USA - Benedictine Military School, an all-male, Catholic preparatory day school for grades 9-12 in Savannah, Georgia, has a rich history. Established in 1902 as Benedictine College, it was organised on a military basis in the Southern military tradition of VMI and The Citadel.
The existing Modernist campus, completed in 1964, was designed to reflect the military heritage of the then-60-year-old school and uphold the monastic traditions of the nearly 1,500-year-old Order of St. Benedict. The school recently upgraded the audio system in their multi-purpose gymnasium by deploying amplifiers from LEA Professional.
The John A. McCarthy, Jr. Gymnasium is an important facility for the school's athletic programmes and events. It is also a focal point for fostering school spirit and community engagement. It hosts events that bring together students, faculty, parents, and alumni, reinforcing the sense of camaraderie and pride within the Benedictine Military School community.
Over the years, the gym has undergone renovations and upgrades to maintain modern standards and improve the experience for athletes and spectators. Enhancements have included updated flooring, improved lighting, and better seating arrangements. Sound intelligibility was not adequate for many of the activities taking place in the gym, so staff contacted Daniel Hunt, director of business development of JSC Systems, to design and deploy an AV system with better intelligibility.
“Gyms are never built with acoustics in mind. Everything in there is a hard surface, so they’re basically echo chambers,” said Hunt. “Intelligibility is usually pretty low, so we decided to implement LEA amplifiers with a new speaker layout for better directivity.”
The system utilised Crestron DSPs – one courtside to interface with event mics and another in the sound booth rack. Danley Sound Labs subwoofers were flown in the centre of the gym, and multipurpose horns were mounted around the court. Hunt's team also installed acoustic treatments to further reduce reverberation.
Hunt deployed multiple Connect Series 704 amplifiers to power the subwoofers and horns installed around the gymnasium. The IoT-enabled four-channel 704 provides 700W per channel, supports Hi-Z (70V or 100V) and Lo-Z selectable by channel, and features Smart Power Bridge technology. With three ways to connect, the school can engage the built-in WiFi access point, connect to the centre’s WiFi, or connect to the local area network via Cat 5 or Cat 6 cable.
“I really like LEA amplifiers because of the smart bridging feature,” said Hunt. “In Benedictine’s case, powering a subwoofer with 1,400W and having three remaining channels for loudspeakers was definitely a plus.”
“A superior audio system is essential in a gym for creating an engaging atmosphere,” said Brian Pickowitz, VP of marketing for LEA Professional. “We’re happy we could contribute to improving the students’ experiences at Benedictine.”
