Tannoy CMS system installed in Hawaii health science centre

A raft of Tannoy loudspeakers have been installed at the University of Hawaii’s Translational Health Science Simulation Center (THSSC).

Over 100 CMS 801DC in-ceiling loudspeakers were deployed throughout the facility, revealed Alex Donkle of D.L. Adams Associates, the firm tasked with designing THSSC’s AV and control systems. “They’re everywhere – hallways, the lobby, the exam rooms, in three conference rooms equipped with video/teleconferencing systems and in the main simulation area, the Multimedia Room,” he said.

Ranging from compact 4” driver devices up to 12” full-range and subwoofer devices, the CMS Series is Tannoy’s premium range of full-bandwidth ceiling-mounted loudspeakers specifically designed for applications requiring high levels of music and speech reinforcement, intelligibility and reliability.

One of the most important functions the audio system serves is to provide students and instructors with a means to interact effectively during simulations. “THSSC has a variety of mock exam and surgery rooms where students get feedback from the instructors while interacting with their ‘patients’ – intelligent mannequins the instructors control,” explained Donkle.

“There are speakers, microphones and cameras in the rooms so the instructors can monitor student’s work and so the students and instructors can communicate with each other.”

The system also allows instructors to film and record student interactions for follow-up analysis. It features a series of Crestron touch panels for users to control various parameters such as signal routing, and small speakers mounted in the mouths of the intelligent mannequins to provide additional realism.

The decision was based on D.L. Adams’ previous experience with Tannoy, as well as the product’s reputation for clarity and coverage.

“Having uniform, high-quality sound and no hotspots was very important," Donkle added. "We found that Tannoy provided the most even spread and uniform sound quality. When students are moving around they’re not walking in and out of the sweet spot constantly as they would with some other speakers. Tannoy are just very consistent in these types of spaces.”

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