Two leading Swiss universities have equipped lecture halls with Meyer Sound CAL™
64 column array loudspeakers to provide highly intelligible voice reproduction in
challenging acoustical environments. Identical CAL systems at ETH Zurich and the
University of Basel apply advanced beam steering technology to custom tailor
uniform coverage of two differently shaped lecture halls, greatly improving
students’ intelligibility of instructors’ voices.


“Thanks to the vertical steering capability of CAL, we were able to precisely direct
the beam angles to the seating areas in each room,’ explains Nicolin Salis,
executive project manager for Thalwil, Switzerland-based consultant RGBP, which
specified the two systems. “The beam-steering technology of CAL gave us
astounding results. This was despite the fact that the mechanical mounting positions
in each room were not optimal and prevented us from placing the loudspeakers at
the preferred angle.’


The ETH Zurich lecture hall, located in the environmentally sustainable LEE Building,
has all seating set in a semi-circle on a flat floor plane. Here, the downward tilt and
beam spread of two CAL loudspeakers are precisely calibrated to cover the seating
without exciting the surrounding hardwood walls or the reflective ceiling surfaces.



In contrast, at the University of Basel lecture hall, seating is arranged on three
sides at steeply raked angles. For this application, a broader vertical beam with an
upward tilt is applied to two CAL loudspeakers to ensure clear and seamless
coverage throughout the room.


The RGBP contract also encompassed control and video systems, including AMX
touch panel controls in both lecture halls and four Sony video projectors with 7,000
Lumens at the University of Basel installation.


AV integrators and consultants rely upon Meyer Sound technology for solutions in
educational applications worldwide, from Stanford University and Louisiana State
University to Hong Kong University, Singapore American School, and London’s St.
Paul’s Girls’ School.


Also known as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich was founded in
1855 and is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading institutions for the study
of engineering, natural sciences, and technology.


Founded in 1460, the University of Basel is the oldest university in Switzerland and
claims association with such intellectual giants as Erasmus, Friedrich Nietzsche, and
Carl Jung.