Carrollton High School, Georgia, Opts for Danley Loudspeakers

Carrollton High School in Carrollton, Georgia recently undertook a $1.5-million renovation of its aging gymnasium. In addition to comprehensive structural work, guided by Southern A&E (Austell, Georgia), the project included an all-new sound reinforcement system designed and installed by Performa Technologies, of Millbrook, Alabama. To address the school's longstanding complaints about indistinct, unintelligible gymnasium sound, Performa's president, LaDon Findley, specified Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers and subwoofers.

The gym seats approximately 1,750 students for basketball games, other sporting events, or assemblies. Although the school considered leaving the old gymnasium as it was and building an entirely new facility, it didn't have the real estate. "The economically sensible thing to do was to gut the old gym," said Findley. The overhaul included a new hardwood floor, new bleachers, new lighting, a new HVAC system, a new lobby, a new concessions area, and updated lockers and restrooms. "The sound system was critical," explained Findley. "The school had received innumerable complaints in the past about the terrible acoustics. It was a tremendous challenge to understand what the announcer was saying."

Part of the solution involved damping the room itself. The ceiling now supports Auralex ProBanners, which cut down noticeably on its otherwise lingering reverb. Wall treatments were considered, as well, but Findley said the Danley gear made that unnecessary. "Two of the hallmarks of Danley's designs are well-defined pattern control and distortion-free reproduction at any volume," he said. "I knew we would be able to keep the direct energy off the walls and focused on the bleachers, which did away the need for costly wall treatments. Moreover, Danley's great fidelity directed at the bleachers would improve intelligibility in its own right."

In the center of the gymnasium, Performa Technologies installed four Danley SM-96 molded-horn, full-range loudspeakers. Two address the home-team bleachers and two address the visitor's side. To either side, an additional SM-96, paired with a Danley TH-MINI subwoofer, delivers stereo content to the larger home-team side. Eight Danley SH-MINIs provide delay coverage of the uppermost bleachers. A Yamaha IMX644 rack-mounted mixer gathers input from microphones and music playback devices and, via two Crestron touch-panel controllers, allows scene changes and output configurations appropriate for the room's multiple uses. A Danley DSLP48 processor provides loudspeaker and subwoofer conditioning. Crest amplifiers power the system. And lastly, a local RF transmitter provides output for the hearing impaired.

"Carrollton High School is jubilant about the new, intelligible sound system," reported Findley. "It's a complete turnaround." In addition, the school now has flat screen monitors placed throughout the atrium and concessions area so that fans won't miss a minute of the on-court action. A state-of-the-art scoreboard with video playback completes the upgrade.