The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the USA has deployed LEA Professional amplifiers as part of the AV infrastructure for Steven D. Bell Hall, a new academic building for UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Bell Hall opened in 2026 after construction began in 2022, adding classroom, meeting and event space to support growth in the business school’s programmes and student population.
ClarkPowell was selected through a competitive bidding process to design and implement the AV systems for the building.
The integrator specified LEA Connect Series amplifiers to support a range of teaching, collaboration and public areas across the facility, including larger lecture halls, divisible rooms, multi-zone spaces, cafeterias, open study areas and corridors.
The installation includes multiple LEA Connect Series 352, Connect Series 702 and Connect Series 704 amplifiers.
The CS352 is a two-channel amplifier delivering 350 watts per channel, while the CS702 provides two channels at 700 watts per channel. The CS704 is a four-channel amplifier delivering 700 watts per channel.
All three models support Hi-Z 70V or 100V and Lo-Z operation, selectable by channel, allowing different loudspeaker impedances to be handled without separate amplifier types. The Connect Series also includes 96kHz DSP as standard.
Richard Kessinger, pre-sales engineer at ClarkPowell, said the integrator selected LEA partly for efficiency, reliability and rack-room considerations, noting that the amplifiers have “less power waste and heat output than comparable 70-volt amplifiers”.
The amplifiers also support LEA Cloud, allowing integrators to remotely control and monitor systems without a subscription model.
For Bell Hall, Kessinger said LEA’s loudspeaker profiles helped reduce processing requirements for standalone DSPs, allowing the project team to avoid additional DSP hardware.
UNC Kenan-Flagler is also planning to renovate classrooms in its existing McColl Building after completion of the new facility. ClarkPowell said it hopes to incorporate more LEA amplifiers in that next phase.