School Gymnasium Sound System Redesign

A gymnasium is a multi-purpose room that needs sound capabilities and flexibility of reproducing high-quality vocal reproduction as well as good music reproduction for sports, assemblies, and special school events.

When El Paso-Gridley High School contacted Thompson Electronics Company they were on their 2nd gymnasium sound system in 4 years. The contractor the school previously worked with was unable to address the major sound system and acoustical problems. They were unhappy with the room acoustics and the sound system performance they were experiencing.

School Sound System Installation

Trying to keep the system upgrade/revision within budget was the main concern for the designer of the project. To help keep costs down, a majority of the head end equipment was reused from the original system. The original system had good quality components, but they were implemented in an incorrect manner. TEC replaced and added equipment to work with the room acoustics and aid in music reproduction.

An additional Digital Signal Processor and amplifier were added to allow separate channels for different tunings for each speaker array. Acoustical panels were used to help lower the reverberation time (Rt60) of the gymnasium. This reduction in Rt60 helps with the overall intelligibility. The end result is a well-balanced and intelligible gymnasium sound system that outperforms the previous designs.