CASE STUDY - Tech Cheer Commercial Audio Upgrade in Cedar Park, TX
- Nate Cake
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Clear coverage. Flexible zoning. Simple control. A professional sound system built for the energy of a 40,000-square-foot cheer facility.
Project Overview
Tech Cheer - Building 2 in Cedar Park, Texas, is a 40,000-square-foot training facility where music, coaching, announcements, and event audio all have to work across a large, active space. The existing sound system had reached the point where a serious overhaul was needed. Coverage was inconsistent, control was limited, and the system no longer matched the way the facility operated.
Benchmark Audiovisual was selected to redesign, install, program, tune, and commission a complete commercial audio upgrade. The goal was not simply to make the room louder. It was to create clear, controlled sound throughout the facility, give staff practical day-to-day control, and build a reliable system that could adapt to practices, performances, events, and different combinations of training areas.
The Challenge: Clear Sound Across a Large, Divisible Facility
Large cheer and athletic facilities are demanding acoustic environments. High ceilings, hard surfaces, long distances, and multiple activities happening at once can make speech difficult to understand and music uneven from one area to another. Turning up an undersized or poorly aimed system often creates more echo and sound bleed instead of solving the problem.
Tech Cheer also needed flexibility. Sometimes one floor needs its own music and volume. At other times, several areas need to operate together for a performance or facility-wide event. The upgraded system therefore had to deliver both strong main-floor performance and precise control of six independent audio zones.
The Solution: Purpose-Built Sound Reinforcement and Six-Zone DSP
Benchmark designed the new system around coverage, intelligibility, reliability, and simple operation. Two JBL CBT 1000 line array column loudspeakers, each paired with a CBT 1000E low-frequency extension module, were installed to provide controlled, high-output sound across the main training area. A new Crown XTi 6002 amplifier supplies the power required for the main arrays, while new 12 AWG professional-grade speaker cable connects the equipment rack to the new loudspeaker locations.
The JBL CBT platform was a strong fit for this application because its controlled vertical coverage helps direct energy toward the training floor instead of wasting it on the ceiling. That approach supports more consistent sound from front to back and improves vocal clarity in a reflective, high-ceiling space.
The completed wall-mounted equipment rack brings amplification, wireless microphones, DSP, power sequencing, labeling, and system access into one organized service location.
A New Digital Signal Processing Platform
At the center of the system, Benchmark removed the previous Dayton Audio matrix processor and installed a dbx ZonePRO 1260 digital signal processor. The ZonePRO now serves as the central DSP platform for the entire Building 2 audio system, including the existing DAS Artec loudspeakers.
Benchmark programmed six independently controllable audio zones. Staff can use a single zone by itself, combine all six zones, or group any combination needed for the day's activities. Each zone was individually equalized, time-aligned, and optimized to improve speech intelligibility and musical performance while reducing unnecessary bleed into adjacent areas.
Simple Daily Control Through Sonos
A powerful system only helps if the staff can operate it confidently. Most day-to-day source selection and volume changes are handled through the familiar Sonos app. More detailed zone and system adjustments remain available at the rack from the ZonePRO front panel when needed.
For coaches, instructors, and managers, that means the technology stays out of the way. They can focus on training and events rather than navigating a complicated control system.
Professional Wireless Microphones
Two Shure SLXD digital wireless handheld microphone systems with SM58 capsules were added for coaching, announcements, performances, and special events. The microphones can be assigned to individual zones or routed throughout the facility, giving Tech Cheer the flexibility to match the audio configuration to the activity.
Organized Power and One-Key Startup
Benchmark reorganized the equipment and power distribution in a new wall-mounted rack using two Furman CN-2400S sequencing power conditioners. The equipment load is balanced across two dedicated 20-amp branch circuits, and the sequenced startup and shutdown protects the system from the stress and noise that can occur when high-power components switch on or off in the wrong order.
Operation is intentionally simple: one turn of a key starts the Power ON sequence in the morning, and one turn initiates the Power OFF sequence at the end of the night.
Installation Around an Active Training Schedule
Tech Cheer is a busy facility, so project execution mattered as much as the equipment. Benchmark worked closely with management to schedule installation around the busiest periods and minimize the effect on daily operations. We supplied the scissor lift, coordinated overhead cable work and loudspeaker mounting, and kept as much of the existing system available as practical during the upgrade.
This planning allowed the facility to keep moving while the new infrastructure, rack, loudspeakers, DSP, microphones, and power system were installed and commissioned.
Benchmark supplied the scissor lift and coordinated overhead cable routing and loudspeaker work around Tech Cheer's operating schedule.
Commissioning, Tuning, and Staff Training
Installation was only one part of the project. Benchmark tested every zone, verified routing, programmed the DSP, balanced levels, equalized the loudspeakers, set time alignment, and completed final commissioning. We then provided operational instruction so the Tech Cheer team could confidently manage sources, volumes, microphone routing, zone combinations, and daily power sequencing.
The completed system is also backed by Benchmark Audiovisual's standard equipment and workmanship warranty.
Results and Impact
The finished system gives Tech Cheer a commercial audio platform designed around the way the facility actually works:
Clearer speech and more consistent musical coverage across the main training floor
Six independently controlled zones that can operate alone or in any combination
Simple source and volume control through the Sonos app
Flexible wireless microphone routing for coaching, announcements, and events
A clean, serviceable wall-mounted rack with organized labeling and airflow
Balanced, sequenced power across two dedicated 20-amp circuits
A scalable DSP platform that integrates both new and existing loudspeakers
Most importantly, the system now supports the energy of the athletes and coaches without forcing staff to fight the technology. Following completion, the client posted a five-star Google review - a welcome confirmation that the finished system and the installation experience met the mark.
Key Technologies
JBL CBT 1000 line array column loudspeakers
JBL CBT 1000E low-frequency extension modules
Crown XTi 6002 professional amplifier
dbx ZonePRO 1260 digital signal processor
Shure SLXD digital wireless microphone systems with SM58 capsules
Furman CN-2400S sequencing power conditioners
Sonos app-based source and volume control
12 AWG professional-grade speaker cabling
Commercial Audio Systems for Cedar Park and Austin
A gym, training facility, school, church, restaurant, or event venue needs more than a collection of speakers. It needs an audio system engineered for the room, the people who use it, and the way the business operates every day.
Benchmark Audiovisual designs and installs high-performance commercial audio and video systems throughout Cedar Park, Austin, and Central Texas. From system design and cabling through programming, tuning, training, and support, we provide one accountable partner from concept to completion.
Ready to improve the sound in your facility?
Call Benchmark Audiovisual at 512.639.4400 or schedule a consultation to discuss your commercial audio project.
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