Situated within the University of New Mexico Center for the Arts and having a capacity of 1,985 patrons, Popejoy Hall is New Mexico’s premier performing arts center.
Each year, the venue hosts approximately 170 diverse events for approximately 250,000 patrons. These events include Broadway productions, operas, rock concerts, ballet and many other activities.
Recently, Popejoy Hall worked with Sennheiser and Pace Audio Services—both of whom have offices in Albuquerque—to upgrade its entire Assisted Listening Device (ALD) infrastructure.
By deploying Sennheiser’s 2020 Digital RF system, they were not only able to substantially improve the audio quality for their hearing-impaired patrons, but were also able to become fully compliant with the American Disabilities Act.
Their previous ALD system utilized infrared transmission technology—and as a result its performance was often intermittent and unpredictable.
Pace Audio Services recommended a full suite of Sennheiser gear for Popejoy Hall, including a SR2020-D-US rack mount transmitter/power supply, an A5000CP UHF an-tenna, as well as 40 (six) channel receivers: 25 HDE2020-D-US and15 EK2020-D-US. Popejoy now offers its patrons the traditional stethoscope-style ALDs or a neck loop re-ceiver that works with T-coil hearing aids.
The Sennheiser 2020 system utilizes a high-quality, reliable digital RF signal, and unlike infrared, does not require a direct ‘line of sight’ between the transmitter and receiver.
As a result, this system is much less prone to signal interruptions that can arise as a result of physical obstruction, such as a hand or a suit coat that may inadvertently block an infrared signal.
“ALD devices are your handshake with the community, and we wanted to invest in a system that sounds great and would also last a long time,” says Billy Tubb, technical director, Popejoy Hall.
“Since installing the 2020 Digital RF system, the sound is 100 percent better and we have virtually no interruptions in the signal. If people come into our venue with hearing deficiencies, we can now offer them superior equipment to optimize their overall listening experience.”
Directly following the installation—which only took a day and a half—Popejoy Hall put the new system to the test with an eight-show run of Disney’s nationally touring “Beauty and the Beast” production.
“When using our old ALD system, we would receive complaints that it didn’t work right, and people would return the units from time to time.”
“Since then, we have had a 100 percent turnaround—people not only do not return them anymore, they actually enjoy using them and seem to appreciate the better sound quality.”
Aside from the noticeable improvement in audio quality, Tubb also notes the simple, ergonomic operation and overall durability.
“Very often, people aren’t comfortable asking for an ALS device; therefore, it should be as easy to use as possible. Sennheiser has made these devices very user friendly—there is a large, easy-to-adjust volume knob, and the units are physically well constructed.”
Tubb is very pleased to have worked with Sennheiser, whose U.S. manufacturing plant is located just a few miles away.
“We chose Sennheiser because of the quality of the equipment and the name. It has been a fantastic experience for us to align with the Sennheiser brand and introduce a heightened level of audio performance to the broader community.”
