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Need active speaker recommendation for surgical suite

cEbNVDyfMy

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Hello All,

I have a 16'1"(4.902m) by 10'7" (3.226m) / 170.2 square feet/15.814 square meters room being used as a medical procedure suite.

A patient typically is lying on a table situated along the long axis of the room.

Staff works primarily to the left or right of the patient along the long axis of the table.

In other words, the patient stays stationary in the room and staff are spending most time to the left or right of the patient roughly in the middle of the room along the long axis.

We would like to install a good stereo system for this room.

There are various medical machines running in the room at all times. The baseline noise floor with all the machines running is about 50db. We rarely see above 60dB with music playing and machines running on as we need to be able to hear each other talk as well as to hear muffled words from the patient. The music is never played loudly.

The music is generally playing fairly softly with a lot of background noise.

I'm looking for recommendations for an active speaker system that can be mounted on the wall at one end of the long axis of the room. It is not possible to use floor stands due to space constraints.

In addition, I'd like to utilize DSP such as DIRAC, GLM, MA1, etc.

Music source is streaming audio from a Wiim Pro or similar device from Tidal or Qobuz.

In addition to that, I think off-axis performance is likely important given staff moving about the room.

The speakers would need to be able to be cleaned on occasion and may be exposed to fairly gentle cleaning chemicals, thus no fine wood finishes are needed.

It seems the Neumann KH120 or KH180 would fit the bill, but is the off axis response ideal? The KEF LS50 is an option as we cannot use high volumes. Genelec the one series would work but are too expensive I think. I'm not sure there is room for a subwoofer, unless it is small.

I am open to any ideas. Thank you in advance.
 
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Something attached to the ceiling or high on the wall firing downwards would be out of everyone’s way, you would need to source suitable brackets or some ‘pro’ actives have mounting in their sides and can be used with a ‘u’ bracket to allow change in angle.
If you can find something contemporary such as the KEF ‘wireless’ range could simply bluetooth to your phone or wifi, add a streaming service subscription and you have a very neat system that plays. at the touch of your screen.
Keith
 
Something like a Sonos Five, Era 300 or their Move 2, you can get a pair or an individual speaker. The Move 2 is probable the most cleanable as it is made for rain outside. This would allow voice control for music and volume.
 
Something like a Sonos Five, Era 300 or their Move 2, you can get a pair or an individual speaker. The Move 2 is probable the most cleanable as it is made for rain outside. This would allow voice control for music and volume.
I like the idea but looking for a higher end solution than sonos.
 
Sonos is perfect for this use case, but if you want to spend more money then maybe Genelec 8330/8340 with a GLM kit, in a custom color that matches the walls, or white and maybe 4 or 5 speakers (for nicely enveloping surround sound) instead of 2? The other good thing about them is quite a lot of mounting accessories, cabinet material, built in calibration and possibility to use whatever number of speakers you'll ever want.
 
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I like the idea but looking for a higher end solution than sonos.
Sonos is better than you might think, check Amir's review, the measurements do not tell a story of careless engineering.

For this application I'd want very wide dispersion, I'd probably be less worried about stereo image... so to me a couple Sonos 5s would not be a bad option.

If that seems too pedestrian I might go with the LS50s or KH120s.
 
Some JBL comes to mind... but from early 90'th ... then did a good job from wall mounted.
 
Sonos is better than you might think, check Amir's review, the measurements do not tell a story of careless engineering.

For this application I'd want very wide dispersion, I'd probably be less worried about stereo image... so to me a couple Sonos 5s would not be a bad option.

If that seems too pedestrian I might go with the LS50s or KH120s.
I just looked at Amir's review of the Sonos 5 and it was impressive indeed, I might order one for a different application.
 
I do like the suggestion above of ceiling speakers, or wall mounted near the ceiling (you could even do mono to the speakers in the ceiling). If the speaker is on a table top, people will touch it and then you'll need to sterilize it and clean it. With ceiling or high wall mounted, you clean them once and then don't need to worry much about it.

I think the sonos 5 has a wall mount too, so maybe that would be OK.

Depending on your walls and ceiling, it might be pretty easy to get an outlet up at the top of the wall too, so you don't have an electrical cord dangling around.
 
And you are sure that active speakers are safe to use in an operating room and won't interfere with the equipment? I'm sure there are standards for things like electrical noise in that environment and I'm guessing consumer products would not meet those standards.
 
Hello All,

I have a 16'1"(4.902m) by 10'7" (3.226m) / 170.2 square feet/15.814 square meters room being used as a medical procedure suite.

A patient typically is lying on a table situated along the long axis of the room.

Staff works primarily to the left or right of the patient along the long axis of the table.

In other words, the patient stays stationary in the room and staff are spending most time to the left or right of the patient roughly in the middle of the room along the long axis.

We would like to install a good stereo system for this room.

There are various medical machines running in the room at all times. The baseline noise floor with all the machines running is about 50db. We rarely see above 60dB with music playing and machines running on as we need to be able to hear each other talk as well as to hear muffled words from the patient. The music is never played loudly.

The music is generally playing fairly softly with a lot of background noise.

I'm looking for recommendations for an active speaker system that can be mounted on the wall at one end of the long axis of the room. It is not possible to use floor stands due to space constraints.

In addition, I'd like to utilize DSP such as DIRAC, GLM, MA1, etc.

Music source is streaming audio from a Wiim Pro or similar device from Tidal or Qobuz.

In addition to that, I think off-axis performance is likely important given staff moving about the room.

The speakers would need to be able to be cleaned on occasion and may be exposed to fairly gentle cleaning chemicals, thus no fine wood finishes are needed.

It seems the Neumann KH120 or KH180 would fit the bill, but is the off axis response ideal? The KEF LS50 is an option as we cannot use high volumes. Genelec the one series would work but are too expensive I think. I'm not sure there is room for a subwoofer, unless it is small.

I am open to any ideas. Thank you in advance.
I'd assume you'd also want something that would stand up to frequent cleaning. In that regard the Genelec's would be ideal.
 
And you are sure that active speakers are safe to use in an operating room and won't interfere with the equipment? I'm sure there are standards for things like electrical noise in that environment and I'm guessing consumer products would not meet those standards.
Yes, no issues with this, but good thinking.
 
I'd assume you'd also want something that would stand up to frequent cleaning. In that regard the Genelec's would be ideal.
Good thought. Dusting a couple times per month would be sufficient; they will be far enough away from sterile field that they don't need to be cleaned with antiseptic materials.
 
Leave it to the anaesthesiologist. They change the CDs after all....
 
Sonos is better than you might think, check Amir's review, the measurements do not tell a story of careless engineering.

For this application I'd want very wide dispersion, I'd probably be less worried about stereo image... so to me a couple Sonos 5s would not be a bad option.

If that seems too pedestrian I might go with the LS50s or KH120s.
The difference between Sonos and a 'higher end' solution would be something someone could hear when they are paying close attention to the music. Honestly, I'd want my surgeon and his/her team to be paying so much attention to my surgery that they couldn't tell the difference between Genelec and a portable lifestyle speaker. But that's just me :)
 
The difference between Sonos and a 'higher end' solution would be something someone could hear when they are paying close attention to the music. Honestly, I'd want my surgeon and his/her team to be paying so much attention to my surgery that they couldn't tell the difference between Genelec and a portable lifestyle speaker. But that's just me :)
Agreed, also nicer speakers have higher SPL capability - but you don't want them rocking out in the OR.
 
You might consider sealed speakers rather than ported. Ports are a good innovation to improve bass efficiency. Bass efficiency is not a factor in your use case. The ambient air flows in and out of the port and usually the interior is a high surface area sound absorbing material like fiberglass wool. The more sealed the amplifier the better for the same reason. You can also use UV disinfection, but that may prematurely age plastics.

Genelec would have the technical support expertise on a project like this, including plugging the port with a closed cell foam and then equalizing the speaker to bring it back to the response you want. They would also be able to comment on disinfecting.

Fun project, it would be great for ASR to hear about your research and solution!
 
You might consider sealed speakers rather than ported. Ports are a good innovation to improve bass efficiency. Bass efficiency is not a factor in your use case. The ambient air flows in and out of the port and usually the interior is a high surface area sound absorbing material like fiberglass wool. The more sealed the amplifier the better for the same reason. You can also use UV disinfection, but that may prematurely age plastics.

Genelec would have the technical support expertise on a project like this, including plugging the port with a closed cell foam and then equalizing the speaker to bring it back to the response you want. They would also be able to comment on disinfecting.

Fun project, it would be great for ASR to hear about your research and solution!
Dusting a couple times per month would be sufficient; they will be far enough away from sterile field that they don't need to be cleaned with antiseptic materials.
 
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