OPTIMUM
Ceiling-mounted classroom audio that lives on the school network.
- Network and EPIC connected
- SIP two-way, full-duplex calls to the office
- PoE backup
Classroom Audio
OPTIMUM · SENTINEL · BEAM · XD SOLO
Voice amplification that reduces teacher vocal strain and helps every student hear, focus and follow instruction.
Every seat should hear like the front row.
Voice level by seatUnamplified
- Front row
- Row 2
- Row 3
- Row 4
- Back row
Installed · the permanent classroom
Portable · gyms, portables, any room
SENTINEL
Installed voice amplification for teacher and students.
- Teacher and student voice amplification
- Eco Mode
- Assistive listening device support
BEAM
Mount it anywhere: an affordable way to cover a room.
- Mount anywhere
- Affordable room coverage
XD SOLO
A rechargeable speaker for the lesson that moves.
- Automatically lowers music when the mic is in use
- Rechargeable
- Tripod mount
- DeviceTeacher micA natural speaking voice, no raising it.
- Device + AppOPTIMUMCarries the voice evenly to every seat.
- NetworkPoEOn the school network, with PoE backup.
- PlatformEPICConnects the room to the campus, including SIP two-way calls with the office.
01 · Unamplified
The teacher’s voice fades toward the back.
In a real classroom the teacher’s voice fades with distance, competes with noise and blurs in echo.
The back rows fall below classroom noise and have to strain to hear.
02 · Force 01
Distance
Sound spreads out as it travels, so a voice that is clear in the front row is quieter at the back. Students farther away work harder to catch the same words.
Distributed speakers bring the voice to every seat, not only the first rows.
03 · Force 02
Background noise
HVAC, hallways and a full room add up. What matters is how far the voice rises above that noise, known as the signal-to-noise ratio.
Amplification lifts the voice evenly, so the margin over noise holds across the room.
04 · Force 03
Reverberation
Hard walls and floors reflect sound. When echoes linger, one syllable blurs into the next, and consonants, which carry much of the meaning, get lost.
Speakers near every listener raise the direct voice above its echoes. Room treatment still matters too.
05 · Amplified
When students can hear, they can learn.
Amplified, ceiling speakers carry the teacher’s voice to every row.
Every seat hears it clearly above the noise, and the teacher never has to raise it.
06 · Systems
One principle, four ways to fit your rooms.
Installed for the permanent classroom: OPTIMUM and SENTINEL.
Portable for gyms, portables and any room: BEAM and XD SOLO.
07 · On EPIC
The first layer, networked.
With OPTIMUM, classroom audio isn’t an island. The room is a device on EPIC, so the same system that runs paging, bells and SAFE can reach it.
The same microphone also feeds CLEAR Connect.
The same room, heard three ways.
Save your voice.
Teach all day in a natural voice, not a raised one. A teacher’s voice is their main instrument, and research on vocal load in teachers is one of the largest groups in our library.
- T.1Reduced vocal strainSpeak at a comfortable level and still reach the back row.
- T.2Fewer repeated instructionsSay it once, clearly, for everyone.
- T.3A natural speaking toneWarmth and emphasis carry without shouting.
- T.4Decreased absenteeismLess vocal fatigue, fewer lost days.Teacher voice research →
Hear every word.
Whatever their seat. Learners with hearing loss, language needs, autism, or a first language other than English benefit most, and teachers found that all students do better when they can hear.
- S.1Stronger engagementStudents stay with the lesson when they don’t have to strain.
- S.2Better focusLess effort spent decoding sound, more spent on learning.Special needs & ASD research →
- S.3Improved comprehensionClear consonants, clear meaning.Speech perception research →
- S.4Higher test scoresUnderstanding the lesson shows up on the assessment.English learner research →
See it in the data.
An investment you can defend with research. Start with the studies below, then talk to us about your campus.
- A.1SAT and state test gainsBetter listening conditions support better results.
- A.2Fewer discipline referralsStudents who can follow along are less likely to drift off task.
- A.3Less teacher absenteeismProtect staff health and reduce substitute coverage.
- A.4Built for the whole campusOn OPTIMUM, EPIC brings classroom audio together with paging, intercom and SAFE.Classroom acoustics research →
“If you really want to level the playing field for every child, then Audio Enhancement is a necessity for every classroom.”
Read the evidence for yourself.
Filter by theme
Bar length is the number of titles in each theme. A study can sit in more than one theme.
Showing 26 of 26 studies
Teacher voice health (7)
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06
- 07
Speech perception & learning (9)
- 08
- 09
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
English language learners (1)
- 17
Special needs, hearing loss & ASD (4)
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
Classroom acoustics (5)
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
The Studies page also lists research on campus communication, school safety and classroom video, behind EPIC, SAFE and VIEWpath. Browse all studies →
Hear the difference in your own classrooms.
Talk with a specialist about the rooms you have, installed or portable, and how classroom audio joins EPIC with the rest of your campus.