Chapter 6: Layout And Spacing For Distributed Speaker Systems; Ceiling Speakers; Speaker Coverage Area - Toa BS-1030 User Manual

TOA Electronics Speaker Guide
Chapter 6: Layout and Spacing for Distributed
Many installed speaker systems use a distributed sound design, which means that there are
evenly spaced speakers spread throughout the venue, each covering a specific area. These
speakers may be mounted in the ceiling, in or on the walls, or on columns or poles or other
available structures. There are a number of possible approaches in laying out the speakers, or
determining their placement in the room. Of course, the type of installation (ceiling, wall, etc.)
must be known before deciding on a layout pattern.

Ceiling Speakers

Two key decisions guide the placement, or layout, of speakers in a ceiling speaker system:
• Speaker spacing;
• Layout pattern type (square or hexagonal).
The most important factors to consider when making these decisions are the speaker coverage
area, the evenness of coverage desired, and the client's budget.

Speaker Coverage Area

In most cases, determining the area covered by a ceiling speaker involves projecting the speak-
er's (conical) coverage angle out to the distance between the speaker and the listener, and cal-
culating the area of the resulting circle. Remember to account for the height of the listener in
calculating the effective ceiling height. The wider the coverage angle, the larger the coverage
area, the fewer speakers needed for the same evenness of coverage. Coverage areas for all of
TOA's ceiling-mount speaker models are listed beginning on page 36 in Chapter 8: Speaker
Application Tables.
Speaker Systems
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