EAW QX Series at President Obama's Addresses to United States Coast Guard Academy

As President Barack Obama recently addressed U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduates from the stage at the academy's Leamy Hall, he encouraged the 229 newly commissioned Coast Guard officers to continue their pursuit of service. The speech was delivered via anew audio system with loudspeakers from EAW, installed as part of a complete interior renovation of the stately hall, home to the 45-member Coast Guard Band.

Akustiks, LLC., the acoustical consultant on the project, chose EAW's new QX Series speakers for the main L-C-R system. Two QX596 compact enclosures and two EAW SB250z subwoofers form the main center cluster of the system above the stage. One EAW KF394 three-way full-range speaker is mounted on either side of the stage. Six EAW JFX88 compact full-range loudspeakers are built into the front edge of the stage and are used for front fills. Two EAW UX8800 digital signal processors with proprietary EAW Focusing control the audio system, providing EQ, delays and other precision processing. Sound Stage Systems, of North Haven, Connecticut, installed the system.

President Obama was the first person heard on the new audio system in the 1,500-seat auditorium, where the Coast Guard Band performs seasonal concerts and where cadets and Academy staff perform the Annual Cadet Musical. Akustiks also redesigned the concert shell and did acoustic-shaping of the venue's side walls, but designing the audio system was a challenge in that the components had to fit into very specific spaces, in order to conform to the venerable venue's architecture.

"We found the new QX Series of compact speakers from EAW, and they were the perfect fit," says Sam Brandt, senior consultant on the project for Akustiks. "And they performed flawlessly, which is a very good thing when the person speaking happens to be the President of the United States." Brandt noted the exceptional intelligibility, crucial also for the many guest lecturers who address the Corps of Cadets there during the school year. "The coverage was also excellent," he adds. "The QX speakers gave us the same performance as larger speakers but in a considerably smaller footprint. They were the perfect choice."