Shez Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Morning all, I'm trying to identify a good product that a speaker can use to amplify their voice to small groups of people. Speaking up is unfortunately not an option in this case. There seem to be a lot of products like this out there - has anyone used any such things and can you recommend any? General requirements are battery powered, ~8 hours use on one charge, easily portable, headset mic, easy self operation. Intelligibility is more important than absolute quality. No particular budget at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owain Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Where/when will it be used? That sort of thing may be okay for a standing or sitting person addressing half a dozen seated people in a semicircle, but if the listeners are standing (eg tour guide application) and the unit is belt worn then the sound will be directed at their abdomens; if there's anyone standing behind the first row they're likely to get very muffled sound.Note that if purchased by a person with a hearing or speaking disability, or a charity, then VAT exemption is permitted if there is a declaration of design intent from the manufacturer that the goods were specifically designed for use by a person who is disabled. https://www.deafequi...oice-amplifiers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted August 28, 2018 Author Share Posted August 28, 2018 It'll be seated listeners, around 25. Think classroom type setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cedd Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 Does it have to be worn? I think if I was looking to find a solution to this I'd be looking at one of the Mipro systems. Seem to get a lot of good press from the magic community who are doing similar to your user - single, non-technical user to a small group of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted August 28, 2018 Author Share Posted August 28, 2018 Not necessarily worn but this person needs to be mobile so a cable tether (mic lead) is best avoided. And I'd rather avoid a transmitter that needs regular battery changes as it'll be in use 6+ hours a day every day. Nice though those Mipro systems look, I think £600 would be considered too much for this job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owain Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 This is £200 inc VAT, has two microphones (headset and handheld). The speaker part is also battery operated which may be helpful. I doubt it's really 700 watts output though. https://www.cybermarket.co.uk/shop/public-address/portable-pa-systems/ibiza-12-portable-uhf-pa-system-1283760.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandall Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 I doubt it's really 700 watts output though. As they can't spell "whether" or "you're" in what they put in front of the public I wouldn't have too much faith in their ability to count Watts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted August 28, 2018 Author Share Posted August 28, 2018 15KG and a 12" driver really doesn't count as portable in this use case. It's just for voice and if it can't be carried with one finger, it's probably going to be deemed too big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_s Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 No idea if it will work, but does a Bluetooth headset like you would use with a phone talk to a Bluetooth speaker? Not my sort of technology, so just wondering, I'd imagine feedback rejection (or lack thereof) might be problematic... But the size might be OK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted August 28, 2018 Share Posted August 28, 2018 IMO the problem will be getting useful gain before feedback, or having enough processing to cope with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share Posted August 29, 2018 Bluetooth headset like you would use with a phone talk to a Bluetooth speaker?Bluetooth has significant and variable latency so it's no good for real-time applications. IMO the problem will be getting useful gain before feedback, or having enough processing to cope with this.With an appropriately positioned headset mic, I would hope that an adequate gain could be achieved. But yes, I agree that this will be a limiting factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandall Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Until recently TfL sponsored free London walking tours, with groups on the day ranging from under 30 to over 100. Several of the guides had started using boxes similar to the one Shez linked to (I suspect mostly from Maplin). Quality wasn't great, as they often had them set too loud & distorting horribly, but those with a mic were definitely easier to hear if you weren't at the front. Where they were not so good was when a large group of people had to be squeezed onto a small bit of pavement - a wall of tightly-packed bodies & a waist-worn speaker somewhatr restricted the range. I have no idea of battery-life (I suspect nearer 3 hours than 8) so worth looking for one with removable batteries, but yes, they do work, & feedback didn't seem to be a problem (at least not before the distortion had got really painful). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sound Man Posted August 29, 2018 Share Posted August 29, 2018 Can you utalise a Behringer HPA40 handheld portable system with an additional headset mic. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chappie Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Anchor Audio do a couple of products that might fit the bill. Something like this or this maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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