The Hynes Athletic Center at Iona College (Rochelle, NY), home to the Iona Gaels basketball team in addition to hosting a range of events, recently implements a new sound reinforcement system headed by TW AUDiO loudspeakers.
Constructed in 1974, the arena has since undergone numerous updates. But with the last technical work having taken place in 2013, a major overhaul of the installed systems quickly followed a donation of more than $6 million by college alumni and well-wishers.
Seeking to expand the use of its facilities, the college set out to find a more flexible audio solution, working with Connecticut-based AV systems integration firm Metropolitan Interactive. “Our key challenge was to build a high-quality audio system which could meet a variety of user needs while remaining easy to use within a tight budget,” explains Metropolitan Interactive CEO Jeff Mele. “Frankly, the TW AUDiO loudspeakers were a great fit.”
The arena is now served by 12 T20i enclosures alongside pairs of T24N-90 and T24N-60 loudspeakers. Audio power and processing is delivered by four Powersoft Quatrocannali 4084 DSP amplifiers.
“The gymnasium has been entirely renovated and reconfigured with bleachers on all four sides of the court,” continues Mele. “Three T20i loudspeakers cover each bank of bleachers for games and events. A pair of T24N-90s mounted at the east end of the gym are aimed towards the far bank of bleachers for end-stage events to cover the floor.
“In addition, a pair of T24N-60s are mounted on the south side of the gym aimed northwards to cover the floor for rallies and other wide event setups, as well as providing reinforcement on the floor for games. For the east stage configuration, delays are used on the south-, west- and north-facing speakers to focus attention on the stage area.”
System control is provided by a QSC Q-Sys 110f Core, a QSC TouchMix-8 mixer, and a mixture of QSC and Attero Tech wall panels.
“The TW AUDiO solution provides a wide, even field of coverage within the arena,” Mele concludes. “The result of our choice of TW AUDiO is that we could keep the equipment count to a minimum while still generating plenty of headroom above an excited crowd of basketball fans.”