Tag: outdoor audio

Technomad Upgrades Chicago River Sightseeing Boats

Technomad LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, announces that its Vernal weatherproof loudspeakers are providing audio for narrated tours by Shoreline Sightseeing of Chicago on the waters of the Chicago River.More than 80 Vernal loudspeakers are installed on 18 boats, broadcasting clear speech with supplemental background music on boats ranging from 15 to 50 feet in length.

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Shoreline Sightseeing is the premier boat touring fleet in Chicago, operating tours on the Chicago River and the Great Lakes that give visitors a historical overview of nearby architecture and other attractions.According to Chad Rice, Director of Fleet Management for Shoreline Sightseeing, the live and pre-recorded audio narrations are significant to the tours, and the audio is intelligible from the shoreline as boats pass through the center of the Chicago River.

“We take up to 300 people out at a time, and audio is the most dominant aspect of the experience,” said Rice.“Our customers pay to hear exactly what is happening, whether they are receiving live narration on the Chicago River tours or pre-recorded audio on the Great Lakes tours.The Vernals also provide great musical quality based on our special weekly tours with fireworks, which is the only time we use the loudspeakers for background music.”

According to Scott Voorhis at Tri-Electronics, a systems integrator for professional sound, video, communications and security systems, the owner of Shoreline Sightseeing wanted to replace their existing loudspeakers with systems that could withstand the harsh elements of the Chicago climate.

“This is a year-round operation, and they needed equipment that could survive the humidity, moisture and extreme hot and cold weather that comprises the Chicago climate,” said Voorhis.“The owner had installed ‘weather-resistant’ loudspeakers from another vendor prior to our involvement, and they were forced to repair components on a regular basis.The Technomad Vernals were implemented for their reliability to survive these conditions, in addition to their compact size and outstanding audio performance.We have had zero problems with the Vernals in this capacity: zero failures, zero replacements and zero complaints.”

Voorhis and his team designed the layout of the loudspeakers specifically for each boat, adding two Vernals to the smaller taxis and up to 15 on each of the larger boats.Mounting locations were carefully considered to ensure clear speech intelligibility, even pattern coverage, and to maintain exceptional audio quality.

Rice added that the weatherproofing aspect was a significant factor in Shoreline Sightseeing’s decision to upgrade to Technomad.They have slowly converted most of their fleet to Technomad for audio, with only one boat to go.

“We constantly had to replace the older loudspeakers, which simply couldn’t handle the rain or moisture even though they were touted as weather-resistant,” said Rice.“We operate tours from March through November, and can run the Vernals year-round.They can also withstand the direct UV rays, which say a lot about their durability.We don’t even remove them in the winter months.They sound great, and their durability is very impressive.”

Each boat has between one and 15 Vernals depending on its size, as well as a dedicated mixer, amplifier, microphone and processing equipment for live narration and PA announcements.The clear speech emanating from the loudspeakers is also ideal for life-safety related announcements in the case of emergency.

Technomad Berlin Loudspeakers Project Voice and Music for Tennessee State Soccer Association

Technomad LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, announces that Chattanooga Sound, a sound contractor based in Chattanooga, Tenn., has installed two Berlin weatherproof loudspeakers on a new soccer field for the Tennessee State Soccer Association in the nearby town of Cleveland.

The Berlin is the most powerful loudspeaker Technomad offers, offering unmatched projection, fidelity and power in an all-environment, IP56-compliant design.According to Charlie Rhodes, president of Chattanooga Sound, the soccer association approached him to procure and design the end-to-end system after discovering Technomad online.The Berlins are mounted on opposite sideline poles, one pointing in each direction toward the field to cover the entire venue.

Technomad Berlin loudspeakers are mounted on opposite poles at either side of the soccer field bleachers to project voice and music onto the field and to all spectators

“The Berlins offer a very high SPL and a two-inch driver that makes a world of difference when projecting spoken word over long distances,” said Rhodes.“These are full-range loudspeakers that reproduce lows, mids and highs very well, and the two-inch driver helps project the mids and highs for that extra distance.The musical reproduction is also outstanding, although voice is the most important aspect of this system.”

Rhodes first came across Technomad about five years ago when he replaced an audio system at Rock City, a 15-acre tourist destination outside of Chattanooga that was forced to continually replace outdoor loudspeakers adversely affected by inclement weather, high heat and humidity.Rhodes installed more than 20 Technomad Vernal loudspeakers at Rock City that continue to operate after four-plus years of unprotected use.

“Like Rock City, the Berlins for this project will be sitting out in the open, and in this part of the state we get all kinds of weather with temperatures that range from near zero to more than 100 degrees,” said Rhodes.“The bonus is that the weatherproof design in no way compromises the sound quality.”

The Technomad Berlins offer very high SPL and a two-inch driver to enable clear projection of spoken word over long distances

The end-to-end system designed by Rhodes also features an Ashly line mixer, dbx processor, Shure wireless microphones and a Denon CD player.The system was installed by local volunteers with Rhodes on hand to consult and set audio and EQ levels.

Technomad Vernal Loudspeakers Play Instrumental Role in LEED-Certified Muzak System for Price Chopper Supermarket

<!–[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]–> 40 loudspeakers playback music, advertisements and other in-store messages at high quality for new 60,000 square foot supermarket

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Technomad LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, announces that Functional Communications Corporation has installed 40 Technomad Vernal loudspeakers as part of a LEED-certified AV and intercom communications system at the new Price Chopper supermarket in Colonie, NY.The Technomad loudspeakers are installed throughout the store and at the entrance to provide high-quality audio reproduction for a Muzak Audio Architecture installation featuring music and in-store advertising; and outstanding voice intelligibility for live pages and other in-store communications.

Functional Communications Corp., headquartered in Syracuse, is an independent Muzak affiliate that managed the design and installation of the entire system.The company specified Technomad based on its compliance with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System (LEED), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide standard for environmentally sustainable construction.According to Scott Welton, Account Executive at Functional Communications Corp., the Technomad Vernal was specifically selected for its audio quality and projection, and its compact and durable design, in addition to LEED-compliant measures including the company’s use of recycled plastic in its manufacturing process.

“The U.S. Green Building Council stipulates that LEED project contractors are encouraged to specify equipment manufactured within 500 miles of the installation, so noting Technomad’s proximity I ordered one Vernal for evaluation.I liked the sound reproduction and the fact that it was a very tough loudspeaker,” said Welton.“The Vernal also comes in a 70-volt transformed version, which was necessary to accommodate the long cable runs to the digital amplifier and minimize infrastructure.The Technomads have proven versatile enough to legibly reproduce in-store marketing and music, message repeaters, and live pages from telephones and microphones with excellent audio quality.”

The Technomad Vernal is available in 14 custom colors to match the environment of your installation. The Price Chopper installation includes 40 white Vernals.

The Muzak Audio Architecture music and messaging stream is received externally via satellite through Muzak Audio Architecture network and passed through a mixer and four-channel digital amplifier before hitting the loudspeakers.The Vernals are positioned 30 feet apart from each other at a height of 18 feet, mounted to beams and directed straight down to reach customers at the point of purchase throughout the approximately 60,000 square-foot supermarket.

Functional Communications Corporation also installed two Vernals at the store entrance to broadcast the Muzak stream to shoppers as they enter and exit the store, projecting well out into the parking lot.Welton added the weatherproof design of Technomad loudspeakers meant the Vernals could be installed outdoors without obvious protection from the elements.Many of the loudspeakers are also exposed to direct sunlight in the store via skylights in the ceiling, which made durability a requirement.

The complete system as installed by Functional Communications also features a mini-recording station with a microphone and digital message repeater for recording unique messages in-house; ambient microphones for live pages throughout the store; and a broadcast television service featuring entertainment from the DiSH Network, another Functional Communications partner.

Technomad Reports High Customer Satisfaction

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BOSTON – Technomad LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, announces new survey results based on a recent poll of approximately 7400 customers worldwide. While the company’s trademark weatherproof construction and rugged design for harsh environments were cited as main reasons for buying Technomad by most customers, superior audio quality was cited by nearly as many customers as the chief benefit of Technomad loudspeakers.

“Many customers noted in the survey that Technomad loudspeakers are the only real weatherproof option on the market,” said Rodger von Kries, vice president of Technomad. “What we also noticed was that ‘increased sound quality over other brands’ was noted nearly as often. Most importantly, 94 percent of those surveyed said they would recommend Technomad to other professionals.”

A cluster of four Technomad Viennas installed at Kalama High School in Washington State. AVX Northwest provided the installation.

The survey was open to a variety of Technomad customers, from consultants, design engineers and systems integrators to equipment dealers and end users. Many customers that cited audio quality as a main reason for purchase were as drawn to the musical reproduction of the loudspeakers as voice intelligibility. Technomad loudspeakers are designed to ensure that low, mid and high frequencies are all reproduced in a superior manner for any kind of installation, both indoors and outdoors.

Sound contracting for permanent installations, sound rental, and end user applications for school sports, cruise ships, theme parks, churches and music venues were among the most popular applications cited in the survey.

Technomad offers eight IP56-rated loudspeaker brands, many of which are available in the company’s popular Turnkey PA systems that also include a signal processing rack with a six-channel mixer, amplifier, dynamic microphone, cables and connectors. The company also recently began shipping two game-changing products to its portfolio: The Schedulon automatic mp3 player and recording system, and the PowerChiton series of compact, networkable weatherproof outdoor amplifier modules.

Technomad has also been lauded recently for its green efforts, switching to 100 percent recycled plastic for its black loudspeakers, and altering its manufacturing process to enable RoHS compliance for all products now shipping into Europe.

Please contact Technomad at 617-275-8898 or visit http://www.technomad.com for more information.

Technomad Turnkey PA Systems Provide Coweta County with Pristine Audio

Three separate systems broadcast audio across Fairgrounds and Conference Center

Technomad LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, announces that the local government for Coweta County Georgia in suburban Atlanta is using three Technomad Turnkey PA systems within its Fairgrounds and Conference Center. The organization recently installed two 70-volt Turnkey systems inside the Conference Center for events covering 6,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space, delivering intelligible voice and high-quality musical audio to attendees.

Noho close-up at Coweta County horse arena

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According to Tom Corker, Administrative and Operations Director for Coweta County Georgia, the new Technomad 70-volt systems replaced a poor quality in-ceiling audio system. The decision to upgrade to Technomad was partially based on the longevity of the outdoor Turnkey PA system in operation since 2004 at the W.C. Adamson Horse Arena, an uncovered horse arena show ring with large spectator and concessions areas.

“The outdoor system has been untouched since installation five years ago, and has reliably projected clear voice and music to every corner of the arena,” said Corker. “So it made sense to go with Technomad when it came time to upgrade the Conference Center systems. These systems have performed exceptionally well in an acoustically challenging environment. The 70-volt configuration indoors also simplified system design and installation, allowing us to daisychain multiple loudspeakers together to accommodate longer runs.”

The 70-volt Turnkey PA systems are specifically designed for restaurants, retail spaces, and other facilities that need a technically superior indoor system or a rugged, weatherproof PA system to extend new or existing indoor system to outdoor areas — all powered through a single amplifier.

The two Coweta County Administration systems feature a total of 10 Technomad Vernal loudspeakers, which can be linked together for large events; or divided into two separate systems (six and four Vernals, respectively) to provide audio in two different rooms depending on the size of the audience. Each system is powered by a separate Technomad Turnkey PA signal processing rack featuring an amplifier and six-channel mixer, and also includes a dynamic microphone, cables, connectors and additional rack space for source equipment.

The outdoor Turnkey PA system is a fixed install system that includes three Technomad Noho C loudspeakers as well as an amplifier, six-channel mixer, wired microphone, wireless microphone, cables, connectors and additional rack space for source equipment.

“The weatherproof design has been critical for the horse arena system, as Coweta County gets hit with hard rains and very hot summers,” said Corker. “The Nohos are black and absorb a lot of heat without problems while remaining unprotected from the elements. And the audio quality remains unaffected. Indoors and outdoors, the loudspeakers project very well and reproduce low, mid and high frequencies very clearly. We never have to worry about anyone not hearing music or a presentation regardless of their distance from the loudspeakers.”

Please visit Technomad at the InfoComm show, taking place June 17-19 at the Orange Country Convention Center in Orlando, (Booth #5940).