— Six channels, with the provision for two more, of reliable Listen Technologies IR assistive listening allows the hub of Los Angeles County’s mass transit system to hold hearings on crucial issues in an array of languages, reflecting the county’s diverse population —
BLUFFDALE, UT — Listen Technologies Corporation, a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of assistive listening products for over 16 years, was recently chosen to provide a comprehensive assistive listening system for the Board Conference Room in the headquarters of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority – or the L.A. Metro, as it’s commonly known. As part of an extensive renovation, AV systems integrator AVI-SPL configured and installed one Listen Technologies T8 Digital IR 8-channel Transmitter, four RAD25 Digital Radiators, 25 T8 Digital IR Receivers, 25 LA-165 Stereo Headphones, 25 LA-164 Ear Speakers, and 25 LA-330 Portable Unit Lanyards. The system is used by translators and citizens speaking Spanish, Korean, Mandarin and other languages to keep all present informed in real time as the agency’s administrators and members of the city council discuss and debate mass-transit policies and regulations that will impact the millions of riders of the city’s bus, subway and light rail systems.
Until recently, L.A. Metro had relied on outdated AV technology to conduct and record the board hearings at its headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. The old systems, which were analog and dated to the early 1990s, were long overdue for an upgrade. “The technology was older, and it was becoming a nightmare to administrate,” says Arlen Sanders, project manager in the Information Technology Services department with L.A. Metro.
That included the assistive listening system. “What gets discussed in the boardroom at L.A. Metro is critical to the entire community, and Listen Technologies is always my go-to for that kind of application,” states Jon Chang, Senior Design Engineer for AVI-SPL. “I’ve used it for a number of other important projects like this, and they’ve never failed.”
Chang says during the RFP process an RF-based assistive listening system was considered. However, it was decided that an IR system would be better suited to the project, as it had the more favorable bandwidth and channel isolation for the six-to-eight channels required. “The previous system had been an IR one, but they had had significant problems with issues like line of sight for the infrared signal,” Chang explains, noting further that Listen Technologies technicians were on site, helping determine the best location for the transmitter. “That wasn’t the case with the Listen Technologies T8 system. The digital transmitter offers excellent coverage, and the intelligibility and clarity of the speech is exceptional. Also, the audio fidelity is phenomenal both for speech and for prerecorded material such as music. When the client heard it, they were blown away. We knew they would be.”
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