Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1327492
52 I ICT TODAY HOW SHOULD SPEAKERS BE PLACED FOR A CLASSROOM OR CONFERENCE ROOM? This common question relates to speakers. How many speakers should there be in a room and where should they be placed? Like displays, this can also be determined for ceiling mounted speakers by following a few simple steps: 1. Measure the ceiling height. 2. Measure the room size. 3. Determine if the room occupants will be sitting or standing most of the time; this determines the required speaker conical dispersion or coverage angle. • Standard seated listening height is 3 feet (ft) and 6 inches (in) from floor level. • Standard standing listening height is 5 feet (ft) and 6 inches (in) from floor level. 4. Check the speaker specifications to determine its conical dispersion angle. 5. Calculate the speaker coverage distance, or conic section, that intersects the standard height of the listener. This provides the coverage area for each speaker. 6. Understand listener behavior—whether the audience will be moving around the room or will remain stationary—to help direct how much overlap of speaker coverage (speaker spacing) is needed in order to create a uniform listening experience throughout the room. 7. Lay out the speaker placement and determine how many speakers will be required. Here is an example to illustrate each step of the process: Step 1: The example room ceiling height measures 9 feet (2.7 m) Step 2: The room is 26 feet wide by 20 feet deep (7.9 m by 6.1 m) Step 3: Listeners will be seated most of the time. The standard listening height is 3 feet and 6 inches (1.07 m) from the floor, so the distance from the seated height to the ceiling is 9 feet minus 3 feet and 6 inches or 66 inches (1.68 m). For standing listeners, the standard listening height is 5 feet and 6 inches (1.68m) and the distance from the ceiling to the standard standing listening height would be 42 inches (1.07 m). Step 4: The speakers are specified to have a 120° dispersion angle. The room elevation layout is shown in Figure 8. FIGURE 8: Example of room elevation to gauge ideal speaker placement. Ceiling 9' 0" 5' 6" 3' 6" 120° 66" Standing Height Seated Height Floor