When the technicians at Ridgeview Classical Schools in Fort Collins, Colorado, a public K-12 charter school serving approximately 750 students, realised it was time to upgrade the main auditorium’s AV system they chose LEA Professional to give them “reliable amplifier power within an affordable package”.
Local AV systems integrator Sight + Sound Technologies was sub-contracted in to help, after the project – that began a few months earlier – started running over budget, and school managers decided to look again at the project to see if cost-saving adjustments could be made.
“The original estimates only included equipment costs, not labour, and the school had a strict budget they needed to adhere to, but of course, quality and usability were still important,” explains Kris Johnson, COO at Sight + Sound Technologies. “So, we ended up working with the system designer to value-engineer the project and come up with a solution that would still accomplish the school’s performance goals, and save some money.”
MULTI-USE SPACE
The auditorium, which seats about 350, is a multi-use space used for various meetings, presentations, events, and announcements, as well as for entertainment and musical productions. Within the auditorium, there are four EAW MKD Series speakers and a set of delay and side-fill speakers. Johnson explained that the team worked to keep as much of the original system as possible, but an opportunity for cost savings was identified within the power amplifier selection – and this is where LEA came in.
LEA Professional offered the power ratings, frequency responses, and connectivity options the team needed, at a price point that fitted the school’s budget. The four main speakers are now powered by an LEA Professional 704D Connect Series amplifier, with a 354D Connect Series amplifier powering the fill system. A Dante audio network connects the whole system.
“We’ve done quite a few projects with the LEA amps, and they’ve all been great,” says Johnson. “We trust that LEA is going to hit the mark for our customers. “We feel like we won on both sides of the equation with excellent price and quality. We’ve been pleased with LEA, for sure, and the school is enjoying their system.”
