Boardroom AV Certification: Measurement Standards

Certification Measurements

1. Background noise (NC rating). Measure octave band levels per the SonaVyx SPL Meter with HVAC at normal operating level. Target: NC-25 to NC-30 for executive boardrooms, NC-30 to NC-35 for standard conference rooms. Projector fans and AV rack noise count.
2. Reverberation time (RT60). Use the SonaVyx RT60 tool. Target: 0.4-0.6 seconds for rooms under 200 m³. Excessive RT60 degrades teleconference audio and in-room speech clarity.
3. Speech intelligibility (STI). Measure STIPA at each seat position with the ceiling speaker system active. Target: STI ≥ 0.60 at all positions. Below 0.55, remote participants on video calls will struggle to understand in-room speakers.
4. Frequency response. Capture transfer function of the ceiling speaker system at 3-5 positions. Verify ±6 dB deviation from flat across 200 Hz - 8 kHz. Flag any positions with significantly worse response (under tables, near walls).
5. Video conferencing echo test. With the far-end microphone and speakers active, check for echo using SonaVyx's Problem Detector. Acoustic echo should be below -40 dB relative to the direct signal.

Reporting

Use the Report Generator with the Technical Commissioning template. Include: NC rating per position, RT60 per octave band, STI map of all seats, frequency response plots, and pass/fail summary against the project specification.

Common Mistakes

• Measuring with the video display off. Large flat-panel displays reflect sound and affect RT60 and STI. Measure with all AV equipment in its operating state.
• Ignoring HVAC fan speed. Some boardrooms have variable HVAC that ramps up during meetings. Measure at maximum fan speed for the worst case.
• Certifying without remote participants. Boardroom audio includes the video conferencing system. Test the full chain including far-end transmission.

Tool Bridge

Run the complete certification protocol: NC measurement → RT60 → STI → Transfer Function → Report Generation.