DESIGN OF ROOMS FOR

SPEECH

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 Intelligibility
Reverberation Time

Volume per seat value

Short delayed Reflection (Path difference to
time delay gap)

External Noise

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 In auditoriums for speech, intelligibility

must be given top priority.

If a space is used for theatrical performances,

the audience rightfully expects to understand
every single word uttered by the performers.
Speech
sounds
contain
vowels
and
consonants. These mostly consisting of
vowels,
endow
a
persons
distinctive
characteristics, contributing to the basic tone
of speech.
Vowels emphasize the natural qualities of
speech.
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 Intelligibility also depends on the proper

recognition of consonant sounds which are often
short sounds of very high frequency in rapid
succession and with a limited acoustical
power compared to vowels.
The preservation of both vowels and
consonant sounds is therefore important
in achieving favorable speech acoustics.

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 In the absence of a soundamplification

system the larger an auditorium is, the
more effort a speaker must exert in order to
make himself understood in every part of
the room, particularly at the remote seats.
Proper reverberation reinforces the
loudness
of
speech,
but
excessive
reverberation harms intelligibility by
blurring and masking newly spoken
syllables by the still audible reverberation of
previously uttered syllables.

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Speech Acoustics in Auditoriums

To provide the desirable degree of intelligibility,
particular attention should be paid to the following
points.
1. The paths of direct sound waves should be
as short as possible to reduce sound-energy
losses in the air.
This requires a compact room shape with a
short distance between sound source and
listeners and with a volume-per-seat value
of about 80 to 150 cu ft (2.3 to 4.3 cum),
preferably nearer the lower figure.
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2. Unamplified speech sound travelling

directly from source to listener is hardly
understandable beyond about 30 to 40 ft(9
to 12 m).
It is therefore essential that shortdelayed sound reflections from reflective
surfaces
arrive at the listeners position
with a path difference of not more than
about 30 to 35 ft (9 to 10.5 m), corresponding
to a time-delay gap of about 30 msec.

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3. The seats should be laid out in such a

pattern that they fall within an angle of
about 1400 from the position of the speaker.

This is necessary to preserve high-frequency

speech sounds, which would lose power
outside this angle because of their directional
characteristics.
In the interest of ample direct sound supply,
such obstructing elements as columns or
deep under-balcony spaces should be avoided.

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4. The RT of the auditorium should be as

close as possible to the ideal value
throughout
the
entire
audio-frequency
range.
It must be also noted that achievement of a
short RT alone is no guarantee of good
hearing conditions in rooms used for speech.
The acoustical finishes applied in the room
should
have
uniform
absorption
characteristics between 250 and 8000 Hz to
prevent excessive absorption of vowel or
consonant sounds within this frequency
range.
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5. The control of noise is fundamental in

the acoustical design of rooms used for
speech.

At frequencies from 125 to 4000 Hz

intelligibility is seriously affected by the
background noise.
When the speech level is too low, it is
partially submerged in the background noise
and intelligibility suffers.

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The noises of various characteristics mask

speech sounds to a different extent,
depending not only on the intensity level of
the background noise but also on its
information content.
Speech intelligibility in an auditorium can
be
determined
quantitatively
by
articulation testing.

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