In work we're setting up a new small restaurant. I've been tasked with finding out the best options for music. In our other ones we've got ipads wired to a small amp which are then wired to old school speakers.
The boss has asked me to look into wireless solutions. It's all pretty new to me. I've discovered I have choices between Bluetooth and wireless speakers. Can someone give me some pro's and cons of each? We will be running the music from Spotify on the ipad (also our till) and will need to run only two speakers from it. Can this be achieved wirelessly? Is there need for an amplifier? Are there Bluetooth amplifiers?
The whole dining area is around 50 square meters and it only needs to be background noise not pumping. We will be doing a huge fit out so all options can be considered. The budget isn't too big for this.
Also wondering if these speakers need power?
As far as my research has gone so far the options are Bluetooth, sonos, airplay, spotifyconnect.
Would love some advise if anyone knows their speakers.
Years ago, I used to assist a guy who installed PAs and sound systems in shops and restaurants. Did some troubleshooting stuff too. It's astounding that small restaurants still go for the old systems when wireless options exist.
Regarding Bluetooth... don't. It's not what you need. Bluetooth is more suited to portable speakers you intend to move about or take out of the house with you.
I have a sonos system and love it. It's the ideal setup for a small restaurant too.
The beauty of Sonos for what you're after is:
1) There's no wiring to be done - you can just mount them to a wall and plug them in and you've got a fully connected sound system.
2) No amps are needed.
3) Connect to a phone and have curated playlists play from Spotify/Apple Music wirelessly. If you have large bookings or private parties they can give you a playlist in advance.
4) The clarity and volume are incredible for such small speakers.
5) From the app you can change the volume of individual speakers as well as the overall volume. Very handy in a restaurant if someone sitting close to a speaker complains. It's done quickly and easily on the sonos app without having to entrust a poor waiter with blindly fiddling at an amp.
6) If something goes wrong with a speaker, they're easy to replace without having to call out an audio engineer (putting my mate out of a job!!).
7) The system calibrates itself to optimise the sound to the space that it's in with a little user input (again, putting my mate out of a job).
Without knowing the layout of your restaurant, I would guess that 4 Play:1 speakers (£150 each) would suffice in a small restaurant to give a nice ambience. If it didn't, new speakers are easily added to the system simply by plugging in. Wall mounts can be found on eBay, and once you know where you want to put them, any spark could power them up.
