Technomad package for Illinois Zoo

15 September 2011

USA - The bird calls, primate howls and other noises coming from the Philips Park Zoo in Aurora, Illinois, are balanced with a new audio system that delivers news, exhibit information, and background music to some 200,000 visitors each year.

Chicago-based systems integration firm AST (Advanced Systems & Technologies) installed a 70-volt system with eight weatherproof Technomad advanced audio loudspeakers to provide intelligible voice and high-quality musical reproduction throughout all seven acres of the zoo. Seven Technomad Vernal loudspeakers discreetly cover the grounds, providing audio to visitors nearby the animal exhibits. One Technomad Vienna loudspeaker provides long-distance audio projection to patrons at the main entrance gate and visitor centre.

The compact Vernal and Vienna loudspeakers, mounted on various building eves, light poles, and fences, are part of a custom turnkey installation that replaced an outdated system scarred by time and weather. Both models are powerful, IP56 weatherproof, two-way, full-range loudspeakers built to withstand tumultuous weather conditions, including the extreme summer heat and heavy rains often experienced while the zoo is open for business.

"We needed a more efficient way to communicate with our visitors, especially in the event of a storm or if an animal were to escape," said Randy Johnson, manager of Philips Park Zoo. "The weatherproof aspect drew me to Technomad, and the sound quality of the loudspeakers has exceeded our expectations. I recorded some WAV files and have short zoo ads randomly playing in between the music segments, and everything sounds great."

"The Vernal and Vienna loudspeakers were chosen for their weatherproof construction, and their throw distances perfectly matched our needs," said Terry McCarthy, partner and design engineer at AST.

(Jim Evans)