Owner`s manual

PAGE 38 Community Solutions™ Owner’s Manual
Community loudspeakers are capable of producing levels in excess of potentially dangerous levels
close to the enclosure. In normal operation it is intended that the listener will at a distance from the
enclosure where SPL levels will be within tolerable limits.
Avoid operating the loudspeaker systems at levels that exceed 100 dB SPL in the listening area for
more than short periods. One way to do this for musical performances is to provide some moderate
boost at the very low and to a lesser extent, at the very high frequencies. Judicious applications of this
type of equalization can make a loudspeaker sound significantly louder than it actually is. Both your
listeners and your loudspeakers will thank you.
It is recommended that a sound level meter be used to verify listening levels. Relatively inexpensive
meters are available that provide adequate accuracy for this purpose.
13.7 Testing And Test Signals
(Refer to the CHAPTER 17 “In Case Of Difficulty” for troubleshooting methods)
To test an SLS or SBS loudspeaker or to reproduce test signals or tones through it for other purposes,
certain precautions must be followed to avoid damage to the loudspeakers. Generally sine wave,
swept tones, pink noise, white noise and other constant level test signals are much harder on a
loudspeaker than normal program material and therefore the potential for damage is much greater.
Also keep in mind that the parameters of the limiting circuitry in the generic limiters are set for the
characteristics of speech and music program – not test signals. Their capability to protect the
loudspeaker is considerably reduced using test signals.
When using noise-type signals, never use power inputs that exceed 50% (-3 dB) of the loudspeaker’s
RMS rating and do not test at this level for more than a few moments. For sine waves and for any
other test signals that must be used for extended periods of time, the power input to the loudspeaker
FIGURE 15: Sound Exposure Limits