All Souls College 15-century room brought back into use

Sennheiser’s SpeechLine Digital Wireless (SLDW) microphone system has been selected by All Souls College to enhance audio in one of its oldest, most distinctive meeting rooms.

Founded in 1430 by Henry VI, All Souls College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford.

Describing their initial acoustical challenges, Paul Blaxill, director of IT at All Souls College, explains that their primary issue revolved around the building’s extraordinary architecture, with many rooms boasting vaulted, intricately carved stone ceilings. “Using these beautiful, ancient rooms for modern purposes required adaptation, which prompted us to reach out to ​ local hire company CAV Oxford,” he says.

CAV provides tailored support to many of Oxford’s most prestigious venues. When All Souls College asked for help, the team knew that the SLDW's user-friendliness for non-technical personnel and range of built-in features that eliminate the need for additional outboard equipment made it the obvious choice.

Leisuretec, which has been a Sennheiser distributor since 1990, was chosen to deliver the system. Knowing that technical support would not always be readily available in the college’s meeting room, Leisuretec provided training for CAV at Sennheiser UK.

The SLDW is developed with the end user in mind and designed for university and corporate use. A streamlined experience is improved by integrated DSP, providing EQ and automatic audio level management. This means that fellows of All Souls College can concentrate on their discussions without distraction.

 

The system is operated works by a single button. Docking stations for charging have been mounted in a glass-fronted rack unit, with custom-painted speakers blending into the room. Easily accessible charging stations mean equipment is always ready for use and can last all day thanks to a 15-hour battery life.

As a result of the installation, a previously unusable but beautiful room at All Souls College has become an inspiring place to hold discussions.

"The quality that Sennheiser SpeechLine Digital Wireless has provided has been met with delight,” says CAV’s director, Sam Haney.

“The overall audio quality was a massive leap forward,” says Blaxhill. “CAV Oxford understood the brief and designed a system that exceeded our requirements. They were incredibly professional, and the rack containing all the equipment was beautifully presented; it’s a work of art.”