USA - As an integral part of the distributed audio system UH's Translational Health Science Simulation Centre (THSSC), Tannoy loudspeakers are aiding instructors in providing students with real-life simulations of scenarios they are certain to experience in the field.
Over 100 Tannoy CMS 801DC in-ceiling loudspeakers are deployed throughout the facility, says Alex Donkle, of D.L. Adams Associates, Ltd., the firm tasked with designing THSSC's A/V 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."
CMS Series is Tannoy's premium range of full bandwidth; highpower and high sensitivity ceiling-mounted loudspeaker devices specifically designed for applications requiring the combination of uncompromising sonic quality for music and speech reinforcement, exceptional intelligibility andlong term reliability. Ranging from very small, compact 4" driver devices up to large format 12" full-range and subwoofer devices, CMS Series offers the systems designer a comprehensive tool set for distributed in-ceiling audio, for applications where high quality music and speech reproduction is of paramount importance and compromise is not an option, says the company.
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," Donkle explains. "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. Additionally, 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 choice of Tannoy was based on D.L. Adams previous experience with Tannoy as well as the product's reputation for clarity and coverage, Donkle adds: "Basically, they provided the easiest way for us to supply a high-quality experience and realistic sound for all of these uses." That's particularly important in the Multimedia Room, which is also equipped with two Tannoy CMS 110TB subs and boasts a sophisticated A/V system designed to recreate the experience of responding to a given patient's needs in a variety of locations and situations as realistically as possible.
Facilitating that type of communication at THSSC was priority one and the Tannoy CMS Series Dual Concentric configuration aided substantially in heightening the realism of the simulations. "Having uniform, high-quality sound and no hotspots was very important. We found that the 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."
