notenoughlights

400,000+ twinkly lights
Joined
Oct 16, 2016
Messages
641
Location
Christchurch, New Zealand
How did the car radio idea go as I am think of doing the same idea as I have 12 volts in the area I am thinking of putting a push button box with speaker and car radio inbuilt and don't want to run a audio cable from my PI as it is about 10m away
I am going to have a timer on the button which will cut the speakers off from the radio and just leave the radio on

I've had success with a 25m audio cable from my Pi to my speakers out the front, no issues at all so far.
I actually never got around to doing it. Had mum go in to hospital and daily visits (110km return trip) pretty much prevented me from hunting down a cheap radio, let alone setting things up. I also never got around to making a weather resistant box for my second 'indoor' moving head to leave outside for the season.

I intend on hunting down a FM car radio fairly soon, to start on this particular project again.

I have heard some mention the typical meanwell psu generates a bit of RF noise on the FM radio, so I'll find a way with rf chokes on the power cables to the radio to fix that up.
Some of the cheaper power supplies may have issues with FM interference, Meanwell should be fairly clean otherwise they wouldn't have such a good name. I've not had any issues with FM interference with my very low powered transmitter.
 

Pavle

Rank updated… 2 season veteran
Joined
Nov 7, 2020
Messages
190
Location
Sydney
I have heard some mention the typical meanwell psu generates a bit of RF noise on the FM radio
I've got a boom box using a car audio head unit and I am using a cheap computer power supply - never get RF noise.
Only issue I've got is that because it's mounted outside (undercover) but gets exposed to vermon, frost etc, after 5 or 6 years, there is a fair amount of corrosion - the detachable face on the radio is kind of seized on and the power supply is now temperamental, but that won't be an issue if you only use this for Christmas time and store inside the rest of the time.
 

Pokitren

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Joined
Jun 27, 2022
Messages
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I've got a boom box using a car audio head unit and I am using a cheap computer power supply - never get RF noise.
Only issue I've got is that because it's mounted outside (undercover) but gets exposed to vermon, frost etc, after 5 or 6 years, there is a fair amount of corrosion - the detachable face on the radio is kind of seized on and the power supply is now temperamental, but that won't be an issue if you only use this for Christmas time and store inside the rest of the time.
Five or six years outside is not a bad time. My speakers started to misbehave in the 2nd year due to weather conditions. So I bought new ones and now only take them out 2-3 times a year. The rest of the time they are indoors. They serve well!
 

Freman

Uh Oh Elf
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Aug 9, 2021
Messages
118
Last year I had a 40 watt amp (oh it said it was 120 but based on input power, no way) and some marine speakers (that were way too small but eh jaycar) because I wasn't planning to have music playing, but so many people turned up by foot I had to cobble something together. It was loud enough that I could just hear it inside the house (in the kitchen besides the window) and anyone sitting in front of the tree could hear it (so long as their children weren't screaming), I couldn't turn it any louder without awful distortion. This year I have about 240 watts on the amp and much better "outdoor" speakers that do sound much better, easily reaches what I think (won't know till I set it up outside and go visit the neighbour across the road to see if it disrupts them) will be a good volume level without distorting. You don't need much, you're not putting on a rave.

Only thing special I have is a tiny little wifi enabled FM receiver because I couldn't find *any* radio reasonably priced, would fit in a weather resistant box and didn't have some sort of soft power function. It's awesome!
 
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