Shure system upgrade at Utrecht University
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Utrecht University was the setting for an ambitious three-year audio installation of Shure equipment, with ULX-D Digital Wireless systems being deployed across three main areas: Utrecht Science Park/De Uithof, the University Quarter in the city centre of Utrecht and the International Campus Utrecht (ICU).
With more than 29,000 students, 5,500 faculty and staff and 100 buildings – including 45 buildings used for educational purposes and lecture halls – updating the audio equipment to a digital system that delivered superb audio clarity, along with flexibility and ease of use was essential.
Award-winning integrator JNV, with support from AV specialist distribution company Output, managed the installation of the Shure equipment to provide the right solutions for the university.
Peter Janssen, AV domain specialist at Utrecht University, explains why a requirement for a digital system was needed: “There was a change of frequencies to the 4G Network in Europe, which led us to upgrade our previous system to a digital system. The new system offers us greater performance in terms of the amount of microphones in use under the new bandwidth restrictions brought in by the recent changes.”
Jan Zwanenberg, digital architect, JNV, adds: “Utrecht University has around 90 microphone systems in use across the campus; that is a mixture of handheld, lapel, podium, head-set and radio mics. Because of the amount of microphones, we needed a system that could provide a lot of channels into the restricted bandwidth available. Peter and I spent a long time discussing what kind of solutions were needed to provide the perfect learning environment for all of the students and lecturers.”
Actual numbers of equipment used across the campus revealed the true challenge of managing channels within a restricted bandwidth, 86 ULXD4 receivers, 103 ULXD1 bodypacks and 14 ULXD2 handhelds. With such a demanding audio requirement, having the ability to test the systems before integration was a bonus, with AV specialists Output having the facilities in place for hands-on demonstrations ahead of purchasing.
“Output provided great support throughout the project, allowing us to test systems and ensure they would perform on site within the University,” offers Zwanenberg.
Janssen continues: “Shure has a reputation for being a market-leading audio brand, so we felt that the decision for us to change to a Shure ULX-D digital system wasn’t a high risk at all, and in fact, provided much greater benefits than the existing system.
“The Shure system provides us with a flexible, stable solution to continue to offer the best possible learning experience to all our students across the university. Our academics also appreciate the ease of use when switching systems, from lapel to headset microphone. It’s a straightforward process which works perfectly and means there’s no lost time within the classes.”
Having had the Shure systems in place for 12 months, both Janssen and Zwanenberg are pleased with the decision to upgrade.
“We’re very happy with the performance of the systems across the university,” claims Janssen. Students and lecturers are benefiting from superb audio clarity. Our technical team is also very pleased with the stability and performance of the microphones, along with the superb performance of the accus that charge the batteries to full capacity within three hours.”
“ULX-D is now the new standard at the university,” concludes Zwanenberg. “Each microphone system is totally reliable and works perfectly depending on the needs of the room.”
(Jim Evans)
