The Great Hall at the University of Birmingham
"Centenary Celebrations for Sabine"
The University of Birmingham marked the celebration of it's centenary in 2000 with a complete refurbishment of the Great Hall, which has since been a focal point for a number of high profile events, including an episode of the BBC production "The Antiques Roadshow" as well as several classical concerts. Part of the refurbishment was an upgrade of the sound system, by Apple Sound.
The Great Hall, a magnificent cathedral-like Grade II listed building with an ornate arched roof and a spectacular stained glass window framed by the pipes of a grand pipe-organ, was a difficult environment in which to work given the restrictions of both the building's listed status and the budget available. However, the solution we devised maximised every opportunity. The first task was to remove the central cluster which obscured the view of the window and looked extremely cumbersome, and replace it with a far more discreet wall-mounted system. The next stage was to install a Sabine GRAPHI-Q to optimise system performance.
"In all I believe we achieved the best possible compromise in a difficult environment..." Estate Management Office, University of Birmingham.
Apple Sound Director Tim Brown said,"It was the GRAPHI-Q that made everything workable. Breaking down the central cluster of BOSE® 802 loudspeakers, refurbishing the equipment and putting it back on the walls made everything look a lot better, but it still left a lot to be desired from an audio point of view, particularly where speech intelligibility was concerned. Using the GRAPHI-Q enabled us to EQ the system properly, set the correct amount of delay for each part of the system (it's a big hall), and of course eliminate feedback. We've used a slave version of the unit so that no-one can tamper with the settings, so now anyone can simply walk in and turn it on and expect the same quality of audio every time. I'm pleased to say, and the client agrees, that the system sounds better now than ever before."
