Speakers in stores

[fancollector12]

So I just went to my local grocery store which recently completed a multimillion dollar remodel.

The store was originally built in 1979, and originally had Dukane ceiling speakers with aluminum grilles. Some of them got replaced by the plastic Atlas Sound P900 spiral grilles that were probably originally tan but turned yellow after many years of use, along with some of the "Dinner Plate" speakers I described above.


They opened up the ceiling of the produce section (which originally had a low ceiling) and switched the deli, bakery, butcher, and seafood areas to that area as well, replacing the original deli and bakery with the dairy aisle, which originally occupied the same space as the produce section currently does. The open ceiling section has those white indoor/outdoor speakers mounted on the steel beams. The rest of the store still has a drop-tile ceiling (though newly installed) and all of the old ceiling speakers were all replaced by the newer metal grille, plastic frame-style ceiling speakers. They DO sound much better than the old ones, as they switched from mostly 80s music to a mix of 80s, 90s, and modern music, replacing their SiriusXM Satellite Radio subscription with a Muzak-like satellite service. I don't even know what brand they are, but I think Posh or DMX. I think the old bakery and deli had their own control of A/M and F/M stations, as when the deli and bakery speakers were playing, they had different music from the rest of the store, which was usually a local modern music station. Now the whole store has the same music playing throughout. I kinda miss the old store, especially since it's the complete opposite layout than what it used to be (flip-flopped), and I've been going there all my life, so it's hard to get used to an entirely new layout.

One little thing to note is that, before the remodel, the intercom system used those white AirPhone units with three pushbuttons and had the loud 'DING!" whenever a PA announcement was made. Those are gone now, but at least the old mid-90s Inter-Tel (now MiTel, which, ironically, was bought out by someone else) phone system is still in use, to my knowledge.

[Cole D]

Two discoveries I made this week, one my closest Subway to my house, you cannot see the ceiling speaker, I assume it's above the ceiling tiles somewhere instead of mounted in them.

Also the older Dairy Queen that I said has the square white metal speakers, they are NuTones.

I remember seeing those telephones with three pushbuttons behind the counter at the checkouts when I was a kid. I hadn't really noticed them disappearing but that's true that you don't see them anymore. Usually now there's a telephone on the wall somewhere around the checkouts and if they need to call someone to the front, a manager does it. Back in the day the cashiers would call people to the front over the PA themselves.

I'm not sure which stores have that ding before an announcement, but I know Winn Dixie has always done it. Even the Sweetbay they took over here after the buyout in 2014 started having that ding. It always made their stores feel old fashioned for some reason, I guess because they've done that since I was a kid.

[fancollector12]

I didn't know NuTone made commercial ceiling speakers. Maybe they just used the grilles, because all NuTone speakers are 45 OHM for intercom use.

Most intercoms in grocery stores are just where the announcement comes on and it almost startles you if the volume is turned up too loud... Home Depot has the touch tones before the announcement (I think their PA system dings once as well but not like the grocery store ding, as they use an Avaya system, NOT AirPhone), like hitting the hash/pound (#) or star/asterisk (*) key three or four times before the announcement comes on. You can almost ALWAYS also hear the "Click" of the receiver hanging up after the announcement is over, even though I think they're supposed to hit the hook switch before they hang up the receiver.

[Cole D]

Yeah, I don't know it is unusual to see NuTone speakers in a business. I remember my aunt's house had some similar speakers outside and she had a NuTone system, they removed the main panel, but the speakers are all probably still there.

I did notice that Arby's installed speakers since I was last there, white, all metal grilles. They must have installed them very recently like last few weeks, they didn't have any after the remodel. There was no music playing though.

[fancollector12]

Hmmm maybe they haven't gotten their new sound system hooked up yet.

Yeah I know which NuTone speakers you're talking about... my grandparents have a Music and Sound (M&S) system from the 90s they they hardly use... white master station in the kitchen and then white 5 inch or 8 inch speakers with buttons and knobs on them in the laundry room and all of the bedrooms... also one about 50ft from the house in the barn. There's also a white plastic one that doesn't play music but works as a doorcom at the front door with a lighted pushbutton. I don't know why they even got it in the first place, but to each their own... I wish we'd have gotten one put in when we had our house built, as it was an option to have a NuTone system put in by the builder that included a polished brass metal door speaker, an IM3303 master station in white, and white 5 inch speakers in the bedrooms... didn't go for that though.

[Cole D]

Awhile ago I actually had a dream about speakers. I dreamed I was shopping in a very old Winn/Dixie store, probably about 1970, which I highly doubt there are any stores like that around anymore. But in the dream I remember looking up and the speakers were very interesting. They had aluminum round grilles with I think four screws and the round opening in the center had sort of a mesh aluminum and under the opening was a silver bowl like piece that covered it. But around the sides you could see the mesh above the bowl. I think the store had round air vents too, and fluorescent strip lights as well. I don't remember much other than the store had coffin style coolers everywhere, there were no tall coolers or freezers with glass doors, everything was coffin style coolers original from the 70s.

[fancollector12]

Those speakers actually DO exist... they have the raw aluminum ones that have the tighter mesh pattern with a diffuser that looks like a UFO in the middle... I've seen them on eBay before.

I guess I sort of have an update... I went to my local Outback Steakhouse that recently remodeled... they have black-painted Bose 102F flushmount plastic ceiling speakers (ones with the radial grille like an Atlas Sound P900 but it's Bose, and no visible screws), and a tan metal generic speaker in the men;s restroom (they had these prior to the remodel, though took out the one over the inside entrance). They used to have beige-faded Atlas Sound P900's or Quam C10's with those plastic grilles outside before they demo'd the front patio, but now they have 2 black Bose DS16's (surface-mount indoor/outdoor speakers with the Bose logo off to the far side of the grilles) mounted directly onto the exterior of the building where I believe outdoor lights used to be prior to the remodel. They also replaced one of the 102F's inside with a newer Bose DS-F Series metal ceiling flushmount speaker with plastic in the black color. Pretty cool that they (they being Outback) still use Bose products in their restaurants, as most restaurants end up ditching Bose and going with JBL when they remodel since it's cheaper to buy.

Also, not sure if I've ever mentioned it, but my local diner has those generic metal ceiling speakers but with the "indented" grille where there's a "ring" around the hole part of the speaker. They're hooked up to some wall-mounted CD jukeboxes that are connected to some jukebox hidden in the restaurant somewhere. It's about $1.00 a play, but occasionally they'll randomly turn it on (sound comes out through the jukebox speakers as well whenever they're activated). The diner also has 5 or 6 white newer-style 52" Emerson Northwinds installed on 18" down rods throughout the restaurant.

[Cole D]

The local Bealls Outlet store relocated into a former Publix supermarket space after the Publix moved into a new building further down. This Bealls Outlet has generic looking metal grille speakers but they are more of a grayish color. Mostly Bealls Outlet was playing Sirius/XM The Blend because that's what the other one here was playing too. But now they seem to have their own channel, because announcements play between the songs. Anyway, they always have the music turned up moderately loud and the speakers actually do have a bit of bass to them, more so than ones I hear in other stores or restaurants.

[Cole D]

Recently I saw that my local Marshalls and Wendy's both have the round Bose ceiling speakers, I had never noticed before.

[fancollector12]

I ate at a Wendy's recently that used to have Atlas Sound P900s or Quam BR8WP's (it was connected to a gas station that also had P900s or BR8WP's, and the gas station portion still has them installed). Now they have some generic metal ceiling speakers that were installed in a remodel. I've never seen Bose speakers in a Wendy's before.

A Burger King not too far from me used to have about 4 or so Attlas Sound P900s or Quam BR8WP's that blasted the local country music station. They remodeled awhile back, and now they have 2 generic metal ceiling speakers painted black to match the ceiling. They don't play music anymore.

On vacation, I ate at a buffet restaurant that had an interesting installation: few white JBL horn speakers mounted above the entrance. The front part of the restaurant had some wall-mounted metal 8" box speakers, but the back part of the restaurant (where we ate) had a bunch of old Bose bookshelf speakers with wooden cabinets mounted on the wall. I believe one of the buffet lines had the speakers that look like A/C vents, and install into the 2x4 ceiling tiles. The music they played was mostly 90s and 00s pop and alternative, with some newer pop stuff mixed in. There were also some fans in the restaurant: some newer dark-colored outdoor Kichler things in the entrance, about 10 or so Antique Brass mid-2000s Emerson Crowns with white blades and 5-arm light kits, and the men's restroom had a 29" Appliance White Emerson Northwind.

[Cole D]

My local BK seemed to play some kind of piped in music channel that was mostly 1990s and 2000s pop music. I haven't eaten there in probably a year and a half so I don't know what they play now, if anything.

I noticed my local Arby's hasn't played music since their remodel a few years ago (although they did install metal generic-looking speakers just after the remodel was completed). And I ate there a few weeks ago and they had removed their two TVs .

[fancollector12]

Jul 26, 2021 21:09:54 GMT -5 Cole D said:

My local BK seemed to play some kind of piped in music channel that was mostly 1990s and 2000s pop music. I haven't eaten there in probably a year and a half so I don't know what they play now, if anything.

I noticed my local Arby's hasn't played music since their remodel a few years ago (although they did install metal generic-looking speakers just after the remodel was completed). And I ate there a few weeks ago and they had removed their two TVs .

My local Arby's always had generic metal ceiling speakers. The closest BK to me always played 90s and 00s pop music as well. I think the one that played the local country station was a franchise, and maybe only corporate-owned locations have the Muzak-like system.

[Cole D]

What's strange to me is despite all the other Wendy's remodeling here, the one in my town has never done a remodel. It still has the carpeting, original light wood tables and chairs, etc. Even the signs outside still have the old logo on them. It is well kept though. They did finally get a touch screen self serve soda fountain last time I went. Before they still had it behind the counter.

The Pizza Hut here used to have really old round silver speakers from the 70s. Unfortunately, I'm not sure they're going to have sit down dining or the buffet anymore, as the signs outside just say "carry out or delivery". Some of the other classic Pizza Huts around here have closed and moved into shopping centers like a Dominos, so there's no buffet and only a few little tables. So I think they are likely not going back to buffet, which I will miss.

[Cole D]

Were these speaker grilles from a specific brand originally? I know my old Publix got stainless steel round grille speakers when it remodeled in the late 90s, but later a couple got replaced with these style grilles for some reason. They look older to me.

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[fancollector12]

I had to visit my local Kohl's department store because we had to return something to Amazon, and most Kohl's stores will pack and ship Amazon returns for you. Anyway, they have some larger white Bose in-ceiling speakers installed throughout the store, which sounded great (I want to say they're Freespace DS100's). Over the entrance, there's a single white Bose Freespace Model 32SE (basically a Bose 151 for 25V/70V applications). This is odd, because the store opened in around 2015-16, long after the Freespace Model 32SE was discontinued. Kohl's must have a backstock of Freespace Model 32SE's to install over the entrances of newly-built stores.