RP22 For Homeowners, Architects, and Builders - What You Need To Know
The home audio industry is buzzing with excitement over the the recently released CTA-RP22 Immersive Audio Guidelines document (free to download here). Finally, home audio professionals can point to something and say "See! I'm not making this stuff up".
Jokes aside; establishing best practices with objective goals, grounded in science, is an important step forwards in the progression of the home audio industry... But what does it really mean for the homeowner, architect, or builder?
Homeowner
The real winners! Previously, the home owner wouldn't typically know what to expect, nor what to ask for, outside of the way they want their room to look. Creating simplicity of choice with understandable performance metrics means your project performance brief will now be specific, without you needing to become an audio expert. These performance metrics are defined as:
The minimum level of performance necessary to convey basic artistic intent.
A higher level of performance that more accurately conveys artistic intent.
Meets or exceeds reference commercial cinema exhibition standards.
The maximum level of achievable performance across every parameter.
The RP22 document goes into detail on what is required to meet each of these levels, which gives you a set of requirements to hold the design and installation accountable to. The overall effect of the RP22 document will be an improvement in home audio implementation across all design and installation companies, which is a big win for the end user.
Architect
In order to meet certain performance levels defined in the RP22 document, It will be necessary to understand your clients' goals for the room prior to designating a size and location. The key factors here are: the number of seats and stylistic expectations, which affect room size; and the clients' desired performance level, which can affect room size and location. The simplest solution is to involve a reputable designer early in the process to provide guidance where required. However, over a decade designing cinemas awards us the insight to know that choosing a room size and location with absolute freedom is typically not realistic. As such, CDA have created our own guide (request by email) to help you in the early stages of the process; ensuring you and your client start with the best canvas possible for your project.
Builder
Materials used and construction processes will become better standardised between projects, which will help to make your required inclusions more consistent, and allow you to forecast time and labour allocations more accurately. In short, you will have a better idea of what to expect when building a cinema. Quote review and comparison will also become simpler, with performance metrics more clearly defined to meet the client's expectations.
Everyone involved in the design, construction, or commissioning of a home cinema, or other immersive audio room project, have been set up for success by the RP22 guidelines. A well deserved thanks goes out to all the authors and contributors to the document.
Though these design practices aren't new ideas, organising and categorising them within 4 performance levels simplifies the decision making process during the technical design stage, and provides metrics for everyone to be held accountable to.
Not all projects will fit perfectly within the outlines of RP22, unfortunately. Many rooms aren't an optimal size, shape, or optimally placed to meet all of the performance requirements. That’s not to say that the guidelines aren’t still incredibly useful; they will still assist tremendously in reaching a better project outcome. In these circumstances, knowing what to compromise on is where an experienced designer will make the difference in your project, and ensure you end up with an amazing immersive audio system.