Renkus-Heinz Lecture Theatre Audio Upgrade at the University of Birmingham

From one lecture theatre to a campus-wide approach to intelligible audio

The University of Birmingham’s 450-seat Leonard Deacon Lecture Theatre was the first on campus to be equipped with Renkus-Heinz beam-steering technology.

Installed by GVAV, the system demonstrated how precisely controlled sound could improve speech intelligibility in a large teaching space. Its success subsequently influenced the University’s approach to audio upgrades across multiple lecture theatres across the campus.

The challenge

The University of Birmingham was reviewing its approach to AV technology across its teaching spaces. After seeing Renkus-Heinz technology at industry events, members of the university AV team approached CUK to explore whether beam-steering loudspeakers could deliver better results in a lecture-theatre environment.

The Leonard Deacon Lecture Theatre presented several acoustic challenges. The room featured two acoustically distinct areas: a reflective, semi-circular stage end with hard surfaces, and a rear seating area with more absorptive finishes. This created significantly different listening conditions across the space.

The existing sound system followed a traditional lecture-theatre design, combining wall-mounted loudspeakers with multiple ceiling speakers distributed throughout the room. Because the system operated as a single line without time alignment between speaker positions, listeners heard sound arriving from multiple sources at different times, reducing clarity and creating a less intelligible listening experience.

The university’s objective was straightforward: improve speech intelligibility and provide a more consistent audio experience for students and lecturers throughout the room.

The solution

To demonstrate the potential of beam steering technology, CUK carried out acoustic modelling and listening demonstrations within the lecture theatre. Following evaluation of the space a Renkus-Heinz Iconyx system was recommended, comprising:

• 2 × IC16 digitally steerable arrays
• 2 × IC8 digitally steerable arrays

Using Renkus-Heinz beam-steering technology, the system was designed to direct sound precisely towards the audience while minimising acoustic energy in unwanted areas. Because the lecture theatre contained two acoustically different zones, the room was effectively treated as two separate spaces, allowing coverage to be optimised for each area.

Compared with the previous distributed loudspeaker approach, the new system provided controlled, focused coverage from a significantly smaller number of loudspeakers, reducing the interaction between direct sound and room reflections.

CUK Group supported the project through system design, acoustic modelling, loudspeaker selection, commissioning and training. Following installation, the university’s AV team received training on the software tools used to model and configure beam steering, enabling them to better understand and manage future deployments internally.

The result

The installation delivered a substantial improvement in speech intelligibility and overall listening quality throughout the lecture theatre.

Clearer, more consistent audio helped create a more effective learning environment, reducing the listening fatigue often associated with large teaching spaces where sound reflections and uneven coverage can make speech harder to follow.

The impact was noticeable enough that the university quickly began evaluating additional lecture theatres for similar upgrades. During the initial site visit, the AV team invited CUK to assess a further eleven teaching spaces, leading to modelling, recommendations and proposals for wider deployment across campus.

A practical benefit also emerged during later projects. The university found that replacing traditional systems of wall-mounted and ceiling loudspeakers with beam-steered arrays often reduced installation complexity.

By using fewer loudspeakers, the university could minimise cabling, amplifier channels, access equipment and installation labour. In many standard lecture theatres, the overall project cost compared favourably with the university’s previous approach, despite the use of higher-performance loudspeaker technology.

“The improved audio quality was an easy win, but what really helped drive wider adoption was the economics. By reducing labour and infrastructure requirements, we were able to invest in better technology while stretching available budgets further, allowing us to upgrade more teaching spaces across the campus.” – James Ball, AV Designer and Project Lead, University of Birmingham

Building on a successful installation

Following the success of the Leonard Deacon project, the University of Birmingham’s AV team began using Renkus-Heinz technology in further lecture-theatre upgrades across the campus.

Rather than applying a standard solution everywhere, each room was assessed individually, with products selected according to its dimensions, acoustics and coverage requirements.

The university’s AV team embraced the modelling and commissioning process to the extent that they now routinely use the design tools themselves when planning new projects. Having received training during the initial rollout, the team has become increasingly self-sufficient in specifying and commissioning beam-steered systems.

Subsequent projects have incorporated a mix of Renkus-Heinz technologies, including:

• Iconyx Gen5 arrays
• UBX Series loudspeakers
• CX Series loudspeakers

In some spaces, the university deliberately selected smaller models than originally specified, balancing performance and budget to maximise the number of teaching spaces that could benefit from improved audio. This flexibility has allowed more lecture theatres to be upgraded while maintaining the core objective of clear, intelligible speech.

The university’s long-term plan includes upgrading as many as fifteen lecture theatres, subject to installation schedules and room availability.

The wider impact

What began as a solution for one large lecture theatre has evolved into a broader strategy for improving speech intelligibility across the university’s teaching estate.

The combination of accurate acoustic modelling, beam-steering technology and practical training has enabled the AV team to apply a consistent approach while still tailoring each installation to the specific characteristics of individual spaces.

Equally important, the project has demonstrated that improving audio quality does not necessarily increase overall project costs. By reducing installation complexity and infrastructure requirements, the university has been able to invest in higher-performance technology while maintaining cost-effective upgrade programmes.

What this means for education AV

In education, a successful installation can provide a proven foundation for future upgrades across an entire campus.

By offering beam-steered and controlled-directivity solutions across multiple product families, Renkus-Heinz enables universities to develop a consistent audio strategy for diverse teaching spaces without treating every lecture theatre as though it were identical.

The University of Birmingham’s experience shows how one carefully planned installation can become the catalyst for a wider programme of improvement, delivering better listening conditions for students, lecturers and support teams alike.

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