The experience of trying to decipher what the public address announcers at the North Battleford Civic Centre are saying is likely to be much improved this coming hockey season.
City council has approved a replacement to the sound speaker system at their meeting Monday. The cost would be $15,032.73 and it is expected to be in place by mid-October.
The sound system is over 20 years old, but the quality has been a major and noticeable issue for patrons of the Civic Centre for a while.
City director of leisure services Bill Samborski outlined the problems of the existing sound system, issues that became evident during the latter part of the last hockey season.
The sound had prompted numerous complaints from visitors to the Civic Centre. Those included a lack of bass, a "tin cup" sound that "hurt the ears," and difficulties making out what the PA announcer was saying.
“It was clear at that time that the subs were blown,” said Samborski. They were destroyed beyond repair, he said.
In March, the subs were replaced for $4,900. This improved the music, but Samborski noted it quickly became evident that sound articulation from the microphones was still a problem.
People were still having problems comprehending what was being said by the public address announcers, an issue particularly noticed during the circus and the rodeo.
Consultants Pro AV came in a number of times to examine the sound system and they determined through a frequency meter that the entire middle frequency was gone.
The issue was whether or not to replace the sound system now or wait until next year’s budget. The reality, Samborski said, is that by waiting they would lose 80-90 percent of the coming SJHL season.
He recommended replacing it now. As for the cost, money had been found in the capital remains to fund the project.
Council approved the resolution to replace the sound system by a unanimous vote.
