A new pair of Meyer Sound CAL™ column array loudspeakers has improved
intelligibility for speech, video playback, and music in the public boardroom of LA
Metro, the regional transit agency serving Los Angeles County. The CAL system is a
keystone element in a complete AV retrofit of the 300-seat facility designed and
installed by the Los Angeles office of AVI-SPL.
“I was immediately impressed with the sound quality of CAL,’ says Arlen Sanders,
project manager for LA Metro. “No matter where you are sitting in the audience, the
sound is always present, at just the right level. It goes beyond just excellent
intelligibility—you get the feeling the person is right there in front of you, even
when speaking from across the room.’
The prior system was prone to comb-filtering effects that impaired intelligibility and
generated feedback when the system was pushed louder to be heard by capacity
crowds. After consulting with Jon Chang, senior designer for AVI-SPL, Sanders
determined that CAL offered the best solution for covering the audience area.
“Before, whenever we had a controversial issue it would raise the stress level on
everybody, and that’s when feedback would rear its ugly head,’ says Sanders. “We
needed a better solution, and we found it in CAL.’
Beam pre-sets for the two CAL 32 loudspeakers precisely direct audio energy to
cover the room’s wide, auditorium-style seating area. Two UPM-1P loudspeakers
complement coverage for a few front corner seats.
In addition to its primary use as speech reinforcement, CAL also supports the video
playback system, and some presentations include music tracks. “We’ve used CAL
for music on some occasions, and have been impressed with what we’ve heard,’
reports Sanders.
The complete AV renovation also includes a Biamp Tesira DSP system, a Listen
Technologies assistive listening system, Shure ULX-D wireless microphones for
audience questions and comments, and Clockaudio C34E Halo and C36E Halo
gooseneck microphones on the board dais and presenter podium.
