Enhancing Gymnasium Intelligibility at Pulaski Road Elementary with SoundTube Line Arrays

Client: Pulaski Road Elementary School
Integrator: Advance Sound Company
Location: Long Island, New York
SoundTube Products Used: LA880i Line Arrays
Other Equipment: Shure SLX-D wireless mics, Symetrix DSP, Simpro for quoting

Project Overview

Pulaski Road Elementary, part of the Riverhead Central School District in New York, recently underwent a significant renovation, with audio upgrades in its historic auditorium prioritized as a critical first step. The district wanted to create a high-intelligibility environment suitable for announcements, presentations, and assemblies without compromising the space’s architectural character.

Advance Sound Company was brought in to lead the installation, drawing on their experience with historic facilities and repeatable AV system design across the district.

“This space really needed a line array that could keep sound from bouncing around,” said Thomas DePace from Advance Sound Company. “I needed something with width and tight vertical dispersion to maintain clarity all the way to the back of the room.”

The Audio Challenge

The auditorium, originally designed as a multiuse recreation and performance space, featured intricate woodwork, shallow depth, and reverberant surfaces. Prior loudspeakers, including SX300s reused from a high school auditorium, failed to meet the school’s needs. With intelligibility as the primary requirement, the district turned to Advance Sound to engineer a more targeted solution.

 Why SoundTube

Advance Sound selected SoundTube’s LA880i line array speakers in white, which visually blended with the space and allowed for precise coverage without overwhelming volume. These speakers were mounted at a six-foot height from the stage floor to meet ADA clearance and minimize back-wall reflections. The LA880i’s controlled directivity and vertical dispersion were critical in keeping the audio focused.

“We tilted the speakers out to minimize reflections and ensure even coverage,” said DePace. “SoundTube’s LA880is gave us just what we needed—a clean, intelligible soundscape across the entire space.”

 Design and Installation Efficiency

To streamline quoting and system design, Advance Sound used Simpro quoting software with prebuilt templates for common installations like gymnasiums. This allowed them to quickly generate a scalable AV package—including mics, processing, and line arrays—tailored to each school’s size.

“SimPro made quoting fast and repeatable,” DePace explained. “We’ve built templates for different gym sizes. The LA880is are our go-to for these types of installs.”

The system also incorporated a Symetrix DSP controller and a set of Shure SLX-D wireless microphones, offering a balance of reliability, simplicity, and expandability. Adaptive Technologies beam clamps were used to mount the speakers quickly and securely.

Results and Feedback

The upgraded gym audio system now delivers crystal-clear sound throughout the room enhancing events and ensuring accessibility. Following the success at Pulaski Road Elementary, Advance Sound Company has been called back for additional AV upgrades throughout the district.

“The district now wants us to survey other buildings. A good product paired with a repeatable, scalable system—it’s working for them and for us,” said DePace.

SoundTube Entertainment. Ingenious. By Design.

SoundTube Entertainment is at the forefront of end-to-end Dante-enabled audio systems for everyday applications. SoundTube’s goal is to provide a simple, cost-effective path to advanced audio networking without the typical complexity. SoundTube offers the world’s broadest assortment of IP-enabled PoE speakers, along with a full range of Dante-enabled components. Our hallmarks are easy programming and operation without specialized training; affordability for everyday applications such as restaurants, retail, and residential spaces; and centralized monitoring and control of all Dante-enabled components.

With over 70 years of innovation in commercial and residential audio, SoundTube continues to pioneer industry-standard categories like pendant speakers and 360° sound. As one of the few vertically integrated U.S. speaker manufacturers, SoundTube ensures quality control from voice coil winding to finished systems at its facilities in Kansas and Florida.