The University of Toledo has recently tapped full-service commercial AV systems integrator ProVideo of nearby Perrysburg to bring the space’s AV technology up to date.
ProVideo Executive Sales Engineer Kevin Olden designed the new system based on Renkus-Heinz ICONYX Gen5 digitally steered array loudspeakers.
Kevin explained: “When I first saw the room, Renkus-Heinz ICONXY IC16-RN arrays immediately came to mind because they gave us the ability to steer the sound toward the floor and away from the hard surfaces and ceiling. Before we installed ICONYX, that upper chamber was in play. With ICONYX, we aimed the beams to keep the sound down on the seats, and the chamber is not so much in play now.”
ProVideo’s team mounted a pair of IC16-RN columns left and right of the lectern area, covering the entire room evenly without fills. Kevin added: “In most cases, the presenter or speaker is going to be located in the lectern position, right in front of one of the loudspeakers.
“The ability to aim the beams for the best operation in that situation, while also considering the multifunction uses of the room, was pretty important.”
Kevin chose a matte white Da-lite 70192LSC 16:10 screen with a custom black drop that makes the new screen almost appear to be coming out of the ceiling. A Panasonic PT-RZ770 laser projector sits on a custom-designed shelf over the doorway in the rear of the room, about 60 feet from the lectern. A Crestron DMPS3-4K-250-C 3-Series 4K DigitalMedia Presentation System 250 handles 4K AV presentation control and signal routing, and a custom floor box provides HDMI and VGA connections.
Kevin said: “I considered putting in a DSP and decided we didn’t need it. We used a bit of the processing abilities of the DMPS3-4K-250-C but most audio processing is done in the Renkus-Heinz speakers.”
A Crestron TSW-1060-NC-B-S 10.1-inch touch screen control panel is discreetly mounted on the columns behind the house left side of the lectern, facing to the side. Kevin added: “They have controls for two legacy Audio-Technica mics and Shure MX wireless handheld and lavalier mics.”
The University of Toledo’s Thompson Meeting Room is just one of several projects for which ProVideo has been using Renkus-Heinz ICONYX steered arrays. Kevin said: “We’ve been installing ICONYX for a few years now, we recently used ICONYX digital beam steering at ProMedica Toledo Hospital’s Kellermeyer Auditorium, and we’re using ICONYX at St. John XXIII Church in Perrysburg.”
Kevin concluded: “In the Thompson Meeting Room, the IC16-RN loudspeakers were one part of the project that worked and sounded as we expected. Out of the box, the speakers worked seamlessly. The manual is very clear about how to get started, and it’s pretty painless. Although that is the way it should be all the time, it isn’t, so that’s a real bonus. We’ve definitely become an evangelist for the Renkus-Heinz ICONYX line.”
