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A sound masking system according to the invention is disclosed in which one or more sound masking loudspeaker assemblies are coupled to one or more electronic sound masking signal generators. The loudspeaker assemblies in the system of the invention have a low directivity index and preferably emit a

A sound masking system according to the invention is disclosed in which one or more sound masking loudspeaker assemblies are coupled to one or more electronic sound masking signal generators. The loudspeaker assemblies in the system of the invention have a low directivity index and preferably emit an acoustic sound masking signal that has a sound masking spectrum specifically designed to provide superior sound masking in an open plan office. Each of the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies is oriented to provide the acoustic sound masking signal in a direct path into the predetermined area in which masking sound is needed. In addition, the sound masking system of the invention can include a remote control function by which a user can select from a plurality of stored sets of information for providing from a recipient loudspeaker assembly an acoustic sound masking signal having a selected sound masking spectrum.

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1. A direct field sound masking system for providing a direct path sound masking signal to the ears of a listener in a predetermined area of a building, said predetermined area including a ceiling and a floor, said system comprising: a plurality of loudspeaker assemblies, each loudspeaker assembly c

1. A direct field sound masking system for providing a direct path sound masking signal to the ears of a listener in a predetermined area of a building, said predetermined area including a ceiling and a floor, said system comprising: a plurality of loudspeaker assemblies, each loudspeaker assembly coupled to one or more sources of an electrical sound masking signal,wherein each of the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies has a voice coil coupled to an audio emitter operative to emit an acoustic sound masking signal corresponding to said electrical sound masking signal, wherein each said audio emitter is a cone emitter, wherein each of the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies has a low directivity index, and wherein each of the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies is constructed and oriented to provide the acoustic sound masking signal in a direct path to the ears of said listener in said predetermined area. 2. The sound masking system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies are interconnected via multi-conductor American Wire Gage (AWG) No. 24 size wiring pieces terminated at both ends with quick connect/disconnect connectors, said quick connect/disconnect connectors corresponding to integral input and output jacks on said loudspeaker assemblies. 3. The sound masking system of claim 2, wherein said multi-conductor wiring pieces comprise at least four pairs of conductors. 4. The sound masking system of claim 2, wherein said quick connect/disconnect connectors are TIA/EIA-IS-968-A Registered Jack 45 (RJ-45) connectors. 5. The sound masking system of claim 1, wherein, in said plurality of loudspeaker assemblies each having a low directivity index, each said audio emitter has an effective aperture area that is less than or equal to the area of a circle having a diameter of 3.0 inches. 6. The sound masking system of claim 1, wherein, in said plurality of loudspeaker assemblies each having a low directivity index, each said audio emitter has an effective aperture area that is less than or equal to the area of a circle having a diameter of 1.5 inches. 7. The sound masking system of claim 1, further comprising a remote control unit remotely coupled to said one or more signal sources and operative to adjust said signal. 8. The sound masking system of claim 1, wherein one or more of said signal sources provide two or more signal channels of electrical sound masking signals. 9. The sound masking system of claim 8, further comprising a remote control unit remotely coupled to said one or more signal sources and operative to adjust said signal. 10. The sound masking system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies are interconnected in a daisy-chain fashion such that the electrical sound signals are received by each loudspeaker assembly on respective input connections and transmitted to an adjacent loudspeaker assembly in said chain on respective output connections, each loudspeaker assembly including an audio emitter connected to a predetermined one of the input connections, the interconnection between each pair of adjacent audio emitter modules being operative to shift the input connections on which the respective electrical sound signals appear such that successive audio emitters emit different ones of the corresponding acoustic sound signals. 11. The sound masking system of claim 1, wherein one or more of said signal sources is a sound masking signal generator operative to provide two or more signal channels of mutually incoherent electrical sound masking signals and wherein, in at least a portion of said loudspeaker assemblies, each loudspeaker assembly is operative to receive the electrical sound masking signal from one of said signal channels and to emit an acoustic sound masking signal corresponding to said electrical sound masking signal. 12. The sound masking system of claim 11, wherein one or more of said sound masking signal generators comprises a plurality of stored sets of information. 13. The sound masking system of claim 11, further comprising a remote control unit remotely coupled to said sound masking signal generator and operative to adjust said electrical sound masking signals. 14. The sound masking system of claim 13, wherein said remote control unit is operative to signal said sound masking signal generator to adjust at least one frequency component of a selected sound masking spectrum of a generated acoustic sound masking signal corresponding to said electrical sound masking signal. 15. The sound masking system of claim 14, wherein one or more of said sound masking signal generators comprises a plurality of stored sets of information and wherein the remote control unit is operative to adjust at least one frequency component of the selected sound masking spectrum by instructing the masking signal generator to select another one of the electrical sound masking signals. 16. The sound masking system of claim 14, wherein the remote control unit is operative to adjust at least one frequency component of the selected sound masking spectrum by instructing the masking signal generator to adjust the resultant intensity of the signals within the at least one frequency component. 17. The sound masking system of claim 7, claim 9 or claim 13, wherein the remote control unit is remotely coupled to the signal source via an infrared link. 18. The sound masking system of claim 7, claim 9 or claim 13, wherein the remote control unit is remotely coupled to the signal source via a radio frequency link. 19. The sound masking system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies are interconnected in a daisy-chain fashion such that the electrical sound masking signals are received by each loudspeaker assembly on respective input connections and transmitted to an adjacent loudspeaker assembly in said chain on respective output connections, each loudspeaker assembly including an audio emitter connected to a predetermined one of the input connections, the interconnection between each pair of adjacent audio emitter modules being operative to shift the input connections on which the respective electrical sound masking signals appear such that successive audio emitters emit different ones of the corresponding acoustic sound masking signals. 20. The sound masking system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies are disposed in corresponding apertures in said ceiling and wherein said apertures are sized and configured to receive said loudspeaker assemblies. 21. The sound masking system of claim 20, wherein at least a portion of loudspeaker assemblies that are disposed in apertures in the ceiling are spaced apart a predetermined distance to provide a uniform sound level of the acoustic sound signal in at least a portion of the predetermined area. 22. The sound masking system of claim 20, wherein at least a portion of loudspeaker assemblies that are disposed in apertures in the ceiling are spaced apart a predetermined distance to provide a diffuse sound field comprised of the plurality of acoustic sound signals emitted by the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies, the loudspeaker assemblies being disposed in at least a portion of the predetermined area. 23. The sound masking system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies are disposed within the predetermined area a predetermined height above the floor. 24. The sound masking system of claim 23, wherein at least a portion of loudspeaker assemblies that are disposed a predetermined height above the floor are spaced apart a predetermined distance to provide a uniform sound level of the acoustic sound signal in at least a portion of the predetermined area. 25. The sound masking system of claim 23, wherein at least a portion of loudspeaker assemblies that are disposed a predetermined height above the floor are spaced apart a predetermined distance to provide a diffuse sound field comprised of the plurality of acoustic sound signals emitted by the plurality of loudspeaker assemblies, the loudspeaker assemblies being disposed in at least a portion of the predetermined area. 26. The sound masking system of claim 1, wherein said audio emitter has an effective aperture area that is equal to the area of a circle having a diameter of between 1.25 inches and 3 inches.