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Soft - Model SMS-SURF4 -Direct Field Sound Masking & Paging Speaker

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The SMS-SURF4 is a compact sound masking speaker designed to be flush-mounted on ceiling tiles or drywall ceilings. It’s best suited for offices with limited plenum space, or when ensuring superior paging/background music loudness and clarity through drywall or suspended gypsum-board ceilings is important. SMS-SURF4 speakers can be powered by a 25V/70V constant voltage amplifier and daisy chained to achieve very large office sound masking/paging installations at very low costs.

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  • Delivers ideal performance for playing background music and public announcements alternatively with sound masking
  • Better sounding alternative to Biamp`s QT emitters for sound masking applications requiring a direct field approach
  • Built-in rotary switch power tap selector makes it easy to adjust the output level of individual loudspeakers
  • Compliant with City of Chicago Environmental Air (CCEA) regulations

Sound Masking Speakers Firing Upward or Downward: What`s the Best Approach in Terms of Spatial Uniformity?

Direct field or plenum speakers: which are better in terms of sound masking coverage and uniformity? There`s a lot of marketing hype out there. But as acoustical engineers, we prefer scientifically proven facts. At the fall 2018 InterNoise Conference in Chicago, we`ve presented a research paper based on measurable and repeatable experiments to demonstrate how the two main speaker approaches in sound masking compared in terms of spatial uniformity achieved throughout a given workspace. The conclusions of the study are quite interesting.

Up-Firing Plenum Speakers

Leveraging the plenum space height to achieve a wider coverage and better uniformity of the sound masking.

  • Superior spatial uniformity of the masking sound, paging, and ambient music, with virtually no dead spots across the space.
  • Even if the plenum space is obstructed, spatial uniformity is significantly better than with direct-field type, downward firing speakers mounted in the drop ceiling or drywall ceiling.
  • Allow for more flexible, cleaner, faster, and cheaper installation without the need to make holes in the ceiling and acoustic tiles.
  • Perfectly adapted to exposed ceiling designs and suspended ceiling systems alike, in terms of sound masking performance, coverage uniformity, electrical safety, and visual aesthetic.
Down-Firing Direct Field Speakers

Achieving effective sound masking along with paging and background music in office spaces with drywall ceilings.

  • Down-firing sound masking speakers make most sense in office designs where the plenum space height is limited or heavily obstructed.
  • Typically a better approach with drywall ceilings and suspended gypsum-board ceilings: upward firing speakers are no match in such conditions since the sound output bouncing off the ceiling deck may become too weak as it enters the space through the thick gypsum.
  • Can deliver louder, clearer sound in paging and background music applications, making them a better option when the need to broadcast highly intelligible public announcements through the sound masking system is mission critical. They`re really paging-friendly speakers.