Until recently however, poor sound system intelligibility put a damper on home games and dulled the excitement of award ceremonies. That's all changed for the better with a new gymnasium sound reinforcement system centred on cost-effective Ashly Audio ne4400 Protea digital processing and KLR3200 amplification matched to Community R-Series loudspeakers.
"They used to have a few of what I call 'nightclub speakers' chained to the ceiling," said Mike Staffan, owner of local A/V integration firm Lighthouse Sound and Communications. "The athletic director took a lot of grief about intelligibility in general, but especially at award ceremonies. Parents couldn't hear their kids' names being called, which is sure to generate complaints." Under Staffan's direction, independent engineer Jack Buttermore designed a new system in EASE that would deliver appropriate coverage, and Staffan and his staff installed it over the summer.
Inputs to the new system include Shure wireless microphones and a Denon CD/iPod player, which feed a Shure SCM800 mixer. Its mono output meets an input on an Ashly ne4400 4-In x 4-Out Protea Matrix Processor, which handles all necessary equalization, automatic microphone mixing and feedback suppression.
The ne4400's four outputs feed three dual-channel Ashly KLR3200 amplifiers, rated at 1,600W into a 2-Ohm load or 800W per channel into a 70V line. Four of those amplifier channels power the four Community R.35 loudspeakers that cover both sides of main floor seating. The two additional channels power ten Community R.15 loudspeakers - five to a side - for coverage of the gymnasium's balconies.
"I've been using Ashly equipment for a while now because the products are solid and, perhaps more importantly, the customer support is excellent," said Staffan. "For me, trust and a good relationship are the most important things. Ashly is always ready to help, which is critical when I'm in the field and need answers to move an installation forward."
"The newly installed sound system in the Beavercreek High School gymnasium is awesome, to say the least," said James Smerz, the school's previously besieged athletic director. "We finally have sound that covers the entire gym area with clarity and heightened volume. For the first time in the school's history, the sound in the main gym will reach everyone effectively, even in a packed house."
(Jim Evans)
