That's a bunch of bull sh*t.saxxsymbol said:
Where did you ever hear such a stupid method of PA system design? By this same token, the current RHCP "dual stereo" V-DOSC line array should be able to cover a quarter million people. They usually only play to between 10,000 and 30,000 people.
PA systems should be judged by their frequency response, coverage patterns, and overall volume at particular a distance, and the acoustics of the room. For a 200 person gig, I would use a system comprised of single stacks per side (i.e. one hi/mid speaker cabinet, and a sub), and depending on the size and shape of the dance floor I might center cluster the subs, rather than have them on the sides.
I'm sure the Mackie SRM450 was a marked improvement over nothing, but I wouldn't use those speakers for anything much bigger than about 75 people. And, not that it matters, but if I was providing a PA for a 200 person tent gig, my system would probably be in the 4,000 to 6,000 watts range, not including stage monitoring.
