ATLANTA – Atlanta Sound & Lighting recently updated the AV system used at AmericasMart's 12,000 square-foot Ivystone and HomeStyle wholesale showroom with a new system incorporating a Symetrix Jupiter 8 processor with Symetrix ARC-WEB remote. The fully-programmable ARC-WEB provides secure network control of input source and zone volume from computers or smartphones anywhere in the facility or beyond.
"The space has had a number of sound systems over the years, with people coming in to band-aid this or that, to take equipment away, or to add the odd loudspeaker," said Bill Abner, project manager with Atlanta Sound & Lighting. "The ceiling was just a mélange of different speakers in poorly articulated zones with almost no user control. Because they often have different vendors in different areas that require different volumes, they wanted a new, reliable system that would allow them to easily adjust the volume in any situation."
Abner and his associates sold the owners on Symetrix' ARC-WEB remote, which features a virtual ARC wall panel remote that can be accessed from any networked device, including iPhones and other smartphones, with appropriate security clearance. Abner could also program the ARC-WEB so that its presentation and functions met the specific needs of Ivystone and HomeStyle.
The new system, which serves as a source for background music, has three inputs: a microphone for paging, Sirius Satellite Radio and an iPod dock. With eight inputs, eight outputs, and processing flexibility, the Symetrix Jupiter 8 runs the "Priority Zone Mixer 1" app to deliver input conditioning, loudspeaker conditioning, and lightweight input logic. An eight-channel ElectroVoice CPS 8.5 amplifier delivers 500 watts to each of eight output zones. Forty ElectroVoice EVID 3.2 speakers provide a unified hi-fi output. In addition to the ARC-WEB, Abner added a hardware ARC-2 wall panel that provides redundant control of the input selection and individual zone volumes.
"Honestly, I was surprised at how easily the Symetrix Jupiter, ARC-2, and ARC-WEB went in," said Abner, who credited the system for living up to its "zero learning curve" marketing claims. "It worked perfectly the first time…We thought we had a minor issue while installing the ARC-2 wall plate, but after a short phone call with a very helpful support technician, we overcame our error and were up and running as advertised."
The client was excited to try out the remote capabilities of the Symetrix ARC-WEB remote. "After we installed it, they asked if one of their staff would be able to control the system from a company office 800 miles away in Dallas," recalled Abner. "Two days later, the client sent me an email from Dallas. He was excited to be controlling the audio system in Atlanta from his desktop in Dallas."
For more information, please visit www.symetrix.co.
