Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice Upgrades Its Audio Clarity with AtlasIED Loudspeakers

The Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice is a seventeen-story courthouse located in Philadelphia that serves as the main criminal courthouse for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania. It recently completed a major audio upgrade to address outdated and problematic AV systems in its 65 courtrooms.

Completed in 1994, the courthouse’s original AV systems were becoming problematic, with many end-of-life components and poor audio in several courtrooms. Following a competitive bidding process, Houser Audio was selected to oversee the courthouse’s much-needed upgrades.

“Crystal clear audio is critical in courtrooms,” said Andre Houser, President of Houser Audio. “Poor or muffled audio can bias an audience. Everyone needs to hear what’s being said so that there’s no misinterpretation and everything is recorded properly. If they don't clearly hear all of the information, the results could be catastrophic.”

Houser Audio’s team installed 12 AtlasIED FC104T ceiling speakers in each of the 51 standard courtrooms throughout the building, while 15 loudspeakers were installed in each of the three larger ceremonial courtrooms. Given the proliferation of microphones in each courtroom, the audio systems were configured as a matrixed mix-minus solution to minimize feedback.

The compact, full-range 4” FC104T ceiling speakers are ideal for voice transmission, music, and signal reproduction in commercial, industrial, and institutional applications, especially those requiring a high-quality loudspeaker.

Given the mission-critical nature of the courthouse, the original schedule was for seven weeks of installation, completing two courtrooms a day—a very difficult timeline to adhere to, but one which Houser Audio successfully accomplished. Despite some initial infrastructure hurdles, Houser’s phased rollout enabled the team to make necessary adjustments, providing considerable flexibility for long-running court cases.

Another feature of the upgrade included HDMI table grommets, which enabled attorneys to display evidence from their laptops. To accomplish this, Houser’s team installed fiber optic HDMI cables through the floor, effectively eliminating trip hazards and protecting the cables to extend their life span.

During the installation process, Houser’s team received praise and thanks from court personnel, who noted the improved functionality and significant improvement in audio clarity. The rollout plan was also advantageous for Houser’s team because it allowed them to make necessary adjustments and apply them to future rooms. When the project was finished, everyone was pleased with the outcome.

“We’ve been AtlasIED dealers for over ten years,” said Houser. “Going with AtlasIED speakers for this job just made so much sense. The performance was great, and they also had all 600 loudspeakers in stock, which is unheard of. I love working with them.”