Council presses vendor on Founders Hall AV quality, hearing‑loop questions

Council members scrutinized a professional services agreement for Matrix Audio Visual Designs Inc. to upgrade Founders Hall’s audio‑visual system, focusing on sound coverage, connector reliability and assistive-listening support for seniors.

Council Member Ed Albrecht said the existing system sometimes directs sound at listeners’ faces and lacks side coverage, making speech hard to hear from the audience. “When I'm in the audience, I've had many people, turn to me and say, what'd they say?” he said. He asked how the RFP would address speaker directionality, wiring and the assistive‑listening loop.

A vendor representative and staff said the RFP would replace two broken speakers, upgrade all existing speakers and replace audio/video connectors and cabling to improve stability. On the hearing-loop question, staff said that loop replacement is not included in the current RFP because it requires different equipment and a separate procurement; they noted the loop’s performance may be affected by metal framing at the front door and that an engineer’s diagnostic would be required to scope costs.

The vendor said the current system supports roughly eight to 12 assistive-listening devices and that more devices can be added as a broadcasting system without degrading overall sound quality. Council members requested follow-up on the number of available devices, loop diagnostics and assurances about connection reliability. The item was approved as part of the collective consent vote after the additional clarifications were noted.