Syskonics / Application
Office & Corporate Audio Systems
Background music, paging and announcements across an office floor, with the level right in every kind of space.
Office audio is mostly a background job: music in reception and breakout areas, occasional paging, and a system that can carry an evacuation announcement clearly. The failure mode is not being too quiet — it is being intrusive in a space where people are trying to concentrate.
That makes zoning and speaker density the two decisions that matter most.
Zone the floor by how people use it
Reception and breakout areas want audible background music. Open-plan working areas want almost nothing except announcements. Meeting rooms usually want the shared system muted entirely while they are in use. Corridors and lifts sit somewhere in between.
A zone controller amplifier makes that possible from one rack. The SA-100VCM and SA-150VCM give five independently adjustable zones at 100W and 150W, which covers a typical single-floor office; larger buildings scale up through the 250W and 350W models.
- Reception and breakout — music at a comfortable, audible level
- Open-plan desks — very low or announcement-only
- Meeting rooms — independently mutable
- Corridors, lifts, washrooms — low-level background
Speaker considerations
Suspended ceilings make ceiling speakers the default. For even, unobtrusive coverage, use more speakers at lower taps: one every 4 to 5 metres at a 6W or 10W tap is far more comfortable than a sparse layout turned up.
Where the ceiling is exposed — an increasingly common look in office fit-outs — pendant speakers hang to a controlled height and cover the floor properly instead of firing from the structural soffit. The SD-908A is compact at 130 x 190 mm; the cylindrical SD-908 and SD-938 read as a deliberate design element.
Reception areas with double-height ceilings are the classic case for pendants. Wall mount speakers are the answer in corridors, stairwells and back-of-house areas where neither ceiling option is available.
| Space | Speaker type | Starting tap |
|---|---|---|
| Open-plan office, false ceiling | Ceiling — CS-623, CLS-406 | 6W – 10W |
| Reception, exposed ceiling | Pendant — SD-908A, SD-938 | 10W |
| Meeting room | Ceiling — CLS-585 | 6W – 10W |
| Corridor, stairwell | Wall mount — SYS-104 | 10W |
| Cafeteria, breakout | Ceiling or pendant | 10W – 20W |
Amplifier and source considerations
Office loads are modest — a floor with thirty ceiling speakers at a 6W tap is only 180W — so the amplifier decision is usually driven by zone count rather than raw power.
For sources, most models in the range include Bluetooth, FM radio and USB or SD playback, which covers background music without additional hardware. Where a single small area needs its own independent source, the MP-86 in-wall amplifier delivers 2 x 30W with Bluetooth and IR remote control from an 86 x 86 mm wall plate, and the BT240 module provides 2 x 20W of Bluetooth amplification for a pair of ceiling speakers.
Paging and announcements
A reception or facilities desk needs a fixed paging microphone. A gooseneck such as the SYS-E66 with touch on/off, or a table unit such as the SYS-D27, both suit a permanent position and reject sound arriving from behind.
For announcements to be intelligible in an open-plan space, density matters more than volume. A dense layout of low-tap ceiling speakers will carry a clear announcement at a level that never becomes uncomfortable — which is exactly what an office needs.
Recommended products
SA-100VCM
5-Zone Controller Amplifier
- 100V Line
- Classroom
- Worship
CLS-406
Ceiling Speaker
- 100V Line
- Conference
- Office
SD-908A
Pendant Speaker
- 100V Line
- Classroom
- Hotel
CS-623
Ceiling Speaker
- 100V Line
- Classroom
- Office
MP-86
In-Wall Amplifier
- Classroom
- Worship
- Transit
SYS-E66
Wired Microphone
- Conference
- Presentation
- PA System
Common questions
01How many ceiling speakers does an office need?
For background music and paging in a standard-height ceiling, allow roughly one speaker per 16 to 25 square metres. Denser layouts at lower tap settings sound better and are less intrusive than sparse layouts turned up.
02Can I have music in reception but not at the desks?
Yes — that is exactly what zoning is for. A zone controller amplifier such as the SA-100VCM gives each area an independent level control, so reception can play music while the open-plan floor stays announcement-only.
03What if the office has an exposed ceiling?
Use pendant speakers. They hang on a cable to a controlled height, so coverage works from 3 metres rather than from the structural soffit — which also means much less power is needed for the same result.
04Do we need a separate system for meeting rooms?
Not necessarily. Meeting rooms can sit on the building system as their own mutable zone, with a dedicated microphone and mixer added where the room hosts formal presentations or video calls.