In the world of audio sound systems, most people think of them only being applicable to homes or being put into their cars, but an audio system can be installed in just about any room or space for any application.

The most popular commercial applications include places like; medical offices (dental/clinics), conference rooms, business offices, in heavily populated areas like train stations, airports, and college universities, retail spaces, restaurants/bars, museums or galleries, and even in industrial manufacturing or shipping centers to enhance the working conditions for employees. But why would you use a sound system in all of these places?

Medical Offices

In medical offices, installing a sound system and speakers that can add to the ambiance of the office is most certainly needed. It helps the patients feel more comfortable and at ease in a sometimes stressful situation. 

In a doctor’s office, it is important to maintain patient confidentiality so by providing music in the waiting room to help ensure that no unwanted information is released, these speakers will help to achieve this small but large requirement in a medical setting. Also, by having music playing throughout the office (minus inside the patient room) can help the medical staff and improve their mood.

There is also the option of using the speakers for an audible announcement to call patient names. Using the speakers and combining them with T.V. screens and placing them in waiting rooms and patient rooms, provides a source of entertainment for the patient and there is even the option of playing relevant educational videos.

In a dentist’s office, an audio system is often great to help drown out the noise of the equipment. Often times dental patients will have a hard time seeing a dentist due to their fear of the tools (they are loud and in their face). There is also the option of installing a T.V. in the ceiling of the room, for those patients that are getting worked on and laying back in the chair.

Just put some headphones on and your patients can watch a movie while getting their mouth worked on. Win-win! Having these distractions helps put the patients at ease and lowers their anxiety. Not only do they help the patients they can also help with the dental office brand.

This improves the office brand by making it clear that this business cares about their patients and making sure that they have an improved experience.  Are you more likely to go to an office that lets you pick a movie to watch while getting your mouth worked on or one that just lets you stare at the ceiling? 

For most medical offices, the number of speakers that are recommended (not counting treatment or patient rooms speakers) is about four to eight speakers with one amplifier. In a quieter setting like a medical office, we recommend using in-ceiling speakers (you won’t need more than that when just playing light background music). The size of the office obviously can play a huge role in how many speakers you decide to install. 

Business Offices

A professional office has the outlook of being busy and not needing any speakers because everyone is busy working and doing their job (hopefully). However, a business setting is always a great building to have speakers installed.

Audio is becoming more and more popular in all parts of the office workplace. The new working generations coming on board, love to be emotionally connected with their workplace and will often opt to work for a place that allows music to be playing over one that does not.  

Conference rooms are generally where important meetings are held and even where vital business negotiations can happen. That is why it is essential to have quality audio/video products installed, in order to improve the impression of any presentations. This investment can also assist with video conference calls and not only make it easier to see who you are speaking with, but how well you are able to hear them and they can hear you. The conference room in a business office is one of the most important locations to have speakers and you can discreetly install them in the ceiling and even have a soundbar connected to the TV screen.

Having a reliable audio system ensures that every word is heard as it is said and nobody gets lost in translation. Also, with the right amplifier (like a VSSL A.3 or A.6) you can even control the audio in different rooms of the business if needed. 

Retail

There will always be retail stores (unless Amazon takes over), the benefits of using a quality speaker system throughout the stores are endless. In places such as Walmart, these intercom speakers are how store associates know what is going on and essentially how they are able to communicate.

Walmart is a very big store and has taller ceilings, so installing speakers that are meant to be up high (BeatDrops) but also still allow you to hear clearly, are a must! If it is in a store like Macy’s they sometimes have light shopping music on and then every so often the intercom is used. Having speakers that are able to switch between soft music and then increase the volume for storewide announcements. 

Restaurants

Restaurants and other similar applications are by far one of the locations that need background music the most. Any restaurant ranging from Chipotle to a swanky, high-priced steakhouse needs some type of ambiance to set the mood. It is important in this type of setting to have speakers that are powerful enough to fill the entire dining area with sound.

The spacing of the speakers is key to distributing the sound evenly and consistently. Although it does depend on the size of the restaurant and rooms (bathrooms or waiting area) that need speakers, ideally, the in-ceiling speakers work best to widely disperse sound without inhibiting any conversation that the customers are having. Some other applications include sports bars or cafes that have louder audio needs.

With these, including wall-mounted speakers with ceiling speakers will give an exceptional controlled experience for all customers. In-ceiling speakers are awesome to have because the patrons that are walking directly under them will not notice that they are above their heads but they can still play audio loud enough to hear from several feet away. However, if you are a restaurant owner that has ceilings that are higher, the commercial pendant speakers ( like the BeatDrops) which hang from the ceiling, maybe more ideal for this type of application. 

Museums and Galleries

In a museum, there is a lot of viewing involved, and often times people don’t think about the background noise. Depending on the type of museum it is, different displays require different background music or sounds. If it is for art, depending on the art environment, the mood is an important part of the viewing experience.

In galleries, there are several different artists that are in and out of there, sometimes for just one or two days. This means that the background music will change frequently but the music is important to the artist and creating an immersive experience for the art enthusiasts who are coming to view their pieces. In-ceiling is perfect for this type of setting. You don’t need anything that will perform like a rock concert, just a light, crisp audial background noise.

Warehouse/Factory/Distribution Centers 

Industrial buildings can be a challenge when it comes to installing the correct audio equipment. However, it is possible. Most warehouses have paging systems installed so that everyone in the building can hear announcements, but is that enough? Now for your employees, using a system that produces a clear sound not only for work-related purposes but also for improving the employee’s productivity is a plus for both sides.

In addition to boosting productivity, they can help protect employees from potential hearing damage by the use of personal radios or listening to music on their phones at high volumes to drown out the noise. So by installing a commercial audio system, you are helping your employees and also you are able to maintain appropriate safety standards.

Heavily Populated Areas

Speakers are a crucial addition to any type of location including airports, train stations, and even college universities. When it comes to crowded airports, it is essential to have an intercom system that can reach everyone easily. Airport intercoms get used for announcements, calling out flights that are boarding soon or even ones that get canceled due to some type of issue, and to call out to airport staff to get their attention. There are even emergency situations that need to notify everyone in the airport for potentially dangerous situations (hopefully less common). 

In a train station, this place is definitely noisy. It is often hard to hear anything around you and most opt-in to have their headphones in to cancel out the surrounding noise. The train station also uses its intercom system quite frequently. They announce when trains are leaving and even the occasional arriving train. It is important to notify all train riders so that they don't miss their train. The intercom systems help to notify a person if they have misplaced their luggage or if the person they are meeting is waiting for them at a specific location. 

College universities are known to be a very large area that hosts thousands of students and teaching staff. Announcement systems are popular to have installed in this type of building but they do not get used as often as the other two. An intercom at a university is primarily used for announcements or for paging a staff member or student, however, with such a large area a good system that can be heard clearly and can reach everyone is very crucial. 

With these large areas that are almost always heavily populated, a great system that can be heard is ideal. The in-ceiling speakers would be best fitted for these situations. They are out of the way, are of high quality, and are loud enough to be heard from long distances. 

Commercial Applications

See, there are many different businesses that could benefit from installing sound systems and speakers. Music and background noise is something that helps many types of work settings and can also assist in improving the business environment.

So whatever your business may be, there are speakers and sound systems for you! TruAudio has multiple packages for all different types of setups.  Including smaller speakers for just your office, or our B23 Series so you can have a conference room that will make your competitors jealous!

Don’t forget to install the in-ceiling speakers to help your wait/kitchen staff be more productive while at work. The possibilities are endless! Be sure to take advantage of our free design service if you are interested and want to get some ideas!