Bose EdgeMax EM90, EdgeMax EM180 Design Manual
PROFESSIONAL
EdgeMax
In-Ceiling Loudspeakers
™
EM90 and EM180
Design Guide
Contents
EdgeMax Loudspeaker Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Comparison of In-Ceiling and Surface Mounted Loudspeaker Performance . . . . . . . . . . . 3
EdgeMax Loudspeaker Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
EdgeMax Design Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Standard and Premium Coverage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Maximum Room Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Balancing SPL In Mixed EM90 and EM180 Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
EdgeMax Active Equalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Design Worksheet, EdgeMax EM180 & Mixed EM90/EM180 Systems . . . . . . . .10
Design Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Design Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Design Worksheet, EdgeMax EM90 Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Design Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Design Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Sample EdgeMax Conference Room Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Small Conference Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Medium Conference Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Large Conference Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
For the latest documentation and technical information, please visit PRO.BOSE.COM.
Design Guide - 2
EdgeMax Loudspeaker Overview
About
This design guide covers topics related to EdgeMax™ loudspeakers, and their use in specific
applications. Designed for in-ceiling mounting near wall-ceiling boundaries, EdgeMax
loudspeakers provide improved audio quality and coverage, while reducing the number
of required units, compared to conventional dome-tweeter ceiling speakers. EdgeMax
loudspeakers feature proprietary Bose® PhaseGuide® technology that combines the
room-filling coverage patterns typical of larger surface-mount speakers with the architectpreferred aesthetics of in-ceiling models.
EdgeMax Loudspeaker Overview
Comparison of In-Ceiling and Surface Mounted Loudspeaker Performance
Traditional in-ceiling loudspeaker designs are preferred in many cases as loudspeakers easily
blend into the environment due to their mounting location and flush appearance. Because inceiling loudspeakers oer the best aesthetics they are the most common type of design for a
variety of applications.
However, many in-ceiling loudspeakers utilize a single transducer and deliver a conical
coverage pattern with a stated coverage angle, e.g. 120-degrees conical. This coverage angle,
however, is not representative for the higher frequencies, which is narrower, resulting in a
significant reduction in high frequency energy as you move o axis from the loudspeaker
location.
Conical Ceiling Loudspeaker
Published Coverage Angle
High Frequency Coverage Angle
Average
Listener
Height
(1.5 m | 5 )
Figure 1. Comparison between the published and typical high frequency coverage angles
for an in-ceiling conical dispersion loudspeaker. Note that the shaded section represents the
area where a balanced frequency response will be delivered.
Design Guide - 3
EdgeMax Loudspeaker Overview
Surface Mounted Loudspeaker
Average
Listener
Height
(1.5 m | 5 )
High Frequency Coverage Angle
Conical Ceiling Loudspeakers
Average
Listener
Height
(1.5 m | 5 )
Published Coverage Angle
High Frequency Coverage Angle
Figure 2. To provide a consistent tonal balance across the coverage area in-ceiling
loudspeakers must be closely spaced together.
Surface-mounted loudspeakers do not oer the same aesthetic advantage, but are preferred
when consistent tonal balance across the coverage area is the primary design objective. This is
due to the physical nature of how surface-mounted loudspeakers project sound.
Figure 3. Typical projection of a surface mounted loudspeaker
vertical coverage into a room.
Typically, the best performing types of surface-mounted loudspeakers are two-way products
with a high-frequency section that delivers controlled coverage angles, and a ported
enclosure for low-frequency reproduction. This arrangement results delivers more consistent
high-frequency coverage and balanced frequency response to a larger area. In addition,
surface mounted loudspeakers benefit from boundary loading, further improving the low
frequency response of the system.
Despite these performance benefits, in-ceiling loudspeaker designs are still heavily preferred
due to the aesthetic preference of architects and interior designers looking to minimize the
appearance of loudspeakers.
Design Guide - 4
EdgeMax Loudspeaker Performance
EM90 in Corners
EM180 along Walls
EdgeMax Loudspeaker Performance
EdgeMax loudspeakers represent the best of both techniques in that they deliver the coverage
of surface-mounted loudspeaker designs, but from a location in the ceiling. These unique
products meet the visual requirements of architects and interior designers, while delivering the
performance benefits of a high quality surface-mounted loudspeaker design.
EdgeMax loudspeakers utilize a two-way system comprised of a compression driver mounted
to a proprietary Bose PhaseGuide structure, and an 8-inch driver mounted in a tuned, ported
enclosure. Uniquely, EdgeMax loudspeakers have an 75-degree asymmetrical vertical coverage
angle and are engineered to be installed in corners or along room perimeters.
EdgeMax Loudspeaker
75-degree Asymmetric Vercal Coverage Angle
Average
Listener
Height
(1.5 m | 5 )
Figure 4. The proprietary Bose PhaseGuide technology delivers controlled high
frequency coverage like a surface-mount loudspeaker, from an in-ceiling location.
Today, the EdgeMax family includes two horizontal coverage patterns. The EdgeMax EM90
oers 90-degree horizontal coverage and is intended for corner mounting, while the EM180
oers 180-degree horizontal coverage for mounting along the room perimeter.
E
90
EM
90
M
E
9
EM
9
M
0
M
E
18
0
0
EM
18
EM
1
0
M
E
1
8
0
8
0
Figure 5. EdgeMax EM90 and EM180 mounting locations.
Since EdgeMax loudspeakers are specifically designed for mounting along corner and wall
locations they benefit from boundary loading to deliver additional low frequency output as
compared to traditional in-ceiling loudspeakers. Similar to surface-mount loudspeakers, the
coverage pattern of EdgeMax will also allow stereo playback for some rooms, when the room
dimensions allow sucient overlap of coverage.
Design Guide - 5
EdgeMax Design Considerations
EdgeMax Design Considerations
Standard and Premium Coverage
The EdgeMax design guidelines oer two options for quality of coverage: Standard and
Premium. When creating a design with Standard coverage, which should be suitable for most
applications, EdgeMax loudspeakers are spaced such that the overlap between adjacent
loudspeakers occurs at the -10 dB point. A design created with Premium coverage places the
loudspeakers such that they overlap at the -6dB point.
4.2 m | 14 ft ceiling
°
62°
Premium Coverage
Figure 6. Standard and Premium coverage comparison for EdgeMax loudspeakers.
(nominal -6 dB)
Standard Coverage (nominal -10 dB)
75
Eective
Loudspeaker
Height
1.5 m | 5 ft ear height
The quality of coverage for EdgeMax loudspeakers was derived using the vertical coverage
angle, and confirmed using the Bose® Modeler® software.
Maximum Room Dimension
Like a surface-mounted loudspeaker, the mounting height of an EdgeMax loudspeaker will
determine its usable throw distance. The usable throw distance is the distance from the
loudspeaker that we can expect to receive balanced frequency response and adequate
loudness for a given application.
Usable Throw Distance, EdgeMax EM90 and EM180
Mounting Height
Premium
Coverage
Quality
Standard
Figure 7. Usable Throw Distance based on coverage quality for various ceiling heights.
Assumes 1.5 m (5’) ear height.
Design Guide - 6
m 2.7 3.0 3.7 4.3 4.9 5.5 6.1
ft 9 10 12 14 16 18 20
m 2 2 3 4 5 6 7
ft 7 8 11 15 18 21 24
m 3 4 6 8 9 11 13
ft 11 14 19 25 30 35 40
EdgeMax Design Considerations
The following are two examples of how the Maximum Room Dimension is applied in an
EdgeMax design. The first is when EdgeMax loudspeakers are used along one side of the
coverage area. The second is when they are installed along both sides of the coverage area.
When placing EdgeMax loudspeakers along one side of the coverage area, the Maximum
Room Dimension should be less than or equal to the Usable Throw Distance.
EM180 Single Wall Mounting
Maximum Room Dimension
E
M
1
80
4.2 m | 14 ft ceiling
E
M
180
Figure 8. The Maximum Room
Dimension is less than or equal
(8 m | 25 ft)
Usable
Throw
Distance
to the Usable Throw Distance
when EdgeMax loudspeakers
are placed along one edge of
the area to be covered.
In applications where EdgeMax loudspeakers will be mounted on two opposing sides of the
room, the Maximum Room Dimension is twice the Usable Throw Distance for the planned
ceiling height.
EM180 Perimeter Mounting
Maximum Room Dimension
(16 m | 50 ft)
4.2 m | 14 ft ceiling
M
E
18
0
E
M
1
80
Figure 9. The Maximum Room
Dimension is equal to twice
the Usable Throw Distance
when EdgeMax loudspeakers
are mounted on two opposing
sides of the area to be covered.
2x Usable
Throw
Distance
EM
180
EM
180
The Maximum Room Dimension is applied to EdgeMax designs to prevent the creation of a
design which lacks sucient coverage in the center of the room – particularly in the case of a
square room where EM90 loudspeakers are used in the corners.
EM90 Corner Mounting
M
E
0
9
Exceeds Maximum Room Dimension
M
E
9
0
> 2 x Usable Throw Distance
4.2 m | 14 ft ceiling
E
M
Figure 10. In this example the
9
0
Maximum Room Dimension has
been exceeded, resulting in a
coverage gap in the center of
the room.
E
M
0
9
Design Guide - 7
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