Install

Supported By
ProSoundWeb
The Danley SBH10 column loudspeaker mounted horizontally above the video screen in the atrium at the Virginia Tech University Fralin Biomedical Research Institute.

Danley Column Loudspeaker Helps Overcome Challenging Space At Virginia Tech Research Institute

Integrator RTW Media opts to mount single SBH10 above the room’s video wall using an unconventional horizontal orientation, with Danley Cube loudspeakers covering shadowed areas.

The main atrium of the new Virginia Tech University Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke, utilized to host presentations, has been outfitted with a Danley Sound Labs SBH10 column-form point-source loudspeaker to provide coverage of the space in a project under the direction of AV integration firm RTW Media (Oilville, VA).

Architectural considerations prevented locating loudspeakers in conventional locations, with RTW opting to mount the single loudspeaker above the room’s video wall using an unconventional horizontal orientation. “We installed a 40-foot wide video wall in the atrium of the new Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s new Roanoke facility, and they wanted sound reinforcement to go along with it for the entire atrium space,” explains Zack Guida, logistics manager at RTW Media. “The perfect place for loudspeakers would have been to the left and right of the open area, out ahead of the zone where anyone who is presenting will stand. However, those walls are covered in ‘Hokie Stone,’ a locally-sourced limestone named after the university’s Hokie mascot. The school said that they didn’t want anything on the Hokie Stone; it would be a deal-breaker.”

He continues, “Our only option was to fly a loudspeaker above the video wall. But that ran the risk of energizing the walls and ceiling, which would in turn reduce intelligibility and promote feedback. Danley’s patented point-source technologies offer the kind of extreme pattern control that we needed, and Danley’s pattern control, combined with its phase-coherence, goes a long way toward minimizing feedback problems.” Guida worked with Danley engineers to find the right Danley model for the unique considerations necessitated by the architecture of the space. “The Danley SBH10 column-form loudspeaker ticked all the boxes, including the requirement that it look as good as it sounds!”

The Danley SBH10 is usually oriented vertically, where its 140 x 10-degree dispersion (H x V) is intended to deliver output in a typical room without sound energizing the ceiling. Guida and his team rotated the SBH10 and mounted it horizontally above the video wall, where it disappears aesthetically. Guida also specified three small Danley Cube loudspeakers for delayed fill under balconies that are in the shadows of the SBH10. A four-channel Danley DNA 5K4C with onboard DSP drivess all four loudspeakers and provides modest conditioning to complement the acoustics of the atrium.

“In addition, Jon Clarke, RTW’s dedicated sales engineer for Virginia Tech projects, worked with the school to deliver the best AV solutions to the 50-plus classrooms, boardrooms, and huddle spaces throughout the new building with a Danley sound reinforcement solution and Planar video wall,” Guida concludes. “Everyone involved is pleased with the outcome. The Institute had a big presentation to VIPs a few days after the installation and it went off beautifully. With the Danley SBH10, you can stand pretty much anywhere in the atrium and it doesn’t even think about feeding back!”

Danley Sound Labs
RTW Media

Install Top Stories

Supported By

Linea Research is a leading designer and manufacturer of high performance power amplifiers and DSP controllers for the entertainment, live sound, installed sound and commercial sound markets.