— Speaker Coverage · Ceiling 100V
JBL Professional Control 26CT: SPL & coverage
Problem. 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.
Answer. For the restaurant-bgm scene at a 4 m listener distance and 50% drive, the Control 26CT delivers approximately 92 dB SPL, comfortably within a background-music target. Its 110 x 110 degree dispersion gives a horizontal (-6 dB) coverage radius of approximately 5.7 m from a single ceiling position.
02 / In depth
How this preset reads — the engineering view.
The Control 26CT is rated 107 dB maximum SPL at 1 m. Because sound pressure falls with distance under the inverse-square relationship, that figure drops to approximately 95 dB at 4 m when driven at full output, and to approximately 92 dB at 4 m when the planner's drive level is set to 50 percent.
The cabinet's 110 x 110 degree (H x V) dispersion is what sets the approximately 5.7 m horizontal coverage radius at the -6 dB threshold used by the planner. This wide, symmetrical pattern favours even near-field fill under a single ceiling point rather than a tightly thrown beam. Control 26CT is a passive cabinet, so it always needs a matched amplifier channel rather than built-in electronics.
In the planner, drag the listener-distance and drive-level controls to watch the SPL readout move in real time. The suggested box count is a front-coverage estimate based on room area and dispersion radius; SPL adequacy at the chosen listener point is a separate feasibility check, and both should read acceptable before treating a layout as workable.
The planner does not model room reverberation or RT60 decay, coverage zoning across separate seating or bar areas, subwoofer pairing for low-frequency extension, mechanical rigging for arrays, or DSP/delay tuning between multiple ceiling points. Treat its output as a first-pass coverage and SPL check, not a substitute for an on-site acoustic review of the finished space.
What this preset deliberately does not solve
- SPL figures are free-field inverse-square estimates from the rated 1 m sensitivity; real rooms with reflective or absorptive surfaces will read somewhat higher or lower than the planner's number.
- The 5.7 m coverage radius assumes a single ceiling-mounted cabinet aimed straight down; angled mounting, obstructions, or ceiling height outside a typical range will change the effective footprint.
- The planner checks coverage and SPL only; it does not verify amplifier channel matching, cable runs, or ceiling-tile mounting compatibility for this cabinet.
How this preset differs from its siblings
Other ceiling 100V cabinets in the catalogue trade off maximum SPL, dispersion angle, and cone size differently, so the same room and listener distance can land at a different feasibility outcome. The Control 26CT's 107 dB rating and 110 x 110 degree pattern sit toward the wider-coverage, moderate-output end of that range, making it suited to even background-music fill in modest-sized rooms rather than higher-SPL foreground playback. This preset exists because swapping in a narrower or higher-output cabinet on the same 15 x 10 m room changes both the box count and the SPL margin, and visitors searching for this exact model need the numbers for this cabinet, not a generic ceiling-speaker estimate.
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
95
dB · target 75 dB · headroom +20 dB
Coverage radius
5.7
metres · -6 dB axis
Quantity
1
boxes for 150.0 m²
A planning link — not a quote.
- model
- JBL Professional Control 26CT
- max spl
- 107 dB @1m
- spl at listener
- 92 dB · max 95 dB
- dispersion
- H 110° · V 110°
- sensitivity
- 89 dB @1W/1m
- power
- 30 W applied · 60 W RMS
- bandwidth
- 75-20000 Hz
- impedance
- 70V line
- coverage
- r ≈ 5.71 m · area 102.5 m²
6.5-inch in-ceiling speaker with 70V/100V transformer (60W top tap). Workhorse for distributed BGM in offices, restaurants, hospitality corridors.
What changes this estimate
- Room drawings & obstructions
- Confirmed ceiling height
- Finishes & absorption in the space
- Final loudspeaker model & dispersion
Feasibility
95 dB max at the listener carries 20 dB over the 75 dB target — comfortable headroom; a smaller cabinet may be more cost-effective.
A planning link — not a quote.
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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.