Vaddio EasyTalk Solutions Manual - Manual (Page 12)

EasyTalk USB Tools
Vaddio EasyTalk USB Solution - Document Number 342-0449 Rev B Page 12 of 48
Room Design & Applications
 Room Considerations and Layout:
o Room Acoustics
The room’s acoustical characteristics play an important part on the performance of the audio conference.
Two key factors impacting speech intelligibility in conference room applications are reverberation and noise.
Reverberation refers to reflected audio signals that bounce off walls, tables, ceilings and arrive at the listener
at a later time than the direct sound from the talker (see diagram).
Diagram: Example of Reverberation Effects
Reverberation reduces the comprehension of the speech by the listener. Most users have experienced the
hollow tunnel sounding speech during an audio conference. This is typically attributed to a highly reflective room
in which hands-free audio is being conducted. Negative effects of reverberation within the meeting room can be
reduced with some simple damping treatments. Design options include:
 Acoustical Wall Panels: Acoustical wall panels can be installed within the room to reduce the reflections off
walls.
 Window Treatments: Glass is a highly reflective material for audio. Installation of blinds will reduce the
reflections significantly.
 Floor Treatments: Floor treatments such as carpet or rugs will reduce the reflective properties of the room
and improve acoustical properties for conferences.
The second acoustical characteristic that can impede speech quality within a conference room is the ambient
noise level. The higher the noise level within a room, the more difficult a listener will have in comprehending
speech content from the talker. Noise sources can include air handlers, room equipment, and lighting systems.
The overall noise characteristics within a room are called Noise Criteria (NC). The noise criteria are a
measurement of sound pressure level (in a space with no talkers) in relationship to frequency.