You are designing a paging system for a 588 sq m (6325 sq ft) open office space. Due to architectural features of the ceiling, wall mounted speakers must be used. Following the general rule about…

Eight speakers would provide coverage for only about 4000 sq ft (8 x 500), leaving roughly 2325 sq ft of the space with inadequate audio coverage.

Ten speakers covers approximately 5000 sq ft, still 1325 sq ft short of the total area, resulting in uneven sound levels in portions of the office.

Applying the wall-mounted speaker rule of one speaker per 500 sq ft: 6325 sq ft / 500 sq ft = 12.65, which rounds to 12 speakers. This rule accounts for the more directional dispersion pattern of wall-mounted speakers compared to ceiling speakers, ensuring uniform SPL coverage throughout the open office floor area.

Fourteen speakers exceeds the calculated requirement by nearly two units, introducing unnecessary cost and potential comb filtering or acoustic interference between overlapping coverage zones.