Ridgeland High School in Jasper County, SC recently upgraded its gymnasium sound system, with local installer Sound Systems and More (Greenwood, SC) incorporating LEA Professional amplifiers as the backbone of the project. Ronnie Carroll, lead installation technician at South Systems and More, explains that the school’s previous system for the 200-plus capacity gym was outdated, limited in functionality and connectivity, and only half functional.
“Ridgeland had many issues with their previous sound system, and their top requests for a new system were for excellent system quality, flexibility and usability,” he says. “We were able to give them the quality they needed, and we gave them the capability to connect via Bluetooth, allowing them to play music during pep rallies and events without the equipment being directly in the gym. Plus, the entire system is easier to use, more efficient, and much more flexible. The amplifiers from LEA Professional greatly contribute to the system’s success.”
The team installed a new system that included a mix of about a dozen Community R Series loudspeakers and subwoofers, driven by a set of three CONNECTSERIES amplifiers from LEA Professional, specifically, the Connect 704 offering four channels with a stated 700 watts per channel as well as direct HiZ (70 or 100-volt) or LoZ, selectable by channel. They are equipped with analog and Dante inputs as well as external I/O control for remote on/off and fault monitoring.
“We were looking for different options in four-channel digital amplifiers, and we heard about LEA and how flexible they are, and we really wanted to give them a try,” Carroll explains. “We originally had amps from a different company specified, and after learning about LEA, we went back to the school and asked if we could upgrade it to the LEA amplifiers. They approved the change, and everyone has been very happy with the results.”
The LEA amplifiers can be “locked out” to where an unauthorized user can’t gain access to them and turn up the volume, which could potentially damage the system. In addition, they offer a range of connectivity features.
“The connectivity flexibility of the system is great. Having the ability to use an iOS mobile device to connect wirelessly and make adjustments will be very helpful,” states Carroll. “Because the amp rack is in a separate room, it gives us the potential to stand in the gym and adjust the amplifiers across the hallway without having to walk back and forth to make adjustments.
He notes that the school’s new system has only been used once, just before the lockdown was in place because of the pandemic. And while that initial use was very positive, Carroll expects some tweaks will be necessary when the school’s schedule returns to partial or full use.
“The school is about 180 miles from our office, and knowing that we could make adjustments over the network if needed without traveling is fantastic,” Carroll says. “We’ll be able to remotely diagnose and make system adjustments, which will save us a huge amount of time and allow us to be very responsive to the customer’s needs.”
Users can engage the amplifier’s built-in Wi-Fi access point, connect to the venue’s Wi-Fi or use the FAST Ethernet to connect to any local area network via Cat-5/6 cable. The CONNECTSERIES also offers cloud connectivity for remote control, monitoring, notifications, and more from any personal device. Just connect the amp to a network and start commanding the systems.
“We’re specifying and installing LEA amplifiers more frequently now. It’s such a robust, great-sounding, easy-to-use amp system; we love using it — and LEA’s service and support is excellent,” Carroll concludes. “I’ve had to call them a couple of times, and literally within five minutes of discussing the issue with a technician, the problem was solved. Our customers have been very happy; we are very happy, and I look forward to working with LEA amps on many of the new projects we have in the queue.”
