The Emery/Weiner School is a private, college-preparatory, Jewish middle and high school located in southwest Houston. The school prides itself in its experiential learning program and co-curricular traditional offerings, including dynamic arts and athletic programs. School facilities manager Terry Nelson engaged Houston design consultants touch thirty three, inc. (t33) to outfit their new football field with a sound system befitting the esteemed academic institution.
While high output was required to fire up fans at home field games, with high-end condominiums located just 22 feet behind each of the field’s end zones, precise pattern control was also crucial to avoid “sonic intrusion” to residential neighbours.
t33 principal Bruce Coffman worked closely with the School’s Terry Nelson to create a new solution for the field’s sound system after an initial spec with speakers mounted across the back of the bleachers was deemed ineffective. Coffman sent architectural dimensions to Fulcrum Acoustic vice president of research and development/ co-founder Dave Gunness who ran EASE plots identifying a surprising single-speaker solution to cover the entire football field and seating area.
One Fulcrum AH463 High Efficiency Full-Range Coaxial Horn was mounted atop the field’s 37 foot high scoreboard to provide the requisite output for the cross field acoustic throw and the precise 60° x 30° broadband pattern control to cover the grandstands exactly from end to end.
Coffman concludes, “this was one of those very rare instances in which the right gear provided the absolute perfect match for the application. Beyond the bleachers and end zone, the sound virtually disappears. In addition to the school’s savings realised by eliminating the need for additional speakers, the simplified installation cut the project’s labor costs in half and helped make a very pleased customer with an exceptional sound system that exceeded their expectations”.
