Case Studies

Grand Central Terminal is one of the world’s most beautiful train stations. However, all of these hard surfaces and sharp angles made it difficult to hear announcements in the main hall. The public complained of muddy sound, reverberation, and lack of intelligibility. Many attempts were made to improve the intelligibility of these messages. Various loudspeakers were tried, speaker locations were experimented with, and levels were changed. None of these worked. Norcon fixed the problem. We installed two line array speakers in the landmarked interior. These speakers create a high direct to reverberant sound ratio. They maximize the sound that arrives directly to the listeners ear, while reducing the sound energy from walls, ceilings, and other acoustically reflective surfaces. Finally everyone could hear and understand the announcements. For passengers dealing with this problem for years, it felt like magic!

Major Manufacturers

When B’nai Jeshurun Synagogue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan was transforming itself. They wanted to create a dynamic and welcoming space for congregants of all ages with special attention to young adults in their 20s and 30s, but their A/V system was antiquated and congregants couldn’t clearly hear the spoken words or music. They contacted Norcon to upgrade the system. Norcon installed a start-of-the-art system to improve the sound, but we did more. To create a welcoming and musical environment, the Cantor wanted to mix the live audio, combining the spoken word, music, and his keyboard/synthesizer. The system was a success and supported B’nai Jeshurun in becoming the preeminent synagogue for young adults in Manhattan. Norcon has stayed involved with the synagogue as they have evolved, most recently upgrading the A/V system and installing video streaming.

Major Manufacturers

Sound Masking at Financial Services HQ

Norcon recently completed a large sound masking engagement at the Manhattan headquarters of one of the world’s largest financial services companies. Sound masking is the addition of background sounds so that conversations aren't as easily overheard. This four-year project ended in 2020, covering 30 floors and over one million square feet of office space, including private offices, open offices, and corridors. Working with a consultant, we installed 6000 Atlas M1000 masking speakers above the acoustical ceiling tiles with one headend for all of the floors. The headend utilized a BSS Digital Signal Processor and multiple Crown Multi-Channel Network Amplifiers, all connected via BLU link. Norcon’s technicians worked with the consultant to properly tune and verify that each area had the proper equalization and dB levels to ensure maximum performance.

Major Manufacturers

Nassau Coliseum

The Nassau Coliseum is the largest arena on Long Island, NY. Norcon has installed and maintained the house sound system, interior paging and distribution systems for over 35 years. Recently, Norcon was chosen to update the house sound system, including rebuilding the clusters, and installing new house amplifiers, as part of a major upgrade of the facility. The facility is a particularly difficult sound challenge as a multi purpose indoor arena. We are proud to be part of the history of the Coliseum which has been home to Boat Shows, College Graduations, L.I. Nets Basketball, NY Riptide Lacrosse and host to such performers as Elvis Presley, The Grateful Dead, David Bowie, Queen, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd.

Major Manufacturers

World Trade Center Transportation Hub

After the attacks of September 11th, one of the largest train stations in New York City was destroyed. This terminal station of New Jersey Transit PATH transit system was built directly under the World Trade Center towers and was destroyed when the towers came down. When the station was rebuilt as the The World Trade Center Hub, New Jersey Transit needed a way to communicate with all of its daily commuters and tourists. Norcon was part of the team to implement IED as part of The Customer Information System. This Announcement Management System provides pubic address announcements, visual paging, electronic way finding, platform information time displays, and general information to the public as they move through the facilities. This ongoing project reflects Norcon’s skill in integrating new technologies and concepts for customer information as well as our ability to maintain high quality systems for millions of customers.

Major Manufacturer

New York Presbyterian Hospital Greenberg Pavilion

The Greenberg Pavilion rises 13 stories over the FDR Drive, from 68th Street to 70th Street. Together with the three sub-grade levels, it encompasses more than one million square feet. Each floor is divided up into compartments with a maximum of 20000 square feet. The fire alarm system is a New York City Class E system. It has a voice system with audible and visible alarm signals transmitted to the fire floor and floor above, and an alert tone on all other floors of the building. It also includes a fire warden telephone system, allowing for two-way telephone communication from over 80 locations to the fire command station. As this is a hospital with a complicated ventilation system, an intricate smoke control and purge system was used. A backup head-end is located at an alternate site.

Major Manufacturer

NYC Water Treatment Plant

Norcon was a partner for one of the region’s largest water filtration plants, processing over one hundred million gallons of water each day. Norcon focused on the plant-wide fire alarm system for this vast underground treatment plant that’s the size of Yankee Stadium. Norcon was a valued partner during the decade-long construction. Once again Norcon demonstrated its long range multi-year commitment from the initial design stages through fabrication and maintenance.

Major Manufacturer

Secure ID Verification

The US Federal Court System contacted Norcon with a problem. People needed to report to court each week, and the office needed to verify the identity of everyone arriving at the facility to eliminate false entries. Norcon created a system that allowed court employees to compare identity photos with the person in front of them. The system was a reliable way to verify identities long before modern ID verification technologies became available.