These systems give students and faculty a constant, uncolored reference so that what they hear is familiar and recognizable when they transition from one space to another. Students will hear on the stage exactly what they heard in classroom rehearsals.”
Bill SchuermannProject Consultant, HFP Acoustical Consultants
Located a few miles from Texas A&M University, the gleaming new campus of College Station, Tex.-based College Station High School features a wealth of cutting-edge AV systems. More than 130 Meyer Sound loudspeakers are installed in 14 separate systems in the school’s classrooms, athletic facilities, and main theatre. These systems were designed by Houston-based HFP Acoustical Consultants.
“There were several factors driving the selection of loudspeakers,” says Bill Schuermann, project consultant at HFP. “The school wanted consistency and musicality for the performing arts, power and clarity for the athletic systems, high intelligibility throughout, and proven long-term reliability. All that, coupled with limited space for amp racks, pointed to a Meyer Sound self-powered solution.”
The need for a linear and musical response was essential for the 500-seat main theatre and classrooms for band, choir, orchestra, drama, dance, and cheerleading. Each classroom is equipped with an identical system comprising two UP-4XP 48 V loudspeakers and one MM‑10 subwoofer. Student performers hear the same linear response through the main theatre’s playback system of UPM‑1P loudspeakers and M1D-Sub subwoofers, while the audience experiences the consistent sonic signature through 16 M1D line array loudspeakers and four M1D-Sub subwoofers.
“These systems give students and faculty a constant, uncolored reference so that what they hear is familiar and recognizable when they transition from one space to another,” says Schuermann. “Students will hear on the stage exactly what they heard in classroom rehearsals.”
In addition, College Station’s football stadium benefits with the power of four UPQ-1P and six UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers. The baseball and softball fields are equipped with identical systems of two-each UP-4XP and UPJunior VariO loudspeakers, while UPJ-1P and UPQ-1P loudspeakers are installed in the competition and secondary gyms.
“I’ve heard all the installed systems, and they sound fantastic,” says Jon Hall, director of construction services for the College Station Independent School District. “Staff and parents have been positive about the clarity and power. In my opinion, they are the best sound systems I’ve heard at any school.”
Additional Meyer Sound systems are installed in the main dining room, lobby, and the circular LGI (Large Group Instruction) classroom, which utilizes a total of 36 MM-4 loudspeakers.
Other key AV system components include Soundcraft digital consoles, Digital Projection M-Vision Cine video projectors, Stewart Filmscreen motorized screens, and Crestron controllers.
The College Station High School campus was designed by Plano, Tex.-based SHW Group with Rayce Boyter, AIA as lead architect. AV systems were integrated and installed by Covenant Communications of Houston, under the supervision of Project Manager Greg Griffin.