02 Jul Cedarburg Performing Arts Center USA

The Cedarburg Performing Arts Center in Cedarburg, Wisconsin USA is host to numerous performances such as music, comedy, and dance. The theatre acts as a typical high school auditorium during the day and a show venue on selected dates, providing an endless stream of entertainment. The mission of the venue is to provide opportunities to the students and residents in the Cedarburg area and beyond, to experience and enjoy the performing arts.

For everyone to fully appreciate theatrical performances, it is crucial that they are be able to clearly hear the music or speech coming from the stage, no matter where you are sitting in the room.

Originally the theatre had an Infrared system, but accessibility from a hearing loop was a much better solution for the room set up and offered a greater accessibility for the users. In June of 2021, Dave Scroggins, owner of DRS Sound Inc., and his team installed a hearing loop at the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center.

This installation used two V22a drivers, 2-phased arrays, over a mile of flat wire and 1,200 ft of 3” SafetyTac.

The flat wire is strategically placed through the rows of seats and lining the stairs, allowing for the most consistent listening experience from everywhere inside the theatre. Due to the 8” rise on every row of seating, it took a lot of materials to run a loop wire in every row, but by using this design, the outcome was consistent and predictable. On top of the quality, it was also aesthetically appealing to the customer by matching the seat hardware colour.

The V22a PRO

For this installation, the V22a PRO drivers were the best fit for several reasons. Our V22a PRO is a highly efficient constant current hearing loop driver with dual output for phased array loops. It is designed for medium-sized facilities and venues, ideal for the 580-seat performing arts centre, where the last row of seats is 78 feet from the stage.

Having an audio delay built in allowed the 2 drivers to offset the upper seating section from the lower seating section to match the over-the-air speaker sound in the room.

The V22a PRO allows for a simple installation, and it provides excellent speech and music reproduction, ideal for any performance venue.

Results

With 5 people working on the installation, the entire project was completed in one day. From start to finish it took around 8 hours in total, which is remarkable and due to the very experienced people on the DRS Sound team. The process used by Dave and his team was efficient, effective and accurate, making for a seamless project. The loop was tested out after completion and the results were amazing.