DIN 18041:2016-03: Hörsamkeit in Räumen – Anforderungen, Empfehlungen und Hinweise für die Planung

Summary

German room-acoustics requirements distinguish room use, volume and inclusive communication; informative annexes discuss assistive listening.

Key findings

• Group A addresses communication over medium and longer distances; Group B addresses shorter distances. The scope excludes specialist theatres, concert halls, cinemas and worship spaces.
• Table 1 identifies A3 for inclusive speech/presentation and A4 for inclusive teaching/communication. Clause 4.2.3 sets volume-dependent reverberation targets and frequency tolerances; A4 is for volumes below 500 m³.
• Clause 4.2.3 bases Group A reverberation targets on 80% of normal occupancy, with conversion between occupied and unoccupied conditions under Annex A and consideration of lower occupancy where expected.
• Clause 4.2.1 seeks direct sound and useful reflections within 50 ms while reducing late reflections and noise. Informative Annex E.7 says ordinary loudspeaker systems are generally insufficient for people with hearing loss; direct listening systems may be needed even without a public-address system.
• Clause 4.3.1 (page 14) recommends room damping for Group B to reduce background noise and reverberance, expressed as equivalent sound absorption area divided by room volume over 250–2,000 Hz. Group A reverberation targets should not be applied to Group B as if they were the same criterion.
• Informative Annex D (page 29) says installing a loudspeaker system does not reduce the reverberation-time requirements and that meeting a reverberation target alone does not prove adequate speech intelligibility; Annex E.7 adds direct listening provision for people with hearing loss.

Limits

Read the publisher overview and the DIN accessibility portal’s full standard with editorial accessibility additions, retrieved through Wayback after a direct 403. The editorial appendix is separate from the standard. Annexes E and F are informative; this record does not establish local legal duties. Predates Auracast.

Read the original

www.dinmedia.de/de/norm/din-18041/245356770

Link checked 13 October 2026. We link to the original and do not host copies.

Cited in

• How much do room acoustics and distance limit listening without a system, and what follows for choosing one?Partly answered

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