Conference room sound systems – how to plan them
The sound system in a conference room determines whether participants can understand the speaker and remote participants from every seat. It is planned together with the room layout, microphones, video conferencing and control – and in hotels and office buildings, with zoning as well. PROAV has designed and installed sound systems in, among others, seven conference rooms at the Ministry of Education and Science, the banquet hall of the Hotel Mercure in Mrągowo covering more than 500 m², the headquarters of the Polish Bank Association (Związek Banków Polskich) and Hotel BoniFaCio. Below we describe how we approach a project like this, step by step.
Matched to the room's size and layout. We determine the number and placement of loudspeakers for each room individually – at the ministry, for each of the seven conference rooms.
One installation, several room layouts. A room divided by a movable wall works as a whole or as independent sections, without moving any equipment.
Sound together with microphones and video conferencing. We connect the loudspeakers with the microphones, discussion system and video conferencing so that everything is run from a single panel.
From design to service. We select the equipment, install it, commission the system, train the staff and provide service.
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The number of loudspeakers depends on floor area and layout. In the ministry's seven conference rooms we designed a ceiling sound system using two-way Apart Audio CM20T loudspeakers, matching their number and placement to the size and layout of each room so that sound is distributed evenly.
A large room needs a dense grid of loudspeakers. In the banquet hall at Hotel Mercure, covering approximately 500 m², we installed 36 JBL 8124 full-range loudspeakers. Sound reaches every part of the hall – both during speeches and with music.
The room layout matters. A room with theatre-style seating needs a different sound system from one with round tables. We describe loudspeaker types and system components on our page Commercial sound systems.
One installation, four rooms. The banquet hall in Mrągowo can be divided by partition walls into four sections. We positioned the loudspeakers, projectors and screens so that they work both in the open hall and in each of the separate sections.
A panel for each section and a combine button. The system is controlled by AMX: each of the four rooms has a wall panel, and pressing the combine button joins all the audio zones into one.
The same applies in offices. At the Polish Bank Association headquarters, the largest room is divided into two by a movable wall, and at Expondo in Zielona Góra the client selects the audio source and volume from a touch panel for each section separately or for the whole room.
A sound system for the entire headquarters. In the refurbished headquarters of the Polish Bank Association, the first stage was a sound system for the reception, corridors and washrooms. We used frameless Apart Audio CMX20DT loudspeakers that blend discreetly into the ceiling, powered by an Apart Audio MA120 mixing amplifier.
Music from an app. Music is played by an Apart Audio PMR4000RmkII player with an FM tuner and internet radio, and staff select and adjust it from a mobile app.
Deployment in stages. We carried out the work in step with the refurbishment, and thanks to our cooperation with the interior designer, the suspended ceilings were prepared for AV installation from the outset.
Four zones with independent control. At Hotel BoniFaCio each zone has its own audio source and volume. At the heart of the system is an Apart Audio ZONE4 matrix with ZONE4R panels in each zone – staff adjust the sound directly in the space concerned.
Moisture-resistant loudspeakers. In the Spa & Wellness area we used Apart Audio CMAR8T-W ceiling loudspeakers rated IP65, resistant to chlorinated water and high temperatures.
Banquets and conferences. In hotels with conference facilities, a single room hosts banquets, conferences and several parallel training sessions, so we design the sound system for each of these layouts. Find out more: AV systems for hotels.
All the electronics in one place. At Hotel BoniFaCio we installed all the control and amplification equipment in a rack cabinet in the technical room, which keeps the installation tidy and makes it easier to maintain.
A processor tailors the sound. In Mrągowo the loudspeakers are powered by a four-channel Crown CDI 4|300 amplifier, and a matrix with a BSS BLU100 DSP processor lets staff tailor the sound to the type of event.
Amplifiers matched to the loudspeakers. At the ministry the loudspeakers work with mixing amplifiers from the same manufacturer – Apart Audio MA65 and MA120 – which make full use of their power.
Microphones for speeches. In the Hotel Mercure banquet hall, staff have four AKG WMS420 wireless microphones with an antenna system, useful for training sessions and ceremonies. In the ministry's rooms we installed Audio-Technica System 10 Pro wireless sets.
Debates around the table. In the ministry's two largest rooms we installed several dozen TAIDEN HCS-5300 wireless microphone units. The units transmit audio by infrared, so they can be set out without running any cables.
Council or board meeting room. We explain how to choose delegate units and voting in our guide voting system for a council chamber and on our page Discussion systems.
Remote participants heard throughout the room. In video conferencing rooms we combine loudspeakers with ceiling microphones and an audio processor with echo cancellation, and integrate the sound system with room control.
Upgrading without replacing working audio. At Klub Bankowca ZBP we connected the new Poly video conferencing system to the existing sound system: ceiling loudspeakers, a wired Bosch discussion system and wireless microphones. The client did not have to replace audio infrastructure that was working well.
A large room divided in two. The Club's main room is 20 metres long, holds up to 120 people and can be divided by a movable wall – participants start meetings from a single touch panel.
We match the number of loudspeakers to the floor area, height and layout of each room. For example, the banquet hall at Hotel Mercure in Mrągowo, covering approx. 500 m², has 36 JBL 8124 loudspeakers, while in the rooms at the Ministry of Education and Science we determined the number of Apart Audio CM20T ceiling loudspeakers separately for each of the seven rooms.
For speeches – wireless handheld or headset microphones (e.g. AKG WMS420 at Hotel Mercure); for debates around the table – discussion system units (e.g. wireless TAIDEN HCS-5300 at the ministry); and in video conferencing rooms – ceiling microphones with an echo-cancelling processor.
Not always. At Klub Bankowca ZBP we connected the new video conferencing system to the existing ceiling loudspeakers, Bosch discussion system and wireless microphones, without replacing equipment that was working.
Loudspeakers with an appropriate ingress protection rating. In the Spa & Wellness area at Hotel BoniFaCio we used IP65-rated Apart Audio CMAR8T-W ceiling loudspeakers, resistant to chlorinated water and high temperatures.
Staff or reception, without a technician: from wall panels by each section of the room (Hotel Mercure, AMX control), from ZONE4R zone panels (Hotel BoniFaCio) or from a mobile app (reception at the Polish Bank Association).
How is the room used? Presentations, video conferences, debates, banquets or training sessions – this determines the choice of loudspeakers and microphones.
Is the room divisible? If so, we design zones and control for each room layout.
What are the ceilings and finishes like? A suspended ceiling, the materials and the room acoustics determine the type of loudspeakers and how they are mounted.
Who will operate the system? A wall panel, zone panel, app or the room control system.
What stage is the refurbishment at? It is best to plan the sound system together with the interior designer – as at the Polish Bank Association headquarters.
A sound system for a room in your company or hotel
Send us a floor plan or the room dimensions and describe how it is used – we will propose loudspeaker placement, microphones and control, with a quote for the complete installation.
