TOA bs-1030 User Guide
TOA Electronics Speaker Guide
Layout and Spacing for Distributed Speaker Systems
28
Wall-Mount Speakers
NOTE:
Before considering a wall-mount installation, determine whether the construction will
support the speakers and that the mounting hardware can be installed properly.
support the speakers and that the mounting hardware can be installed properly.
The factors guiding the layout of wall-mount speakers are the same as for ceiling speakers: The
area covered by each speaker, the evenness of coverage desired, and the client’s budget. Cal-
culating the coverage area, however, is more complex and less precise. In addition, the spacing
is controlled by the designer only in one plane (along the wall), unless you have the luxury of
specifying room dimensions in the sound system design. Aiming and setting the speaker’s
height is important and is guided by the room dimensions, especially the distance to the oppo-
site wall (or to the farthest listeners).
area covered by each speaker, the evenness of coverage desired, and the client’s budget. Cal-
culating the coverage area, however, is more complex and less precise. In addition, the spacing
is controlled by the designer only in one plane (along the wall), unless you have the luxury of
specifying room dimensions in the sound system design. Aiming and setting the speaker’s
height is important and is guided by the room dimensions, especially the distance to the oppo-
site wall (or to the farthest listeners).
Speaker Coverage Area
An approximate value for the coverage area of a speaker mounted to the wall and aimed at an
off-angle to the floor can be obtained by projecting two triangles from the speaker to the listen-
ing plane, representing the horizontal and vertical coverage. In most instances, only half the
rated vertical coverage angle should be used, with the speaker’s central axis aimed at the far-
thest point to be covered. This results in a triangular coverage pattern that closely approximates
the sound distribution from a wall-mounted speaker. It is important to bear in mind the effect
of distance as well as speaker dispersion when calculating coverage. In the horizontal plane,
the width of the coverage area is affected by the added distance from the speaker when moving
off-axis along a line perpendicular to the coverage axis. The effective coverage angle is thus
narrower than the speaker’s rated coverage angle for purposes of calculating the coverage area
and the spacing. In the vertical plane (or near-to-far), the depth of the coverage area is affected
by the increasing proximity as the listener moves under the speaker. Thus, the effective vertical
coverage is greater than the rated vertical coverage angle. Coverage areas for all of TOA’s
wall-mount speaker models are listed in Chapter 8: Speaker Application Tables.
off-angle to the floor can be obtained by projecting two triangles from the speaker to the listen-
ing plane, representing the horizontal and vertical coverage. In most instances, only half the
rated vertical coverage angle should be used, with the speaker’s central axis aimed at the far-
thest point to be covered. This results in a triangular coverage pattern that closely approximates
the sound distribution from a wall-mounted speaker. It is important to bear in mind the effect
of distance as well as speaker dispersion when calculating coverage. In the horizontal plane,
the width of the coverage area is affected by the added distance from the speaker when moving
off-axis along a line perpendicular to the coverage axis. The effective coverage angle is thus
narrower than the speaker’s rated coverage angle for purposes of calculating the coverage area
and the spacing. In the vertical plane (or near-to-far), the depth of the coverage area is affected
by the increasing proximity as the listener moves under the speaker. Thus, the effective vertical
coverage is greater than the rated vertical coverage angle. Coverage areas for all of TOA’s
wall-mount speaker models are listed in Chapter 8: Speaker Application Tables.
Figure 6-5 Wall-mount speaker coverage area
Ceiling
Speaker
height (h)
height (h)
Ear
height (l)
height (l)
Wall
Coverage angle
(adjusted for distance)
(adjusted for distance)
Floor