— Speaker Coverage · Auditorium
300-seat conference auditorium — speech-priority line array
Problem. A 300-seat corporate auditorium needs 85 dB of intelligible speech at the rear row with even SPL across the seating bowl and minimal visual impact.
Answer. A narrow-vertical install line-array (here a K-array Vyper KV102) hung from the stage edge delivers controlled vertical dispersion that reaches the rear without exciting the ceiling. The planner sizes box count against the rectangular seating footprint.
02 / In depth
How this preset reads — the engineering view.
Speech in a 300-seat room is a dispersion problem before a power problem. A point-source cabinet will reach the rear but light up the ceiling on the way (causing slap-back and reducing STI); an install line-array trades a slightly more involved rigging plan for the vertical control that keeps the speech wavefront pointed at heads, not at the ceiling plane.
This preset assumes a 25 × 14 m room (300 seats at the usual 1.2 m² per seat plus aisles), a 20 m listener distance to the back row, and 50 % power. The Vyper KV102 referenced is one of the architectural install columns; the same input shape works for d&b 24S, L-Acoustics A15 Focus, JBL Pro CBT series or QSC AcousticDesign — switch in the dropdown to compare SPL and box count.
Expect the planner to report SPL at the listener around the 85 dB target with comfortable headroom (the install line-array is over-spec for pure speech, but the dispersion control is what justifies it). The recommended quantity should land at 2 (left + right of stage) for this geometry; a single box would centre-image but the L/R is the convention for stereo program material as well as speech.
What this preset can't see: ceiling-reflection problems in a glass-and-concrete auditorium, the subwoofer requirement for program material above speech (the cabinet rolls off above 70–90 Hz depending on model), and the DSP / processor configuration that actually delivers the predicted dispersion at the listener.
What this preset deliberately does not solve
- Subwoofer pairing is not modelled — most install columns need a sub above ~80 Hz for music program.
- Acoustic treatment (RT60) determines whether the dispersion calculation survives contact with the room.
- Real auditorium designs use measurement + simulation (EASE / MAPP / SoundVision) — the planner is a triage tool, not a final design.
How this preset differs from its siblings
The hotel-lobby preset solves a small-room, low-SPL background problem with a point-source cabinet. The 500-cap worship preset solves a large-room, high-SPL music-programme problem with a touring-grade line-array. This preset sits between them: medium-sized room, speech-priority (not music), and the choice of an install column over a point-source is driven by dispersion control rather than SPL — the calculator will show comfortable SPL headroom and the engineering value is in the vertical beam pattern, not the dB figure.
03 / Hydrated calculator
Try the configuration — live.
The calculator below is preloaded with this preset’s state. Adjust any input — your URL stays shareable.
— Planner · speaker coverage
SPL, coverage radius and quantity, estimated.
Pick a brand, model and application. An indicative free-field SPL at the listener, coverage radius on the -6 dB axis and a planning-level box count for the room — a starting point for design, not a final specification. K-array, KGEAR, JBL Pro, d&b, L-Acoustics, Fonestar, Ecler.
Max SPL at listener
94
dB · target 85 dB · headroom +9 dB
Coverage radius
50.0
metres · -6 dB axis
Quantity
1
boxes for 350.0 m²
A planning link — not a quote.
- model
- K-array Vyper-KV102 II
- max spl
- 120 dB @1m
- spl at listener
- 91 dB · max 94 dB
- dispersion
- H 140° · V 7°
- power
- 150 W applied · 300 W RMS
- bandwidth
- 150-18000 Hz
- impedance
- 8 ohm
- coverage
- r ≈ 50.00 m · area 7854.0 m²
The full one-metre Vyper — sixteen 1-inch drivers, 7° vertical for long, even throw down a room while disappearing against the wall. Default architectural choice for larger auditoria and worship spaces where boxes must not show.
What changes this estimate
- Room drawings & obstructions
- Confirmed ceiling height
- Finishes & absorption in the space
- Final loudspeaker model & dispersion
A planning link — not a quote.
· Other presets for speaker coverage planner
Speaker Coverage · Hospitality
Hotel lobby — background music, 20 × 12 m
A premium hotel lobby needs even, conversation-friendly background audio at 70–75 dB without ceiling speakers that visibly puncture the architecture.
Speaker Coverage · House of Worship
500-capacity house of worship — touring-grade headroom
A 500-capacity worship space needs 90 dB of headroom for music programme plus speech, even coverage across pews and a system that won't be the visual subject.
Speaker Coverage · Touring line array
L-Acoustics K2 touring line array — SPL & coverage
A 40 x 25 m live event space needs confirmed SPL at the furthest listener position, not just a box count, before the touring line-array design is locked. The decision that matters here is whether the rated output of a single K2 element, once distance and drive level are accounted for, actually clears the target at the back of the room.
Speaker Coverage · Install line array
L-Acoustics A15 Focus — SPL & coverage in a 30 × 18 m hall
A 30 × 18 m conference auditorium needs confirmed SPL at the furthest listener before committing to a passive install line-array cabinet, and needs to know how far its horizontal pattern actually reaches before spacing hangs across the room.
Speaker Coverage · Touring line array
d&b audiotechnik V8 — SPL & coverage for live events
A 40 × 25 m live-event space needs confirmed SPL at a 20 m listener position plus a defensible horizontal coverage figure before a touring line-array cabinet is committed to the rig plan.
Speaker Coverage · Install line array
d&b audiotechnik Y8 SPL & coverage
A 30 x 18 m conference auditorium needs enough level at the back rows without over-driving the front seats or spraying sound onto side walls. The d&b audiotechnik Y8, an install line array cabinet with a narrow 80 x 10 degree dispersion, is a common candidate for this kind of long, level-critical throw.
Speaker Coverage · Install line array
JBL Professional VRX932LA-1 SPL & Coverage
A 30 x 18 m conference auditorium needs enough clean SPL at the rearmost listener without the horizontal pattern spilling wastefully past the seated area. The JBL Professional VRX932LA-1 is a passive install line-array cabinet, so the coverage decision has to weigh its rated output headroom against room depth and driven level together.
Speaker Coverage · Install line array
JBL Professional SRX906LA — SPL & coverage, conference hall
A 30 × 18 m conference auditorium needs dependable SPL at a 15 m listener position without over-driving the cabinet or lighting up the side walls with excess horizontal spill.
Speaker Coverage · Point source
JBL Professional Control 25-1: SPL & coverage
A 20 x 12 m restaurant relying on background music needs a cabinet that stays intelligible at a 6 m listening distance without overpowering nearby tables. The real decision is whether the Control 25-1's rated output and dispersion give adequate SPL at that distance once drive level is set for comfortable background listening rather than full output.
Speaker Coverage · Steerable column
JBL Professional CBT 70J-1 — SPL & coverage
A 20 × 12 m house-of-worship hall needs even, intelligible coverage out to a 12 m listener without a visible line-array or a forest of ceiling speakers. The design question is whether a single steerable column can hold usable SPL at the back of the room while keeping its vertical pattern off the ceiling and walls.
Speaker Coverage · Ceiling 100V
JBL Professional Control 26CT: SPL & coverage
A 15 x 10 m restaurant relying on background music needs to know whether a single ceiling cabinet keeps speech-and-music levels comfortable at typical table distances, not just how many boxes fit the floor plan on paper. The Control 26CT's rated output and dispersion answer both the SPL-adequacy question and the physical coverage-radius question for this specific cabinet before layout is finalised.
Speaker Coverage · Install line array
K-array Python KP102 I: SPL & Coverage
A conference auditorium roughly 30 x 18 m needs predictable speech and programme coverage to the back rows without over-driving the front seats. For a passive install line array cabinet such as the Python KP102 I, the real design question is whether its rated output and dispersion can hold usable SPL out to the furthest listener while the horizontal pattern still matches the room width.
Speaker Coverage · Point source
K-array Domino KF212: SPL & Coverage Preset
In a 25 x 18 m live event space, the practical question is not just how many Domino KF212 boxes to hang but whether the SPL reaching a listener at 12 m still lands in a usable range once drive is pulled back from full output. The 90 deg x 60 deg dispersion also has to be checked against the room's width before assuming a single hang covers the floor edge to edge.
Speaker Coverage · Point source
K-array Lyzard KZ1 I — SPL & coverage
A 20 x 12 m restaurant dining room needs even background-music coverage without the cabinet becoming a visual or acoustic distraction at the table. The real decision is whether a compact point-source cabinet like the K-array Lyzard KZ1 I can hold a comfortable listening level out to the far tables at a sensible drive setting.
Speaker Coverage · Touring line array
K-array Firenze KH8 SPL & coverage
A touring line-array cabinet has to hold intelligible level across a large live-event floor without over-driving the box or leaving the back rows short. For a 40 x 25 m room, the real question is not just ”will it get loud enough” but whether the rated output and the 120 x 30 degree pattern still deliver usable SPL and width at the listener position that matters most.
Speaker Coverage · Install line array
K-array Kobra KK102 I — SPL & coverage in a 30 × 18 m hall
A 30 × 18 m conference auditorium needs confirmed SPL at the rear listener and a defensible horizontal coverage radius before the K-array Kobra KK102 I is specified as the install line-array of choice.
Speaker Coverage · Point source
K-array Tornado KT2: SPL & coverage at 6 m
A 20 x 12 m restaurant relying on background music needs the loudspeaker's rated output to translate into usable, even level at the listener's seat, not just at the cabinet face. For the Tornado KT2, a compact passive point-source box rated 100 dB SPL at 1 m, the real question is what level and coverage radius it actually delivers once distance and drive level are factored in.
Speaker Coverage · Touring line array
K-array Mugello KH5: SPL & Coverage for Touring Rigs
A touring line array cabinet like the Mugello KH5 has to hold usable SPL across a large live-event floor while its horizontal and vertical dispersion decide how many listener positions actually stay inside the pattern. In a 40 x 25 m room, the real question is not just ”is it loud enough at the mix position” but whether the -6 dB coverage angle actually reaches the back and sides of the floor without over-driving the box.
Speaker Coverage · Install line array
K-array Vyper KV102 II — SPL & coverage
A 30 x 18 m conference auditorium needs speech-priority coverage that reaches the back rows without spraying sound onto the ceiling or side walls. The Vyper KV102 II is an install-grade passive line array cabinet, so the real design question is whether its rated output and dispersion can hold usable SPL out to a 15 m listener while its narrow vertical pattern keeps the throw controlled.
Speaker Coverage · Point source
K-array Mastiff KM312P: SPL & coverage at 12 m
A single K-array Mastiff KM312P point-source cabinet is being considered to cover a 25 x 18 m live event space from one flown or stacked position. The real question is whether its rated output and dispersion still deliver an adequate level at a listener 12 m out, not just at the mix position.
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Brief us on the project — with this configuration.
Presets are a typology starting point. The brief wizard captures the room geometry, programme and constraints we need to translate this configuration into a real design.