Speaker brands and models supported
The planner carries verified specifications for 24 professional speaker models across 7 brands. Every record cites the manufacturer datasheet URL with a retrieval date.
- Ecler: IC6, eMOTUS5OD
- Fonestar: ASPC-650T, AS-180T
- JBL Professional: VTX A8, VRX932LA, Control 65 P/T
- K-array: Mugello KH3, Pinnacle KR202, Anakonda KAN200, Mugello KH5, Kobra KK52, Kobra KK102, Lyzard KZ12, Pinnacle KR402, Domino KF12
- KGEAR: GF8, GF12, GF15, GFC8
- L-Acoustics: K2, A15 Focus
- d&b audiotechnik: V8, Y8
Applications supported
- Live amplified music (105 dB target) — touring, festival, premium event.
- House of worship (90 dB) — sermon clarity priority.
- Conference / auditorium (85 dB) — speech-priority install with controlled reverb.
- Lecture hall (80 dB) — classroom and academic speech reinforcement.
- Restaurant / retail BGM (70-75 dB) — distributed background audio, conversation-friendly.
Speaker Coverage Planner — Engineering-grade SPL prediction
· Engineering advisory · Speaker Coverage
SPL is the headline. Dispersion and room behaviour are the conversation.
The calculator answers 'how loud and how many'. The engineering underneath — dispersion pattern vs room geometry, direct field vs reverberant field, processor configuration, amplifier matching, cabling discipline — is what separates a system that sounds correct everywhere from one that sounds correct only at the engineer's seat.
Deployment observations
- SPL prediction by inverse-square law is the floor of a coverage conversation, not the ceiling. The calculator gives you SPL at the listener distance assuming free-field propagation; real rooms have reflections that add reverberant energy, often 3-10 dB at the listening position depending on RT60 and absorption. For lively rooms (RT60 > 1.2s) the actual perceived SPL exceeds the calculator's free-field prediction; for treated rooms the calculator's prediction is conservative-accurate.
- Dispersion pattern determines coverage uniformity. A 100° × 10° line-array element covers a wide horizontal seating block from elevation with controlled vertical energy — sermons, auditoria, live events. A 110° × 110° pendant ceiling speaker covers a circle of floor area — restaurants, retail. Specifying the wrong dispersion for the room is the most common cause of 'great seats and bad seats' in installs.
- Sub-pairing changes the brief. Most line-array and install cabinets roll off above 60-75 Hz. For live amplified music (kick drum, bass guitar, electronic music) a subwoofer pair extending to 35-45 Hz is mandatory. The calculator's frequency-range row tells you whether the cabinet stands alone or needs sub support.
Operational notes
- Amplifier sizing convention: provision the amplifier at 2-4× the speaker's RMS rating for clean headroom and to avoid clipping (which damages speakers more than peak power does). A 700 W RMS cabinet is typically driven by a 1400-2800 W amplifier per channel. The calculator's applied-power slider lets you sanity-check the SPL prediction against a realistic amplifier configuration.
- 100V line vs low-impedance is an architectural decision. 100V line tolerates very long cable runs (100m+) at minimal loss — default for distributed BGM in restaurants, retail and large public spaces. Low-impedance (8 ohm typical) delivers higher peak SPL and lower distortion — default for live events, premium worship and serious AV.
Lifecycle implications
- Driver lifecycle: quality install cabinets (K-array, d&b, L-Acoustics, JBL Pro) hold their performance for 15-25 years in climate-controlled rooms. Touring cabinets typically refresh on 8-12 year cycles driven by transport wear. Ceiling 100V systems run 20+ years if the room humidity is controlled.
- Processor and amplifier refresh: 8-12 years for system processors (BSS Soundweb, Symetrix, Q-SYS); 10-15 years for amplifiers. Plan amplification as a refreshable layer; the speakers and the structural cabling outlast the electronics by 2-3x.
· Why it matters
A speaker coverage calculator that quotes 'how many cabinets' without telling you the SPL at the listener is missing the question. One that doesn't carry dispersion data is missing the answer. This one runs the inverse-square law SPL math against manufacturer sensitivity, surfaces the coverage radius at the -6 dB dispersion axis, and recommends quantity against rectangular coverage area. Seven brands · sixteen verified models · sources cited per model · last verified 2026.
· Frequently asked
Speaker coverage —
what people ask first.
Why does SPL drop so much with distance?
Inverse-square law. Every doubling of distance drops SPL by 6 dB in free-field. A 100 dB SPL at 1m becomes 94 dB at 2m, 88 dB at 4m, 82 dB at 8m. In real rooms the reverberant field adds back some energy (typically 3-10 dB at the listening position) so the perceived drop is less dramatic, but the calculator's free-field prediction is the conservative engineering floor.
Why are line-array dispersions so narrow vertically (5-15°)?
Because line-array geometry is designed to control vertical coverage so that distant rows hear the same level as front rows. Each cabinet narrowly aims a slice of the audience; assembling 6-12 cabinets in an array creates a continuous vertical coverage from front-row to back-row with controlled level taper. Horizontally line arrays are typically wide (80-110°) because the seating block is wide.
What's the role of Soundvision / ArrayCalc / K-array prediction software?
Manufacturer prediction software models the actual room geometry (audience block, ceiling, side walls) against the actual speaker positions, splays and processor settings. The calculator gives you a first-order SPL estimate; manufacturer software gives you per-seat SPL prediction with reflections and array taper modelled. Use the calculator for early-stage scoping; specify Soundvision / ArrayCalc as a deliverable on the actual project.
What about Kasper Sound and other brands not in the database?
v1 focuses on 7 brands with broad professional coverage — K-array, KGEAR, JBL Pro, d&b audiotechnik, L-Acoustics, Fonestar and Ecler. Kasper Sound and other domestic / international brands are not in v1 pending verified datasheet collection. Send us the brand and the model spec via /contact; we add verified profiles in editorial batches. The calculator deliberately does not commit half-verified data — it would degrade the trust the tool exists to build.
How accurate is the quantity recommendation?
The quantity figure assumes uniform circular coverage at the -6 dB dispersion axis on the listener plane. It is a first-order estimate and tends to be conservative (recommends slightly more boxes than a manufacturer's prediction software would, because real coverage circles overlap and audio sums coherently). For final design always run the manufacturer's prediction software against actual room geometry.
· Begin
Designing an audio system
for a venue?
Send the floor plate, the seating layout, the SPL target and the brand preference. We respond within two working days with a coverage prediction, a processor architecture and an amplifier specification matched to the room.