NYU School of Law Selects Shure DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System

Founded in 1831, New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is one of the most prestigious law schools in the United States. Located in New York City’s Greenwich Village, NYU Law is a venue where leaders from government, business, and the legal community deliver speeches and participate in panel discussions. In each of these events, styling performance and clear sound are of utmost importance for speech intelligibility and hearing.

When searching for a conference microphone system, Kevin Fox, Associate Director of Media Services at the law school, chose to install a portable Shure DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System with 40 channels. This all-in-one sound system enables the staff at NYU Law to tailor audio performance to different sized meetings based on several factors that impact performance, including room acoustics, table dimensions, and seating arrangement.

The Shure DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System combines a microphone, loudspeaker, interpretation audio, and user controls into one integrated system for pristine sound in any sized room. While this particular installation used portable discussion units, the DDS 5900 is also available as a permanently-installed, flush-mounted unit. It easily connects to videoconferencing systems or recording equipment, and allows for simultaneous translation for multi-lingual meetings. With NYU Law having more than 30 spaces with a multitude of conference rooms and lecture halls, the DDS 5900 stood out as the ideal audio system, capable of accommodating the school’s diverse needs.

“Presentation was key for this installation. We needed something that looked presidential, but was also easy-to-use and flexible, allowing us to make adjustments depending on how the room was set up and who was using it,” says Fox. “Knowing we’d be making constant adjustments, we couldn’t just install any system. We needed a portable solution that would adapt to our needs, and the Shure DDS 5900 was hands down the perfect choice.”

While NYU Law is currently using 40 channels for the DDS 5900, the system can accommodate up to 250 participants. The system also supports four microphone operation modes: Automatic, First-In/First-On, Manual, and VOX (voice activation), showcasing its versatility. Another important feature of the DDS 5900 is the ability to control the system with a tablet or PC through a web browser interface, or with a third-party room control system.

Fox adds, “These systems from Shure sound great and are very reliable. While we did our due diligence in testing various discussion systems, we knew from the get-go that we’d select Shure’s DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System. There is also something to be said about how easy it is to set up. The system works right out of the box and has a simple set up, which I really appreciated.”