— Speaker Coverage · Hospitality
Hotel lobby — background music, 20 × 12 m
Problem. A premium hotel lobby needs even, conversation-friendly background audio at 70–75 dB without ceiling speakers that visibly puncture the architecture.
Answer. An ultra-compact full-range cabinet (here a K-array Lyzard KZ1 point source) covers the seating zone from a discreet mount; the planner shows SPL at the typical listener distance and the rectangular coverage radius the cabinet's dispersion can serve.
02 / In depth
How this preset reads — the engineering view.
Hotel lobby audio is a hospitality decision before it is an audio decision. The brief is the opposite of a concert hall — speech and music must be present but never the subject of attention. The standard target is 70–75 dB at the listener, calibrated against a noise floor of HVAC, fountains, conversation and footfall.
This preset configures the planner for a typical 20 × 12 m lobby with a listener distance of around 6 m from the nearest cabinet, a 50 % power setting on the speaker (BGM headroom, not peak) and a point-source dispersion that suits the open ceiling plane. The cabinet shown — a K-array Lyzard KZ1 — is one of several valid choices; swap to any other point-source in the dropdown to see the SPL and quantity implications.
The output you should read: SPL at listener (target 70 dB, the planner flags ≥ 12 dB headroom as wasteful in this application), coverage radius on the −6 dB axis (use it to step out the cabinet spacing along the lobby ceiling), and quantity (the planner divides room area by per-cabinet coverage to suggest a baseline count — a real design will then account for obstructions and zone boundaries).
Note what the calculator deliberately doesn't show: it doesn't model the reverberant field of a hard-floored marble lobby (reverb time will inflate effective SPL by 3–6 dB and demand more directional cabinets), and it doesn't allocate audio to zones (entry foyer vs lounge vs reception desk — usually separate amp channels with separate volume profiles).
What this preset deliberately does not solve
- Reverberant field of hard-floor lobbies is not modelled — expect 3–6 dB inflation in real rooms.
- Zoning (entry vs lounge vs reception) is a downstream amplifier-channel decision, not a coverage one.
- Coverage uses the narrower of horizontal / vertical dispersion — ceiling-mounted cabinets behave differently in vertical reach than wall-mounted.
How this preset differs from its siblings
Sibling presets for this tool target much larger rooms with much higher SPL targets — a 300-seat auditorium (85 dB speech, dispersion problem) and a 500-cap worship hall (90 dB music headroom, touring-grade cabinet). This preset is the small-room, low-SPL, conversation-friendly end of the calculator's scope: 70 dB target, point-source cabinet, no line-array, no subwoofer pairing. Use this preset when the brief is 'audio should be heard but not noticed'.
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
70
dB · target 75 dB · headroom -5 dB
Coverage radius
16.5
metres · -6 dB axis
Quantity
1
boxes for 240.0 m²
A planning link — not a quote.
- model
- K-array Lyzard-KZ1 I
- max spl
- 86 dB @1m
- spl at listener
- 67 dB · max 70 dB
- dispersion
- H 140° · V 140°
- power
- 2 W applied · 3.5 W RMS
- bandwidth
- 500-18000 Hz
- impedance
- 16 ohm
- coverage
- r ≈ 16.48 m · area 853.7 m²
Single 0.5-inch driver in an aluminium body barely wider than a fingertip. The most discreet cabinet in the range — specified where the speaker must vanish into premium retail, museum or hospitality interiors. Always paired with a sub for any real bandwidth.
What changes this estimate
- Room drawings & obstructions
- Confirmed ceiling height
- Finishes & absorption in the space
- Final loudspeaker model & dispersion
Feasibility
Even at full output this cabinet reaches only 70 dB at 6 m — below the 75 dB target for Restaurant BGM. Reduce the distance, add boxes, or choose a higher-output model.
A planning link — not a quote.
· Other presets for speaker coverage planner
Speaker Coverage · Auditorium
300-seat conference auditorium — speech-priority line array
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.
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.
· Next
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.