Fairfield arts center receives ‘revolutionary’ sound system

FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield Arts & Convention Center is receiving a monumental upgrade to the sound system in the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts.

The new sound system is being installed this month, courtesy of a donation from Fairfield resident Alex Stanley. The new sound system will be ready to go for the first live act in the arts center’s 2023-2024 performing arts season, which begins Oct. 5 with an Eagles tribute band called Hotel California.

“It’s revolutionary in a lot of ways,” said FACC Executive Director Lindsay Bauer about the new sound system. “A ton of research has gone into the equipment, how to place it, and how to optimize it for our space. It’s not easy to optimize sound for a theater that is used for so many different things.”

Bauer said that no other performing arts center in North America has the same capabilities that Fairfield’s arts center will have. Stanley said that he went with a company called CODA Audio from Germany, and he said it’s the best in the business. He consulted with Paul Squillo, who owns Golden Ears, an audio visual equipment supply store in Fairfield.

“Paul has been selling high-end audio equipment for 50 years, so he has an educated ear,” Stanley said. “If something is bad, he can tell me why, and we have both verified that CODA Audio is unbelievable.”

Stanley is renovating the former armory in Fairfield on East Broadway Avenue into a music recording studio, and the acoustics engineer he hired for that location is the same one he relied on to do the Sondheim.

“That room sounds great now,” Stanley said. “The Sondheim hasn’t had the budget because pro-audio equipment is obscenely expensive, but now they’re getting a world-class system. Honestly, it’s the best sounding PA system on the market.”

The new sound system includes new speakers at the front, sides and back of the theater. It has a new public address system with a stage monitor, new amplifiers, and electrical upgrades to ensure the equipment can run on 220 volts.

Stanley said he expects the new sound system to be a big draw for the center’s movie theater, known as Cinema Fairfield. He said a typical movie theater relies on making money off popcorn sales, but does not invest in high-quality audio. That is not the case for Fairfield.

“I think it will be the best sounding movie theater in America,” Stanley said. “For years, we drove to Ottumwa to watch movies, and now I think people in Ottumwa will drive to Fairfield to see movies with really good sound.”

Another change that is occurring thanks to Stanley’s donation is an upgrade to the lights above the stage, which are being switched from incandescent to color-changing LEDs.

“These pump out a lot less heat, and the staff won’t have to mess with those gel color things anymore,” Stanley said. “It’s all electric now.”

Bauer said this upgrade to the arts center’s sound system has been much needed for years. When the arts center was originally envisioned, its acts were limited to theater and musical theater. Over time, the arts center has been expanding the type of shows it can host, and today it hosts everything from rock concerts to stand-up comedy to community theater productions. Last year, it added first-run Hollywood films to its list of offerings.

“The original vision for the sound system was not one that was easily adjusted for larger concerts,” Bauer said. “It’s not that the old system was bad, it’s just that it was limited. When we had a large concert, like a drum set or electric guitars, our system was not able to keep up with all those levels of sound that go into making a full band.”

Bauer said that pieces of the new sound system are already installed, and the staff has been testing them out with the movies it shows as part of Cinema Fairfield.

“Some of our audiences will have already heard those improvements, such as the words being easier to understand,” Bauer said.

The first piece of the upgrades occurred last year when the theater received sound absorption pads installed on its walls.

Bauer said she’s very grateful to Stanley for his donation, and is glad that he is so involved in the community.

“Alex is a really inspiring individual,” Bauer said. “He has tons of energy, and he’s using it to get things done in a positive way.”

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com