I want the opposite of loud

May 3, 2022 11:22 AM

Due to some staff members unable to control their urge to crank it and get their boogie on, I need to buy a stereo system that at it's loudest setting plays about conversational level. I get confused by all the terms; amplifiers, receivers, watts per channels, db ratings, ohms, etc. My ideal system would have four or six small speakers, and an amplifier (or receiver?) that can accept an auxiliary input from an iphone and that at it's loudest would still be considered background in an approximately 800sf room sometimes filled with people. What do I need to buy?
posted by newpotato to Technology (19 answers total)

What you'd need is some kind of stereo attenuator: like this one. You'd place it in between the lines you run to the speakers. Of course, you'd have to hide it somehow to keep people from just turning up the volume on the attenuator.

You might also be able to find someone with electronics wizardry to modify the volume control on a stereo amplifier (esp. if analog) to give it a lower maximum?

Maybe other solutions exist... Just having smaller speakers will make a big difference, although even bookshelf speakers can get pretty loud.
posted by dis_integration at 11:36 AM on May 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Oh, also, a lot of powered speakers have their own volume controls on the back. For example, these: https://www.krkmusic.com/Studio-Monitors/ROKIT-5-G4 which sound great. You can force a low maximum volume with the dial on the back there, so it won't matter what volume they set on their playback device.
posted by dis_integration at 11:39 AM on May 3, 2022 [4 favorites]

Our Yamaha receiver (maybe too much for what you want) has a max volume setting & an initial volume setting. It connects wirelessly to phones, etc and can stream from the internet as well. Even a cheap one could drive 7 channels or so.

You might be able to find a cheap 7.1 home theater system with receiver and speakers that would solve your problem. (you will want to run it in a 7 channel stereo mode [all speakers active] rather than a home theater mode [back/front speakers have different audio])
posted by NoDef at 12:32 PM on May 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

Can you just get a quality Bluetooth speaker that doesn't get very loud, like the Anker Soundcore 3?
posted by credulous at 12:42 PM on May 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: One way to limit the volume is with a device called (wait for it) a limiter. This will take any signal in and make sure the signal coming OUT never gets louder than your desired volume. These are commonly used in clubs to make sure the DJs don't blow out the house stereo system.

Here's a used dbx stereo limiter/compressor for $50. Cheap!

This sits between the audio source and the amplifier — you'd take the output from the iphone, pass it through the limiter, and onto the amplifier.

Note that the sound quality will take a hit once they're pushing the limiter, but that may just encourage them to keep it lower.

I'll ALSO note that this (and an option like the attenuator suggested by dis_integration) can be overridden if folks have access to the devices, which may be a non-starter for you. In fact the simplest solution may be just locking the amplifier up and making it so folks can't get to the volume control.
posted by wemayfreeze at 12:47 PM on May 3, 2022

Response by poster: Hi, thanks for the suggestions so far, things I should've mentioned in the post:

We've tried a limiter in the past and people have gone behind the amp (where it was hiding) and adjusted it to their liking, and we're not looking for bluetooth speakers because we already have speaker wire running to the location of the speakers but no power sources for them;unless I'm mistaken (which is highly possible) bluetooth speakers require a power source.

I'm looking more for guidance on which type of amp or receiver with how many watt per channel to match up with what speakers...and is there some other thing I need or just speakers and amps...is it just a low watts per channel that limits the volume level?
posted by newpotato at 1:06 PM on May 3, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: 800 sq ft is a big room, @ 28 x 28. Speaker Wattage & Room Size – How Many Watts Per Square Foot
posted by theora55 at 1:55 PM on May 3, 2022

Best answer: You need to "lock" the limiter. One of those thermostat lockboxes, maybe?
posted by kschang at 1:58 PM on May 3, 2022 [10 favorites]

Best answer: You can wire a resistor in series to each speaker, but the sound will be noticeably less good
(plus, you'd have to try a few different values of resistor before you hit the proper range).
You could do similar with a potentiometer, but it will still sound bad.

I'd vote for a limiter/attenuator inna box (or just shrink wrapped!)
or
tape over the volume knob
or
spray bottle of water + can full of coins so that you can train... wait. These are probably humans. But they are at work!

super low tech - sticky tack on the speaker cones will (also sounds bad but removable)
or shoving foam/fabric in there (most easily reversed, but depends on your speaker construction)

To answer the question in a way that is more in line with how you asked it: a speaker rated for more ohms than the ones you currently have will be quieter AND probably not sound bad. As for how much higher the rating should be -- I don't know. If I did it would be the first thing I suggested.
posted by Acari at 3:08 PM on May 3, 2022

spray bottle of water + can full of coins so that you can train... wait. These are probably humans. But they are at work!

I don't know your colleagues, but people are generally going to find a workaround to probably any solution you might find. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if, finding a quieter setup that can't be changed, someone starts bringing in their own Bluetooth speaker to play music more loudly.

So, rather than get a new stereo or whatever, you might want to try to get an official decree from management or whatever to stop messing with the volume and then be a bit of a jerk about it for a while until they give up and get used to the lower volume.
posted by Literaryhero at 3:23 PM on May 3, 2022 [10 favorites]

Best answer: I'm looking more for guidance on which type of amp or receiver with how many watt per channel to match up with what speakers...and is there some other thing I need or just speakers and amps...is it just a low watts per channel that limits the volume level?

This is a fool's errand. In theory, there exists some perfect combination of speakers and amp that might happen to meet your exact needs for loudness. But the reality is, loudness is very much relative to many factors, very much non-linear and not something you are going to be able to fine tune in the way you are proposing without a lot of trail and error. Neither speakers nor amps are designed or sold for this purpose, because people use a limiter or other solutions.

Also bear in mind that if you set up a system such that the absolute maximum volume possible is the normal volume for everyday use, it will probably not sound great.

On the other hand a limiter does exactly what you want, can be adjusted if needed (e.g. if your room has a lot of people in it, you'll need more volume because bodies absorb sound), and is not expensive. You just need to solve the physical security issue for your limiter and there are plenty of boxes available that lock devices to prevent people from adjusting them.
posted by ssg at 3:25 PM on May 3, 2022 [5 favorites]

Best answer: I don’t think you’ll find a solution to this if anyone can plug their phone into that jack or anyone can get their hands on the hardware; unfortunately, though unsurprisingly, it is quite difficult to solve people problems with technology alone.
posted by mhoye at 3:26 PM on May 3, 2022 [3 favorites]

They do make locking rack cases, so you could put the hardware (limiter and amp?) in here and lock the front so it’s not accessible without the key.
posted by wemayfreeze at 3:55 PM on May 3, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: is it just a low watts per channel that limits the volume level?

I mean, in the ELI5 sense, yeah - a 25 watt-per-channel amp isn't capable of the volume level of a 100 watt-per-channel amp.

In practice, the problem is that people who want to get their boogie on will turn a 25 watt per channel system up all the way, which usually means things are distorting, which means that it's still "too loud" because it sounds like hot garbage even though the measurable volume in decibels may not be that high.

I'm with everyone else saying (from experience) that your technological solution is a lock, not new audio equipment, and it needs to be paired with a cultural & company/organization policy that unauthorized fucking with the stereo system will have consequences.

I've done a bunch of audio system installs for various businesses & institutions and there is simply no way to create an idiot-proof system, especially if the idiots are determined idiots.

Put your existing audio system receiver/amplifier in a lockable closet that's already in the building, or a locking A/V cart, or some other kind of lockable cabinet. One person controls the key, and supervisors/managers are going to have to be the Volume Police.
posted by soundguy99 at 5:48 PM on May 3, 2022 [4 favorites]

If you're going to put the amp behind a locked something or the other, you don't need a limiter, just set the volume where max vol from the iphone is no louder than what you want. Have the aux cable come out of the locked case so that people can plug into it. Simple as.
posted by RustyBrooks at 5:48 PM on May 3, 2022 [2 favorites]

(note: you can still get around this by bringing an iphone and anything that will boost the signal, but there just isn't much you can do about that)
posted by RustyBrooks at 5:50 PM on May 3, 2022

At a place I used to work, the boss hated people playing loud music on portable stereos (this was pre-just about all current tech). If they persisted, he would turn the volume down and pour resin into the device to stop the knobs from being moved. Crude, but effective. Just a thought.
posted by dg at 6:47 PM on May 3, 2022

Response by poster: Thanks for all the info.
I ended up ordering a limiter, again. Keeping the music volume low is a mantra we've repeated endlessly in addition to coming down hard on those who ignore it. Latest problem is one person who thought that just one or two songs blasting wouldn't be an issue.
I'm gonna work on some type of locked container around the limiter.
posted by newpotato at 2:51 AM on May 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

If your limiter is a 19" rack mount piece (like the dbx linked above), you can get various security covers that screw right over the unit. Middle Atlantic and Gator Cases are the two main brands for these things, at least in audio world.
posted by soundguy99 at 4:28 AM on May 4, 2022