testing this at work (there will be 2 x 6 pr telecom cable run to every part of the building for relaying nurse call lamps/noisemakers + 2 pairs for the 100V loudspeakers).

This equipment is often incorrectly called a “tannoy” in British English and associated with bad installations using metal horn loudspeakers which sound harsh but carry sound a long distance (these are normally only required when using a small set of loudspeakers for voice announcements in an open field).

Some of these were LS units were indeed made by Tannoy but they decent ones for music as well [one such system was at the original Broadcasting House of the BBC; which ironically are notorious for incorrectly using their trademark!]

Although you will always lose some bass in the trafos in the system (one at the amplifier end stage and others in volume controls and individual loudspeaker units) the reason they are used is to make the audio a constant higher voltage with less current; that way longer and thinner cables can be used which is desirable when the loudspeakers may be tens or hundreds of metres away; and you don’t have to deal with complex impedance matching of each loudspeaker.

This kind of installation isn’t much good for a rave but is just right for background music (which the matron wanted) and announcements – and there is no reason why a system like this cannot be “music quality”; at least as good as that of a VHF/FM radio.

I had two old XP PCs spare from upgrades; one of which has the Japanese soundprocessing software (works well at 48 KHz sample rate on the PC’s internal soundcard!) and an extra USB soundcard which can send VOIP audio to a different channel for announcements.

this music might be “too modern” for the residents; its more likely to be Radio Caroline being relayed when the system is live..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd_O90hSDrk

there was also a pirate on air in Groningen last weekend when I was still at work (the old people like this music; many of the listeners to NL pirate stations are in the retirement homes/villages) 😉