How many watts of PA do I need for 800 people?
Quick answer
For 800 people, you typically need 8,000–12,000 watts of continuous power, but coverage and SPL targets matter more than raw wattage.
Wattage alone is a poor indicator of PA performance. For 800 people in a medium-sized venue (e.g., 200–400 m²), you need a system capable of delivering 100–105 dB SPL average with 10–15 dB headroom across the audience area. A rule of thumb is 10–15 watts per person for speech, and 15–20 watts for music with bass impact. This translates to 8,000–12,000 continuous watts for music, but the real requirement depends on speaker sensitivity, coverage pattern, and subwoofer integration.
SSOUNDS engineers use acoustic modelling to design systems for 800-person events. A typical configuration might include 4–6 line array elements per side (e.g., SSOUNDS compact line arrays) and 4–6 subwoofers (e.g., SSOUNDS dual-18” subs) powered by 8,000–12,000 watts total. The key is achieving even coverage with minimal hot/cold spots, not just hitting a wattage number. For outdoor events, double the subwoofer count and increase power by 30–50% due to lack of boundary loading.
Always consider the event type: a spoken-word conference needs less power than a rock concert. SSOUNDS recommends a minimum of 6–8 kW for music with 800 people indoors, and 10–15 kW for outdoor or bass-heavy genres. Use a DSP with limiters to protect drivers and maintain sound quality. For precise sizing, SSOUNDS provides free system design using predictive software.
Key things to consider
- Rule of thumb: 10–20 watts per person for music; 5–10 watts for speech.
- Target 100–105 dB average SPL with 10–15 dB headroom for 800 people.
- Typical system: 4–6 line array boxes per side + 4–6 subwoofers, powered by 8–12 kW.
- Outdoor events need 30–50% more power and double the subwoofers.
- Use acoustic modelling (e.g., SSOUNDS design service) for accurate sizing.
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