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One of the most common questions when hiring a PA is also one of the hardest to answer with a single number:
How many speakers do I need?
It can be tempting to work it out from the number of people attending. A 50-person event might seem to need two speakers, while a 200-person event might seem to need four.
In reality, it doesn’t work quite that neatly.
The number of Electro-Voice speakers you need depends on the size and shape of the audience, the venue, what you’re using the PA for and how loud the system needs to be.
For some events, a pair of speakers is exactly right. For others, adding subwoofers or additional speaker coverage may make more sense than simply adding more main speakers.
Start with the type of event
The first question isn’t how many people are coming.
It’s what are they going to be doing?
A corporate presentation with 100 people has very different audio requirements from a 100-person birthday party with a DJ.
A wedding ceremony is different again.
A live band may require a substantially more complex system than a presenter speaking into a microphone.
The PA needs to be selected around the job it has to perform.
Two speakers are often the starting point
For many events, a pair of full-range speakers is the most practical starting point.
Two speakers allow you to position one on each side of the audience area and provide more even coverage across the room.
Audio Hire’s 2 × 1500 Watt 15” Speaker Package is an example of this type of setup. It uses two Electro-Voice EKX-15P powered speakers and includes speaker stands and speaker cables.
For weddings, parties, presentations and many smaller live events, a properly positioned pair can provide a very capable PA.
You don’t necessarily need four speakers simply because four speakers are available.
Why not just use one speaker?
A single speaker can be appropriate for some very small or simple applications, but two speakers generally provide a more useful setup for an event where the audience is spread across a room or outdoor area.
With two speakers, you can position the sound sources to the left and right of the audience rather than asking one cabinet to cover the entire space.
That can improve coverage and make it easier to achieve a consistent listening level across the audience.
For most event applications, the question is therefore less about whether you need one or two speakers and more about whether two speakers provide enough coverage and output for the space.
How many speakers for a wedding?
Wedding audio can change considerably throughout the day.
A ceremony might require microphones and a relatively modest PA.
The reception may need microphones for speeches, music playback and announcements.
Later in the evening, the system may need to support a DJ and a busy dance floor.
A pair of full-range Electro-Voice speakers can be a sensible starting point for many wedding receptions.
If the reception is strongly focused on dancing and the music needs substantial low-frequency impact, dedicated subwoofers may be more appropriate than simply adding more full-range speakers.
You can read our Wedding Audio Hire guide for a broader look at the equipment involved.
How many speakers for a party?
For a party, the number of speakers you need depends heavily on the role of the music.
If music is primarily background entertainment while people talk, a pair of full-range speakers may be more than enough.
If you’re running a high-energy party with a DJ and a dance floor, the requirements change.
In that situation, the system needs to produce sustained music at higher levels and reproduce the low-frequency content in the music effectively.
That can mean a larger pair of main speakers and dedicated subwoofers rather than simply adding more main speakers.
How many speakers for a DJ?
A DJ setup doesn’t automatically require four speakers.
For many events, two main speakers provide the left and right channels of the PA.
If more output is required, the next step may be to add subwoofers.
This is important because adding more full-range speakers isn’t necessarily the best way to get more bass.
A properly configured system with full-range speakers and dedicated subwoofers can provide a much more effective solution for a music-focused event.
Audio Hire’s larger EV system uses full-range speakers together with dedicated 18-inch subwoofers for events where greater low-frequency output is required.
Read more about the 5600W EV speaker and subwoofer system.
How many speakers for a corporate event?
Corporate events often have different priorities.
Speech intelligibility is usually more important than extreme volume.
For a presentation, seminar or awards night, two appropriately positioned speakers can often provide excellent coverage.
The room itself matters enormously.
A long, narrow room may require a different approach from a wide conference space.
A large audience does not automatically mean you need more speakers. If the room is relatively compact and the speakers can be positioned correctly, a pair may provide sufficient coverage.
If the room is unusually long or the audience extends a significant distance from the stage, additional coverage may need to be considered.
How many speakers for live music?
Live music is more complicated because the PA is reproducing multiple sound sources at once.
Vocals, guitars, keyboards, drums and other instruments all need to be heard clearly.
For a small acoustic performance, a pair of full-range speakers may be sufficient.
A larger band playing to a larger audience may require a more substantial system, potentially including subwoofers and additional equipment.
The number of speakers should therefore be determined by the performance and venue rather than by audience numbers alone.
More speakers don’t always mean better sound
It might seem logical that four speakers should sound better than two.
Not necessarily.
If four speakers are positioned poorly, they can create uneven coverage and interference between the different sources.
You can end up with some parts of the audience hearing significantly more sound than others.
Adding speakers is not simply a matter of putting another pair at the back of the room.
The additional speakers need to be positioned and configured appropriately for the space.
For straightforward events, a properly positioned pair can often produce a cleaner and more predictable result than a larger system that hasn’t been properly designed.
What about a large room?
Large rooms require more careful consideration.
The physical dimensions of the room, ceiling height, audience layout and acoustics all affect how the sound behaves.
If the audience extends a long distance from the stage, simply turning the main speakers up may not be the best solution.
The people at the front can end up experiencing excessive volume while people at the back still struggle to hear clearly.
In these situations, additional coverage may be appropriate.
The exact solution depends on the venue and event.
What about outdoor events?
Outdoor events behave differently because there are fewer walls and surfaces reflecting sound back into the audience area.
The sound can therefore disperse more freely.
For a small outdoor gathering, a pair of full-range speakers may still be perfectly adequate.
For a larger outdoor event, the required system will depend on the size and layout of the audience area, the desired volume and whether the event is primarily speech or music.
Wind, ambient noise and the physical distance between the speakers and audience can also affect the result.
Should you add subwoofers or more main speakers?
This is an important distinction.
If the problem is bass, adding more main speakers isn’t necessarily the answer.
A dedicated subwoofer is designed to reproduce the lowest frequencies and can provide considerably more low-frequency output.
If the problem is coverage, additional appropriately positioned speakers may be more useful.
If the problem is simply that the existing system isn’t powerful enough for the required level, a larger main system may be appropriate.
Understanding what problem you’re trying to solve makes choosing the equipment much easier.
Our guide to subwoofers explains when dedicated low-frequency reinforcement starts to make sense.
What about the Electro-Voice ZLX-12 G2?
The EV ZLX-12 G2 is a compact 12-inch powered loudspeaker suited to a wide range of portable applications.
For a smaller event where speech, background music or moderate music playback is the priority, a pair of compact 12-inch speakers can be a very practical solution.
The size of the speaker doesn’t determine the number you need.
Two well-positioned ZLX-12 G2 speakers can provide a better result than simply adding more cabinets without considering coverage.
Read the Electro-Voice ZLX-12 G2 guide.
What about the Electro-Voice EKX-15P?
The EKX-15P is a larger 15-inch powered speaker and provides more substantial low-frequency capability and output than a compact 12-inch system.
Audio Hire’s 15-inch EV speaker package provides two EKX-15P speakers.
For larger parties, weddings, DJs and music-focused events, this can provide a useful step up from a smaller portable PA.
However, even with the EKX-15P, the same principle applies.
The correct number depends on the event.
Do I need four speakers for 200 people?
Not necessarily.
There is no reliable formula that says a particular number of guests requires a particular number of speakers.
Two speakers may be perfectly suitable for 200 people in one venue and inadequate for 200 people in another.
Consider the shape of the room, where the audience is sitting or standing, how far the sound needs to travel and how loud the event needs to be.
A 200-person corporate presentation and a 200-person dance party could require completely different systems.
Do I need more speakers for a bigger audience?
Eventually, yes, but audience size isn’t the only factor.
As the audience grows, the physical area that needs to be covered generally grows as well.
At some point, a pair of speakers may no longer provide the required coverage or output.
But before adding more speakers, consider whether the system needs greater overall output, better coverage or more low-frequency capability.
Those are different problems and can require different solutions.
Speaker placement matters as much as speaker count
Two speakers positioned correctly can outperform a larger number of speakers positioned badly.
For a typical event, the main speakers should be placed towards the front of the audience, raised on suitable stands and aimed into the listening area.
Keeping the speakers in front of microphones also helps reduce the risk of feedback.
If you’re using a pair of speakers, spreading them appropriately across the front of the audience generally provides a more even coverage than placing them close together.
Our guide to setting up Electro-Voice speakers covers the practical details.
What information should you give your audio hire company?
You don’t need to know the answer before you ask.
In fact, it’s much more useful to describe the event.
Tell us approximately how many people will attend, where the event is being held, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, what type of music is involved and whether the PA is primarily for speech, music or both.
Also tell us whether you’re using a DJ or live performers and whether there will be a dance floor.
That information gives us a much better basis for recommending a system than simply saying “I need speakers for 200 people.”
The right number of speakers is the number that does the job
There isn’t a magic number of Electro-Voice speakers that works for every event.
For many events, two full-range speakers are an excellent starting point.
For larger music-focused events, you may need a larger system with dedicated subwoofers.
For unusually large or difficult spaces, additional coverage may be appropriate.
The goal isn’t to hire the largest number of speakers possible.
It’s to have a system that provides the right amount of output, coverage and low-frequency performance for the event.
Need help choosing an Electro-Voice system?
If you’re not sure how many speakers you need, give Audio Hire the details of your event and we’ll help you work it out.
You can get advice about your event or browse Speaker Hire Adelaide and see the available options.
The Audio Hire Electro-Voice resource will continue to build around the practical questions customers ask when choosing and hiring EV equipment in Adelaide.