There oughta be a law!

07/29/2021

I hear this a lot: “When people speak in the hall you can’t understand a word they are saying.” I ask “Can you understand me now, with the audio system off?” “Yes” they reply. “Okay, so what do you think is causing the problem?”

The good sized hall shown below has this problem, and no amount of explaining the physics and direct versus reflected sound could convince the potential client to A, stop using the amplification or B, replace the system.

That’s correct, the speakers in the system are 4-inch ceiling speakers which, while inadequate to begin with, are mounted on the walls, well above the audience ears, sending most of their energy up to reverberate in the ceiling. There oughta be a law!

Ultimately, people do not want to believe what their ears are clearly telling them.