"Distributed audio throughout the theater, mezzanine, and 15 entertaining spaces."
Overview
The Paramount Theater is a Charlottesville landmark, a beautifully restored 1930s movie palace that now hosts live performances, film screenings, and community events. When they needed audio upgrades that honored the venue's historic character while delivering modern performance, TES was the clear choice.
The scope was extensive: distributed audio throughout the main theater, mezzanine, and 15 unique entertaining spaces, all seamlessly integrated and centrally controlled.
The Challenge
The Paramount Theater presents one of the most demanding conditions for a commercial audio installation: a historically protected building where the architectural integrity of every surface is as important as the performance of the system inside it. The ornate plasterwork, period lighting fixtures, and architectural details that define the theater's 1930s character could not be drilled, altered, or obscured by visible hardware. Every mounting decision required coordination with the theater's preservation team before a single bracket was placed. At the same time, the acoustic demands of the venue are exceptionally broad. The Paramount hosts intimate acoustic performances, amplified live music, film screenings, and large community events, often in the same week. A system that performs well for a solo performer with no amplification must also deliver even, powerful coverage for a full band or a feature film. Designing for that range of use cases in a single unified system, across a main theater, a mezzanine, and 15 additional entertaining spaces throughout the building, is a meaningfully different challenge from a typical commercial audio installation.
Our Solution
We began by working directly with the Paramount's preservation team to map every potential mounting location against the building's historic fabric. Speaker positions were identified where integration into existing architectural features was possible, eliminating any need for surface-mounted hardware that would have altered the visual character of the space. High-output, compact speakers were selected specifically for their ability to deliver professional performance from positions constrained by preservation requirements. Where subwoofer placement was needed for low-frequency performance in the main theater, the units were concealed beneath the stage, completely invisible from the house and accessible for service without disrupting the performance environment. Distributed audio was extended throughout the full scope of the project: the main theater floor, the mezzanine level, and all 15 entertaining spaces throughout the building. Each zone was given independent control so the Paramount's staff can manage audio for a lobby reception, a mezzanine gathering, and a main stage performance simultaneously without any zone bleeding into another. Acoustic analysis and calibration was performed after installation to tune the system's output to the specific reflective characteristics of the historic interior, ensuring that the system sounds as good as it measures.
Services Provided
Full audio system design for a multi-use performance venue serving intimate acoustic events, amplified live music, film screenings, and community gatherings from a single unified system.
System architecture covering the main theater floor, mezzanine level, and 15 additional entertaining spaces throughout the building, each with independent zone control.
Speaker placement coordinated with preservation requirements, integrating hardware into existing architectural features without altering any historically protected surface.
Subwoofer units concealed beneath the stage for full-range low-frequency performance with no visible hardware in the house.
Post-installation acoustic measurement and system calibration tuned to the specific reflective characteristics of the historic interior.
Direct coordination with the Paramount's preservation team at every stage of the installation to ensure full compliance with historic building requirements.
The Result
The Paramount now delivers professional-grade audio for every type of event on its calendar, from intimate acoustic sets where a single performer needs natural, even reinforcement, to full-scale theatrical productions and amplified concerts where the system needs to fill the room with authority and clarity. Distributed sound reaches every entertaining space in the building while the visual grandeur that makes the Paramount a beloved Charlottesville landmark remains completely intact. No surface was altered. No architectural detail was compromised. The system exists within the building rather than on top of it, which is exactly what a historic venue of this significance demands. For TES, the Paramount represents one of the most technically and logistically complex installations we have completed, and one of the most rewarding. When the audience at a performance has no idea the sound system exists, the installation has done its job.
