Determining Critical Polar Angle

Once the critical polar angle has been determined, calculate the coverage area for a given speaker- to-listener distance:

θCoverage Circle Diameter = 2 D2 tan ⎜ ⎟ ⎝ 2

Coverage Area = π

 

θ

⎞⎞2

D

2

tan

 

⎟⎟

 

2

 

 

⎠⎠

Where D2 is the distance from the speaker to the

listener and θ is the critical polar angle. (Refer to Figure 2-5, Speaker Coverage Diagram)

Equation 2-11. Coverage Area Calculations

The following table contains coverage areas calculated for Simplex TrueAlert Ceiling Mount speakers at various ceiling heights with a listener height of 5 feet (1.5 meters).

Table 2-1. Simplex 4902 Speaker Coverage for Varying Ceiling Heights

Listener Height = 5 Feet

Ceiling

Coverage

Coverage

Height

Diameter

Area

8 ft

7.7 ft

46 ft2

10 ft

12.8 ft

129 ft2

12 ft

17.9 ft

252 ft2

14 ft

23.0 ft

417 ft2

16 ft

28.2 ft

623 ft2

18 ft

33.3 ft

870 ft2

20 ft

38.4 ft

1158 ft2

Listener Height = 1.5 Meters

Ceiling

Coverage

Coverage

Height

Diameter

Area

2.5 m

2.6 m

5.1 m2

3.0 m

3.8 m

11.6 m2

3.5 m

5.1 m

20.6 m2

4.0 m

6.4 m

32.2 m2

4.5 m

7.7 m

46.3 m2

5.0 m

9.0 m

63.0 m2

5.5 m

10.2 m

82.3 m2

6.0m

11.5 m

104.2 m2

Some observations about speaker coverage area:

Low ceilings require more speakers per square foot of floor space than high ceilings.

The Simplex 4902 series 4-inch speakers cover an area with a diameter slightly larger than twice the distance from the ear to the ceiling.

The smaller the speaker, the wider the dispersion, therefore the larger the coverage area.

Continued on next page

2-14

Page 24
Image 24
Tyco 579-769 Equation 2-11. Coverage Area Calculations, Listener Height = 1.5 Meters Ceiling Coverage Diameter