Improving Speech Intelligibility for PA Systems in Airport Holdrooms

Batelaan R. Improving Speech Intelligibility for PA Systems in Airport Holdrooms. In: Express Paper. Audio Engineering Society; 2025.pp. 403:1-5. Available from: https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23100

@inproceedings{Batelaan2025_23100,
  author = {Batelaan, Richard},
  title = {{Improving Speech Intelligibility for PA Systems in Airport Holdrooms}},
  pages = {403:1-5},
  url = {https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23100},
  year = {2025},
  month = oct,
  publisher = {Audio Engineering Society}
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Improving Speech Intelligibility for PA Systems in Airport Holdrooms
AU  - Batelaan, Richard
SP  - 1
EP  - 5
M1  - Paper 403
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/10/13
UR  - https://aes.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=23100
PB  - Audio Engineering Society
LA  - en
AB  - Public address (PA) systems in crowded environmentssuch as airport terminalsoften exhibit poor speech intelligibility due to high background noise, reverberant conditions, and inadequate sound system design. This paper presents a case study of airport holdrooms, demonstrating how an integrated acoustic and AV design strategy can significantly improve intelligibility. While optimizing loudspeaker performance is critical, managing reverberation is equally important for controlling crowd noise. Baseline intelligibility was assessed in situ using the Speech Transmission Index for Public Address (STIPA), which evaluates the transmission quality of speech from a talker to a listener. A calibrated 3D acoustic model, developed using ray-tracing software, enabled evaluation of design interventions including loudspeaker placement, directivity, and acoustic treatment strategies. Design recommendations were informed by the models results.
ER  -