The high ceilings, concrete, glass and ceramic tiles, high levels of noise and issues with moisture and humidity that characterise large indoor facilities are frequently accompanied by sound reflections that lead to low speech intelligibility. With poor acoustics and environmental issues, choosing and installing an audio system can be challenging – as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga found out first-hand.

‘The Aquatics & Recreation Center Pool used a portable PA system that the department used when needed,’ says Space Design Technician, Ray Soldano. ‘When the Center’s prior PA was first installed, the pool area was not included. So, when the system began to fail, this space was added so the PA could be heard throughout the entirety of the building.’

Soldano called on Howard Technology Solutions for assistance, as the installation needed to be resistant to the environment, and to handle voice and music from XLR inputs, BlueTooth and other media.

‘We chose four Danley Sound Labs SBH20LF loudspeakers to meet the need along with amplifiers, processors, routers and a touchpanel from other partners including Crown and Extron,’ says Howard Technology Solutions A/V Design Engineer, Doug Jackson.

‘We were able to choose the loudspeakers, their placement and the actual down angles needed to achieve the desired coverage of the space using Danley Direct modelling software.’

‘Clarity and placement is important in a facility like UT-Chattanooga’s Aquatics & Recreation Center Pool area,’ says Danley Sound Labs Southeast Regional Sales Manager, Cooper Hedden. ‘The SBH20LF loudspeaker is perfect in this sort of use case. It is a high fidelity loudspeaker with high directivity providing tight pattern control and increased speech intelligibility.’

This installation also featured Danley’s Extreme Weather (EW) variant of the SBH20LF loudspeakers. EW loudspeakers use high-density, polyurethane panels that include fibreglass to provide strength and are more impervious to harsh conditions. The panels are approximately 40-to-60 per cent lighter than plywood and do not absorb water to any significant degree. In addition, they are held together with adhesives used in the aerospace industry, further increasing their durability.

‘Feedback has been very positive,’ Soldano reports. ‘In my role, I haven’t needed outdoor-rated loudspeakers frequently. However, with the success of this installation, I’m already looking at other projects where we can use Danley EW loudspeakers.’

More: www.danleysoundlabs.com