How to Choose a Sound System Supplier

Why a sound system cannot be designed from an equipment list

A loudspeaker or microphone does not contain the final result within itself. A product data sheet describes how the device behaves under controlled conditions. Once it is installed in a room, the shape of the space, wall materials, ceiling height and HVAC noise all become part of the result. The same loudspeakers can sound different in two different halls, sometimes dramatically so.

This is why two proposals containing almost the same equipment can produce very different results. The real difference lies in what the supplier learned about the space before writing the equipment list. That is the layer a price comparison table does not show.

The practical consequence is simple: compare the process, not just the individual items. You can evaluate that process by asking questions before the first proposal is even prepared. We look at how this affects the overall cost of the system in our article about lifecycle costs of commercial sound systems. The role supplier selection plays in the overall decision-making process is covered in our complete guide to sound systems for commercial spaces.

What the supplier should establish before proposing a system

The starting point is the intended use. The supplier needs to know the scenarios in which the system will be used, who will operate it and what it needs to cover. A brief that simply says “we need a sound system for this room” is not enough because it does not explain whether the space will be used for speech, music, both, or whether it needs to be divided into separate zones.

The second factor is the space itself. The supplier needs to see the room, either during an on-site survey or through photographs and a floor plan. This establishes what the space can physically accommodate. Without it, the system is being designed blindly.

During the survey, the supplier should establish:

• The shape of the table. Its width, together with the distance to the furthest seat, also influences the required display size.
• The ceiling height.
• The acoustics of the room, including materials and surfaces that absorb or reflect sound.
• Whether there are floor boxes, meaning connection boxes built into the floor that provide connectors where they are needed without running tens of metres of cable across the space.
• Whether there is, for example, a recessed installation box behind the display containing power and network connections.

A supplier who does not ask about these things is designing the solution primarily from the room’s floor area. That type of proposal can be produced in minutes, and whatever is missing only becomes apparent on installation day. We compare both approaches and the signs that distinguish them in our article about whether a sound system should be designed from a catalogue or from the actual space.

Why meeting rooms and auditoriums are designed differently

The purpose and construction of the space determine which design tools are required. This is also a quick way to determine whether a supplier understands the scope of the project.

Smaller spaces such as meeting rooms and conference rooms do not require dedicated acoustic coverage simulation software. Manufacturers provide configuration tools for these types of rooms, which allow the supplier to verify the proposed solution. This is fast, cost-effective and sufficient for this scale of project.

For larger sound reinforcement projects, the technician should simulate the coverage. MediaTech uses MAPP 3D from Meyer Sound or NS-1 from Yamaha, depending on the manufacturer. The simulation shows how the sound level is distributed across the listening area, including where it will be strong and where coverage will be insufficient.

The boundary between these two approaches is not defined simply by floor area or audience size. MediaTech technicians assess ceiling height, room acoustics, seating configuration and the intended use of the sound system.

Of these four factors, intended use is probably the most important.

A congress hall and a restaurant present two different tasks. In a congress hall, speech must remain intelligible. In a restaurant, the objective is pleasant background music. A typical example of a space that may not require a full coverage simulation is a conventional rectangular room with a consistent ceiling height, a clearly defined seating area and no tiered seating. This is not, however, a fixed list of conditions.

Tiered seating or a large-volume room using a suspended line array system can trigger the need for coverage simulation. Where hard reflective surfaces dominate, such as extensive glazing or concrete, room-acoustics simulation may also be required. That is a different task from loudspeaker coverage simulation.

For large projects such as theatres, cinemas or stadiums, room acoustics becomes another separate layer and is addressed through an acoustic study. This is produced using EASE, is usually prepared by a specialised external partner and is charged as a separate service.

For supplier selection, this gives you a simple test.

When an acoustic study makes sense and when it is an unnecessary extra cost

For a meeting room, MediaTech does not normally measure reverberation time. The behaviour of this type of space can be estimated and acoustic treatment can be designed comparatively simply. The technician creates an acoustic model using the physical dimensions of the room and its wall surfaces, then selects suitable acoustic treatment for the walls. The model generates a graph showing the condition before and after treatment. MediaTech uses a model from Vicoustic, whose acoustic panels it also specifies and supplies.

We explain when acoustic treatment helps and when the answer lies in the sound system itself in our article about acoustic treatment versus a more powerful sound system.

For a theatre, cinema or stadium, room acoustics needs to be addressed comprehensively. This is where an acoustic study is required, including simulation as well as acoustic measurement of reverberation time and speech intelligibility. MediaTech usually has this study prepared by a specialised external partner with whom it works, and it is charged separately from the standard system design.

This gives you another useful criterion. A supplier who proposes a full acoustic study for every project is not distinguishing between different scales of work. Ask why it is required for your particular space. On the other hand, a supplier who does not recommend one even for an auditorium where speech intelligibility is critical may simply not be able to provide it.

We explain which spaces require this level of work and what such a study contains in our article about when you need an acoustic study.

Five questions that separate suppliers during the first conversation

You can ask these questions before a proposal is prepared, without having a finished brief or even a confirmed budget.

1. What do you need to know about the space before proposing anything? The answer should include the purpose of the space, usage scenarios, who will operate the system, and either an on-site survey or a floor plan. If the only answer is the size of the room, the proposal is being generated from a table.
2. How will you verify that the proposed coverage is correct? For a smaller room, a manufacturer’s configuration tool is a legitimate answer. For a larger space, the supplier should be able to name the simulation software.
3. When would an acoustic study be unnecessary for my space? A supplier who can explain that boundary understands the scope of their work. A supplier who cannot leaves that decision to you.
4. What documentation will I receive from the design, and what is charged separately? For simple rooms, dedicated project documentation is not normally drawn and manufacturer diagrams are used instead. For more complex projects where different technologies are integrated, project documentation is produced and becomes a paid part of the project.
5. Can you provide design supervision even if another company supplies the equipment? Design supervision can be ordered separately from the equipment supply. It is also a quick test of whether the supplier is selling engineering expertise or merely hardware.

Write the answers down. When the proposals arrive, you will then have a second comparison table that has nothing to do with price but may have a much greater influence on the final result.

What belongs in a sound system project brief

A brief prepared before you approach suppliers makes their proposals easier to compare. It does not need to be long and does not need to specify a single model of equipment.

The brief should describe the space, including its dimensions, ceiling height, materials and HVAC noise. It should define the purpose of the space, usage scenarios and who will operate the system. It should then define the expected result in a form that can be verified during handover and require the supplier to state how coverage will be validated.

The brief should also include target values, and this is where proposals can differ significantly. MediaTech works with values that can realistically be achieved in a completed space.

• For a meeting room or conference room, a reverberation time of 0.6 to 1 second.
• For a meeting room or video conferencing room, speech intelligibility of at least STI 0.7.
• For a congress hall, STI of at least 0.6 and a reverberation time of 0.8 to 1.2 seconds.
• For restaurants, lobbies and hotel spaces, a reverberation time of 0.8 to 1.0 seconds.
• For coverage uniformity, the threshold is a maximum drop of six decibels between the loudest and quietest listening positions. This is checked particularly where tiered seating is used.

Notice that the target intelligibility in a large hall is lower than in a meeting room. This is not a mistake. The larger the space, the more difficult it is to achieve the same acoustic performance, and a brief that ignores this may demand a result that cannot realistically be measured at handover.

Why some of these figures differ from values you may find in technical literature. Values in specialist literature often assume ideal conditions. The figures above are based on practical targets that can be achieved and verified in a completed building. If someone proposes a stricter value in the brief, ask them for an example of a finished space where they achieved it.

Request compliance with AVIXA standards in the brief. MediaTech designs according to them across all types of spaces. This requirement does not prescribe a brand or a particular solution, but it helps distinguish a supplier with a defined design methodology from one without one. For complex spaces, this may be supplemented by STN EN ISO 3382 for reverberation-time measurement and STN 73 0525 and STN 73 0527 for building and room acoustics.

The brief should also clearly define what is included in the price and what is charged separately. This is particularly important for project documentation and acoustic studies, two items that often appear inconsistently across proposals. We explain what the project documentation itself should contain in our article about what an AV project must include.

If you are selecting a supplier through a formal tender with several bidders, company-level criteria are covered in our article about evaluating an AV integrator in a tender. When you are simply comparing two proposals for one room, that process would add unnecessary overhead and the five questions above are enough.

Frequently asked questions

How should two sound system proposals be compared? Establish what each supplier knows about the space, whether they have seen it, what purpose and usage scenarios they asked about, and how they verified the coverage. Differences in the number of loudspeakers or the type of amplifier are consequences of these findings. A proposal prepared without an on-site survey or floor plan is based primarily on an estimate from the room’s floor area.

Does a sound system supplier need to visit the room in person? The supplier needs to see the space, but not necessarily in person. Photographs and a floor plan can be sufficient. An on-site survey is more accurate for refurbishments where the actual condition may differ from the documentation.

When is it unnecessary to measure or simulate a sound system? MediaTech technicians give a conventional rectangular room with a consistent ceiling height, a clearly defined seating area and no tiered seating as an example. This is not a fixed list of conditions, because the intended use of the space also matters. In this type of room, sound behaviour can often be estimated and acoustic treatment applied comparatively simply.

Is acoustic measurement part of a standard sound system design? No. Measurement of reverberation time and intelligibility is part of an acoustic study used for larger projects. It is usually prepared by a specialised external partner and charged separately. For meeting rooms, MediaTech does not normally measure reverberation time because the behaviour of the space can be estimated from its dimensions and surfaces.

What does it mean when an integrator is a PSNI member? PSNI Global Alliance is an international membership alliance of AV integrators with a vetting and verification process. Membership indicates that a company has passed the alliance’s verification process. It is not a certification in the sense of a technical standard. MediaTech is the only Slovak member of the alliance.

What is the difference between design supervision and equipment supply? Design supervision checks implementation against the approved design, including whether the specified equipment is being installed and whether it is being installed in the intended locations. Equipment supply covers the hardware itself and its installation. Design supervision can also be ordered as a standalone service. Define this before signing the contract so that the same work is not charged twice.

Next step

If you are currently comparing sound system proposals and they do not appear directly comparable, they are probably missing a common brief. Send us the floor plan and photographs of the space together with a description of what you need to do there, and we will assess what can be designed for it.

Email us at mediatech@mediatech.sk or call +421 2 20 999 700.