Tag: turnkey pa systems

Technomad Turnkey PA System Powers Texas High School Sports Audio

I recommend Technomad loudspeakers to anyone needing to upgrade their stadium sound with a great weatherproof system. – Bear Bryant

Technomad recently supplied a Turnkey PA System featuring two Noho C loudspeakers to San Marcos Academy in Texas to replace an aging horn system inside its football stadium. The school also purchased two Nohos for the baseball field on campus. The school plans to share the Turnkey PA System amplifier for both installations.

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We received this note today from Mr. Bear Bryant, the Technology Director at San Marcos Academy in Texas:

“I would like to tell you how pleased I am with our new Technomad stadium sound system. I recently purchased and installed the IPA2 turnkey system which included two Noho C speakers on the press box of our football stadium. I am attaching some photos of our football install.

I researched outdoor speakers and decided the Technomad line was worth exploring. I checked into your existing customer base and saw many applications that matched our needs. I was particularly impressed with the weather durability of the Noho loudspeakers. The Texas weather around here creates a wide range of conditions, from very humid to hot and dry. I needed something that could stand up to this fluctuation.

The sound quality of our old horn system was very poor and almost to the point where we were embarrassed by the unintelligibility of the announcer. I have been lugging some Yamaha speakers up on top of the press box for game night in order to provide decent sound quality. That worked fine unless we had inclement weather, and of course I tired of hauling the equipment around.

I am impressed with the wide 120-degree horizontal coverage pattern of the Noho loudspeakers. With just two loudspeakers I am able to cover 180 degrees along the home field side, and with the overlap can project across the field to the visitors side.

While the primary use is for play-by-play announcements, we also use it for pre-game music and halftime entertainment. Our regular announcer has a fantastic “radio voice,” and with the Technomad system his baritone gets the crowd excited and into the game. The 1000 watts of the P-1 amplifier provides plenty of power to get everyone’s attention when we score and I play the “Bear Growl!”

I also purchased two additional Noho loudspeakers to be permanently mounted at our baseball field. At the end of the season I will simply move the amp case to the baseball press box and plug it in. We will enjoy great sound there as well.

Since installing this system I have had many compliments on how good it sounds from fans as well as from administration. I recommend Technomad loudspeakers to anyone needing to upgrade their stadium sound with a great weatherproof system.”

In addition to the amplifier and weatherproof loudspeakers, Technomad Turnkey PA Systems also feature a six-channel mixer, a dynamic wired microphone, cables, connectors and a signal processing rack with additional rack space.

Technomad Turnkey PA System Powers Outdoor Sports Audio for Hatboro-Horsham High School

Technomad LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, announces that Hatboro-Horsham High School in the Philadelphia suburbs is now using a Technomad Turnkey PA System to enhance audio quality and coverage for sporting events in its outdoor campus stadium. The high school successfully used the system for its Fall 2009 football season and will use this system this spring for track and field events, as well as other outdoor sports and events.

Technomad Noho at Hatboro-Horsham high school-1

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“The clarity and functionality of the system from voice to music is amazing,” said Louis James, Athletic Director at Hatboro-Horsham High School. “The system is used for all our home stadium athletic events along with band competitions. The system as a whole is much better than I could have expected for high school events.”

The Technomad system, featuring two Technomad Noho weatherproof loudspeakers and a turnkey signal processing rack, replaced a pair of aging public address horns plagues by unintelligible voice reproduction and low-fidelity musical output. According to Joe Torquato, Owner and President of systems integration firm Omega Electronics, Hatboro-Horsham was looking to install something with the fidelity and response of a home audio system.

“The days of using the plain old football field horns with a simple driver and limited frequency response are over,” said Torquato. “Students and their parents are used to the quality their mp3 players, iPods and CD players deliver and expect the same quality from pre-show and halftime music. The new system allows for easy hookup of these devices. The Nohos provide plenty of high end; they also reproduce lows and mids very well, which is critical to high-quality musical output. The amount of power they put out covers the entire field. And the clarity of the voice is excellent. It is a very smooth sounding loudspeaker with no dropouts.”

Torquato and his team set up the system in under four hours, installing the Nohos on the press box façade following masonry work to smooth the textured brick surface for the mounts. The IP56-rated weatherproof design of the loudspeakers mean that they will remain outside and unprotected from the elements year-round.

“The 120×120 conical pattern of the Noho means that installers don’t have to fuss with the angles in the way that a 60×40 angle cabinet would require,” added Torqauto. “Off-axis, it has a very wide, smooth response that allows two loudspeakers to cover the entire field, just as it does on-axis. That flexibility, along with the weatherproof design, is a big reason why I especially like the Noho for high school football and soccer fields. Following the installation, the athletic director walked the entire field around the track and was amazed at the sound quality and coverage.”

The Nohos are wired to a rolling signal processing rack inside the press box. The Technomad Turnkey PA system rack comes complete with a pre-wired amplifier and a six-channel mixer with front-panel iPod/mp3 inputs, as well as a hard-wired microphone.

“One thing that has always impressed me about the Technomad Turnkey PA systems is that I never have to add EQ to the rack,” said Torqauto. “I’ve never had any feedback issues or EQ problems with Technomad loudspeakers, especially with the upper low and lower mid. That’s impressive when the loudspeakers are mounted directly to the face of the press box with open windows and a flat, low-end radiating surface, and PA announcements aren’t affected at all.”

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).

Pro Audio Manufacturing a Successful Niche in a Challenging Industry

Technomad Centralizes Green Manufacturing Operations at New England Facility, Contributes to Local and U.S. Economy

Headlines around the world continue to broadcast the dire state of the U.S. economy, along with the associated business closings and job losses. Manufacturing is one such industry that has been hit hard across the country, with seemingly new announcements every day about another company closing its doors for good.

While the big picture seems challenging at best, plenty of manufacturers large and small are reporting success in a variety of different businesses. One needs to look no further than New England to discover a thriving local manufacturing scene among the professional audio industry, a niche business that has shown vitality in these challenging economic times thanks to creative, high-quality products and engineering. Pro audio manufacturers are moving loudspeakers, signal processing equipment and other gear to a variety of customers; cruise ships, theme parks, and stadiums and arenas are among the more active segments. Sales are steady-to-brisk both in the U.S. and internationally, further helping the bottom line for many companies.

Middle Tennessee University special ordered two blue Technomad Berlin loudspeakers to blend in with stadium and team colors. The company offers 14 custom colors that do not fade in sunlight, one of many Technomad design features that keep customers coming back.

Technomad, a leading manufacturer of weatherproof outdoor loudspeakers and Turnkey PA systems since 1995, is one of these companies contributing to the success of the pro audio industry as well as the economy. The company recently celebrated its 13^th anniversary of boutique manufacturing in the U.S.A., and has shipped more than 23,700loudspeakers from its manufacturing facility in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. And in a market where many firms are reducing product innovations and cutting budgets for research and development, Technomad recently introduced two game-changing new products: Schedulon, a new automatic mp3 player and recording system for pro audio and commercial security applications; and PowerChiton, a series of compact weatherproof outdoor amplifier modules that allows system designers to place amplifiers closer to the loudspeaker in challenging indoor/outdoor installations.

“Technomad is proud to contribute to the long-standing tradition of New England manufacturing. New England has long been recognized as a prominent region for the production and export of electronics including pro audio equipment, and Technomad is just one of many companies that play a role in this ongoing success,” said Rodger Von Kries, Vice President of Technomad. “We’re also committed to manufacturing all of our products in the U.S.A. to ensure the careful craftsmanship of all Technomad loudspeakers and pro audio products is centralized in our Massachusetts facility, while also contributing to the local, regional and national economy.”

The manufacturing side of the business employs small teams to work on the same hand-built loudspeaker from start to finish, with multiple quality checks along the way. This process creates a highly consistent production environment that ultimately reflects the cost and quality of the loudspeakers. Performance data for each loudspeaker is recorded, which consultants and design engineers often use to plan installation points and audio directivity throughout a new venue. This includes the new GLL (Generic Loudspeaker Library) format, of which Technomad is an early adopter. GLL format data gives design engineers, consultants and contractors more options in positioning and simulating loudspeakers in large sports, entertainment and other venues that require array or clustered installations.

A close-up of the latest loudspeaker product introduction from Technomad: The new Berlin HiQ models, offering a narrower dispersion pattern in 90x60 and 60x60 versions.

The company also employs a green approach to its manufacturing approach, using 100-percent recycled plastic for its black loudspeakers and eliminating lead from the soldering process to comply with strict RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) regulations in Europe. RoHS compliance has raised Technomad’s profile in Europe and elsewhere overseas, and the company has begun to stock its products overseas to enable faster response times to European orders, and more cost- and time-efficient deliveries.

Technomad’s use of recycled plastic and localized manufacturing operation has led to an increase in LEED-certified projects in recent months. Functional Devices, a MUZAK affiliate in upstate New York, is one example; the company recently ordered 42 Technomad Vernal loudspeakers for a LEED-certified installation. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council that provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

Technomad was the first professional loudspeaker manufacturer to introduce Mil-Spec weatherproof loudspeaker systems with exceptional voice intelligibility and superior musical output for the professional audio industry. All Technomad loudspeakers also have an IP56 rating from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for maximum protection against hazardous materials, shock, and dirt and water ingression — meaning it can survive outdoor elements in the harshest of conditions.

“Pro audio manufacturers in general put a large amount of care into product development, which has allowed our industry to persevere through economic downturns,” said Von Kries. “Technomad has always been careful to support research and development efforts, and maintain a specific production process that results in a consistent product. This careful attention to detail is important to our growth as a company, and niche manufacturers such as Technomad, although not household names, are working hard to contribute positively to the economy — in New England and beyond.”

Technomad Loudspeakers Bring Clear Game Day Audio to High Schools and Colleges

AVX Northwest completes two Technomad athletic installations in Washington that brave the rainy elements outdoors and also provide crystal clear audio indoors

BOSTON, February 17, 2009 – Technomad LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, announces that AVX Northwest, an AV equipment dealer, consultant and installer based in Centralia, Washington, has completed two Technomad Turnkey PA school installations in the Pacific Northwest.The Technomad installations, at Saint Martin’s University of Lacey, Washington and Kalama High School of Kamala, Washington, provide substantial athletic sound system upgrades on the campuses indoors as well as outdoors.

“The reliability and durability of Technomad loudspeakers outdoors is renowned because of their weatherproof design, and the voice projection and musical quality is also very much appreciated in this industry,” said Mark Abbott, Founder of AVX Northwest. “That audio quality and reliability translates phenomenally indoors, especially in gymnasiums for live sports, concerts and other events. Indoors, we typically hang the loudspeakers on ceiling rafters and direct the loudspeakers so that there is an even pattern coverage across 360 degrees.The handoff from one loudspeaker to the next is virtually unnoticeable.”

A cluster of Technomad Noho loudspeakers in the Kalama High School gymnasium provide 360 degrees of audio for sports and concerts

Technomad Turnkey PA Systems typically include between two and four Technomad weatherproof loudspeakers, a 6RU signal processing rack featuring an amplifier, mixer and CD player, a dynamic microphone, and all associated cables and connectors to form a complete PA solution.Both campuses received Technomad Turnkey PA systems for various outdoor and indoor venues.Saint Martin’s University is sharing the signal processing rack between three venues, transporting it between a baseball field and fast-pitch softball field.

Abbott installed seven Technomad Paris 616 loudspeakers between the two fields: four for baseball, and three for fast-pitch softball.He installed the loudspeakers behind the backstops and along the first and third base lines to ensure clear coverage to all areas.Technomad’s new loudspeaker yokes were used to hang and support the loudspeakers, providing plenty of flexibility to shield the loudspeakers from line drives and position them for the best possible audio directivity.Abbott ran wiring to a lockable, vandal-proof box by the scorekeeping booth, where an operator can plug in and turn on the system for immediate operation.

Three Paris 616 loudspeakers project clear voice to spectators by the fast-pitch softball field at Saint Martin;s University — Three Paris 616 loudspeakers project clear voice to spectators by the fast-pitch softball field at Saint Martin’s University

Kalama High School purchased two fixed Turnkey PA systems for its multi-purpose outdoor stadium and gymnasium, where basketball and volleyball games and school concerts are held.According to Abbott, the multi-purpose outdoor stadium for football, soccer and track previously relied on a horn system that provided poor sound quality and fell into disrepair.Abbott installed four Nohos on the back rafters and wired the system so that the Turnkey PA rack is simply connected to pre-configured cable runs that descend through the press box ceiling.The result is a reliable, plug-and-play installation.

“The projection of the Technomads gives you more than any horn system could offer for voice, but the bigger difference is the bass response and music quality,” said Abbott.“Most of the announcers are male, and horns cannot precisely reproduce the male voice because of the lack of lower end.And bass reproduction is very essential for today’s music, which is especially important for football games and practices.”

Close-up of a Technomad Paris 616 installed in the baseball stadium at Saint Martin's University. The athletic department shares a Technomad Turnkey PA signal processing rack between the baseball and softball fields. — Close-up of a Technomad Paris 616 installed in the baseball stadium at Saint Martin’s University. The university shares a Technomad Turnkey PA signal processing rack between the baseball and softball fields.

According to Bruce Rader, school board president at Kalama High School, the Technomad system was part of a larger upgrade to the outdoor stadium that also involved a new turf and a paint job.“The old horn system sounded horrible; cheerleaders wanted to play music through it and it didn’t work.The four Nohos reproduce music very well and cover the entire stadium, from the home to visitor stands and across the field to each end zone,” he said.“Inside, we were using 20-year old loudspeakers, and Mark also recommended four Nohos.We thought that might be overkill, but the sound is loud and clear without coming across as overpowering.They sound incredible.”

Abbott added that the weatherproof aspect is highly important to withstand the consistent rain and dampness of the Pacific Northwest region, and the occasional weather-related curve ball.“This winter, we have had record amounts of snowfall,” he said.“To have a loudspeaker I don’t have to worry about out in the elements says it all.

“But the simplicity of this Turnkey PA System is that Technomad has done all the work,” added Abbott.“They wire the amplifier, mixer and take care of all the cabling in advance.Everything is self-contained and it is an excellent system for schools and colleges that are on a limited budget but want the versatility that comes with being on the go and supporting multiple events.”