Albuquerque — New Mexico’s Popejoy Hall performing arts center has upgraded its entire Assisted Listening Device (ALD) infrastructure and installed the 2020 Digital RF system from Sennheiser USA, Old Lyme, Conn.
Situated within the University of New Mexico Center for the Arts and having a capacity of 1,985 patrons, Popejoy Hall reportedly hosts approximately 170 events with 250,000 patrons a year. These events include Broadway productions, operas, rock concerts, ballet and many other activities.
To meet the needs of its listening impaired community and also become fully compliant with the American Disabilities Act, the University replaced its old ALD system with the Sennheiser’s 2020 Digital RF system, substantially improving the audio quality for the Hall’s hearing-impaired patrons.
The Sennheiser 2020 Digital RF System includes a SR2020-D-US rack mount transmitter/power supply, an A5000CP UHF antenna, as well as 40 (six) channel receivers: 25 HDE2020-D-US and15 EK2020-D-US.
Popejoy also now offers its patrons the traditional stethoscope-style ALDs or a neck loop receiver that works with T-coil hearing aids.
The Sennheiser 2020 system utilizes a digital RF signal, and unlike the Hall’s previous infrared technology, RF signal systems do not require a direct line of sight between the transmitter and receiver.
Consequently, the Sennheiser system is less prone to signal interruptions that can arise as a result of physical obstruction, such as a hand or a suit coat that may inadvertently block an infrared signal.
Billy Tubb, technical director, Popejoy Hall also noted that the Sennheiser system is simple to use and has an ergonomic operation. He said in he press release, "Very often, people aren’t comfortable asking for an ALS device; therefore, it should be as easy to use as possible. Sennheiser has made these devices very user friendly — there is a large, easy-to-adjust volume knob, and the units are physically well constructed."
SOURCE: Sennheiser