At a glance
- Client: Tailored Brands, the apparel retailer behind Men's Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank, Moores and K&G Fashion Superstore
- Location: Corporate offices in Dublin, California and on Seventh Avenue in New York City
- Scope: Five projects: a divisible training room, office sound masking, a Crestron CP4N and Shure MXA920W-S upgrade with two Samsung QB98T-B displays, a Biamp TesiraFORTE X 1600 room and a Logitech Rally Bar Huddle rollout in New York
- Platform: Crestron control, DM Lite extension and Biamp and Shure audio in Dublin; Logitech Rally video bars and Tap IP controllers in New York
The situation
Tailored Brands runs its retail business from a Houston headquarters, with corporate offices in Dublin, California and New York City. Both offices use their rooms for training sessions and video calls with the rest of the company.
Our first job in Dublin came through Rahi Systems, the IT integrator on the office project. The brief was a divisible training room: two zones, a camera in each, ceiling microphones for the far end, and the owner's existing Crestron touch panel and Shure MXW wireless microphones folded back into the new system.
Tailored Brands then came back to us directly four more times. We added sound masking to the Dublin office. We upgraded the training room with a new control processor, 98-inch displays and ceiling array microphones. We brought a second Dublin room, Room 202, onto a Biamp DSP. Then we fitted out a new New York office with Logitech video conferencing. Together they are a retail company building one way of running its conference rooms and training spaces across two coasts.
What made it hard
The first Dublin job ran under Rahi Systems rather than directly for the client. We worked to their scope and their schedule, and a certificate of insurance had to be on file before we could start on site.
A lot of the room was not ours to choose. The owner-furnished list included a Crestron touch panel, fifteen Shure MXW boundary microphones, two MXW gooseneck microphones and two Shure MXWAPT8 access points. The new DSP, cameras and extenders had to work with all of it.
New York added distance. We had no crew in Manhattan, so we subcontracted on-site labor to Digital Labor Solutions, a New York installation firm. We kept design, equipment, programming and project management in California. The kit list was also the largest of the five, which meant a lot of mounts, displays and cable to stage for a crew we were directing remotely.
How we designed it
Dublin is a Crestron office. The original design put a Crestron DMPS3-300-C presentation system and a TSW-1060 touch panel at the center, with DM Lite transmitters and receivers carrying HDMI over Cat6 to the projectors and displays in each zone. Two Biamp TesiraFORTE DAN CI processors handled echo cancellation and Dante audio. Two Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 arrays covered the room, and JBL Control 26CT ceiling speakers were split into two zones so the room can run as one space or two.
A Logitech Rally camera in each zone and an AJA U-TAP HDMI capture device fed the room PC, so the soft codec sees a presenter camera and a room camera. Our control and DSP programming tied the owner's existing wireless microphones into the same DSP.
The upgrade kept that shape and replaced the core parts. A Crestron CP4N 4-Series processor took over control. DM Lite HD-TXC-4KZ-101 and HD-RXC-4KZ-101 pairs carry 4K60 4:4:4 video. Two Samsung QB98T-B 98-inch displays went in on Chief XBM1U bolt-down floor mounts. Six Shure MXA920W-S ceiling array microphones replaced the earlier ceiling pickup. Four Shure MXW2/SM58 handheld transmitters were added for presenters.
Room 202 is smaller, and it runs on one Biamp TesiraFORTE X 1600. Its four PoE+ ports power a Parlé TCM-X and a TCM-XEX ceiling microphone directly, so there is no separate switch for audio. We installed a Logitech Rally camera and a customer-furnished camera, with a Crestron USB-EXT-2 KIT extending USB to the table. The TesiraFORTE X 1600 is one of the digital signal processors we carry for rooms this size.
New York went a different way on purpose. It was a new tenant-improvement office with no existing system to match, so we standardized on Logitech Rally video bars and Tap IP controllers rather than a Crestron processor per room. The Rally Bar Huddle is the default for small rooms, with a Rally Bar Mini and a Rally camera with Rally Mic Pods where a room needs more. Tap Scheduler panels mark room status outside the doors. Samsung BED-H Business TVs from 55 to 98 inches fill the display positions.
The five projects and what went into each
Quantities come from each project's pick list or, for the first Dublin job, from its design drawings. Owner-furnished equipment is listed where we integrated it.
1. Dublin divisible training room, delivered through Rahi Systems
| Function | Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Presentation and control | Crestron DMPS3-300-C | Per design drawings and program file |
| Touch panel | Crestron TSW-1060-B-S | Owner-furnished |
| DSP | Biamp TesiraFORTE DAN CI | Echo cancellation, Dante |
| Ceiling microphones | Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 | Two arrays |
| Wireless microphones | Shure MXW6, MXW8 and MXWAPT8 | Owner-furnished |
| Amplifier and speakers | Crestron AMP-3210T, JBL Control 26CT | Two ceiling speaker zones |
| Video distribution | Crestron HD-DA8-4KZ-E, Crestron HD-TX-101-C-E and HD-RX-101-C-E | HDMI over Cat6 |
| Cameras | Logitech Rally Camera 960-001226 | One per zone |
| USB capture | AJA U-TAP HDMI | HDMI to USB for the room PC |
| Network switch | Netgear GSM4230P-100NAS | M4250-26G4F-PoE+ |
| Room PCs | Owner-furnished | Two |
2. Dublin office sound masking
We added a Cambridge Sound Qt X system across the office floor to cover speech in open work areas. It is part of our acoustical services work.
| Function | Model | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Sound masking generator | Cambridge Sound Qt X 600 | 1 |
| Emitters (4-pack, 16 ft cables) | Cambridge Sound Qt E-A-W-16-4 | 24 |
| Rack mount kit | Cambridge Sound Qt X RMT-KT | 1 |
3. Dublin training room upgrade
| Function | Model | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Control processor | Crestron CP4N | 1 |
| DM Lite transmitters | Crestron HD-TXC-4KZ-101 | 2 |
| DM Lite receivers | Crestron HD-RXC-4KZ-101 | 2 |
| Displays | Samsung QB98T-B | 2 |
| Display floor mounts | Chief XBM1U | 2 |
| Ceiling array microphones | Shure MXA920W-S | 6 |
| Handheld wireless transmitters | Shure MXW2/SM58 | 4 |
| PoE+ network switch | Netgear GSM4248PX-100NAS | 1 |
4. Dublin Room 202
| Function | Model | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| DSP with PoE+ | Biamp TesiraFORTE X 1600 | 1 |
| Ceiling microphone | Biamp Parlé TCM-X (white) | 1 |
| Ceiling microphone, extension | Biamp Parlé TCM-XEX (white) | 1 |
| PTZ camera | Logitech Rally Camera 960-001226 | 1 |
| Camera | Customer-furnished video conferencing camera | 1 |
| USB extension | Crestron USB-EXT-2 KIT | 1 |
| Camera mount | Logitech 952-000041 TV Mount | 1 |
5. New York office video conferencing
| Function | Model | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Video bars | Logitech Rally Bar Huddle 960-001485 | 4 |
| Video bar | Logitech Rally Bar Mini 960-001336 | 1 |
| PTZ camera | Logitech Rally Camera 960-001226 | 1 |
| Microphones | Logitech Rally Mic Pod 952-000038 | 8 |
| Mic pod hubs | Logitech Rally Mic Pod Hub 939-001647 | 4 |
| Mic pod couplers | Logitech Rally Mic Pod CAT Coupler 952-000181 | 5 |
| Microphone ceiling mounts | Logitech 952-000123 | 11 |
| Room controllers | Logitech Tap IP 952-000085 | 7 |
| Scheduling panels | Logitech Tap Scheduler 952-000091 | 5 |
| Controller wall mount | Logitech Tap Wall Mount 939-001817 | 1 |
| Video bar mounts | Logitech 952-000044 Wall Mount, Logitech 952-000041 TV Mount | 3 and 2 |
| Displays | Samsung BE55D-H, BE65D-H, BE75D-H and BE85D-H | 2, 3, 4 and 2 |
| Displays, 98-inch | Samsung BE98D-H | 2 |
| Display wall mounts | Chief MTM1U, Chief LTM1U, Chief XTM1U | 5, 4 and 4 |
| Camera ceiling mount | Chief CMA110 with Chief CMS012018 | 1 |
| USB extension | Crestron USB-EXT-2 KIT | 1 |
| Room PC | Owner-furnished | 1 |
Network and IT
The Dublin training room runs on dedicated Netgear AV Line switches. The original build used a Netgear M4250-26G4F-PoE+. The upgrade added a Netgear GSM4248PX-100NAS, a 40-port PoE+ switch with a 960 W budget, which powers the six MXA920W-S arrays and the DM Lite endpoints from managed ports instead of local power supplies.
Room 202 needs no separate switch for its microphones. The Parlé microphones plug straight into the TesiraFORTE X 1600's own PoE+ ports. The upgrade pulled 1,200 feet of new Cat6 and Room 202 took another 600 feet.
In New York the Rally Mic Pods run over Cat6 through CAT couplers, and the Tap IP controllers sit on the network rather than on USB. The office was cabled with shielded Cat6 F/UTP. Our nationwide design and integration team handled the equipment list and project management from California.
How each rollout ran
The five projects ran in sequence rather than as one program. Each one started from what the last one left behind.
- Training room buildout: designed and installed under Rahi Systems, with the owner's Crestron panel and Shure wireless system reused.
- Sound masking: a Qt X 600 generator and 24 emitter four-packs added across the Dublin office.
- Training room upgrade: new processor, extenders, displays, ceiling arrays and switch, installed into the existing rack.
- Room 202: a separate hardware order and labor order for the second Dublin room.
- New York: equipment staged by us and installed by Digital Labor Solutions under our direction.
Support from here
Every project carries our 90-day workmanship guarantee from first use. Manufacturer warranties are brokered through us, so the client makes one call instead of chasing Crestron, Shure, Biamp and Logitech separately.
Tailored Brands also bought a 20-hour block of support hours from us. That covers remote fixes, programming changes and site visits without a new purchase order each time. Our maintenance and support team works from the same drawings and program files we built.
The upgrade replaced a control processor, two displays and the ceiling microphones in a room we had already programmed, and that work started from our own records rather than from a survey. Rooms drift out of spec when nobody is watching them. Firmware falls behind, a display gets swapped, a microphone gets moved. Somebody has to own the file.
Frequently Asked Questions — Standardizing Conference Room AV Across Offices
Answers to the questions IT directors and facilities managers ask most often about rolling one AV standard out across more than one office.
Can one AV integrator standardize conference rooms for offices in California and New York?
Creation Networks designed and supplied every room for Tailored Brands in Dublin, California and New York City, using Crestron control in Dublin and Logitech Rally video bars in New York, and kept one set of drawings, program files and warranty records for both offices from our Concord, California base.
On-site labor in New York came from a local subcontractor. Design, equipment and programming stayed with us, so the client has one point of contact for both coasts.
Does every office need the same AV platform to count as a standard?
A room standard does not have to be one brand everywhere, and Tailored Brands runs Crestron CP4N control in Dublin, where the rooms already ran Crestron, and Logitech Rally Bar Huddle video bars in New York, where the office started empty, with Creation Networks specifying and supporting both the same way.
What stays the same is the documentation, the support path and the way each room is specified. Each room has a drawing set, an equipment list and a warranty record held by the same team.
How do you upgrade a training room that is already in use without starting over?
Creation Networks upgraded the Dublin training room by keeping its rack, speaker zones and cabling paths and replacing the core parts: a Crestron CP4N processor, DM Lite HD-TXC-4KZ-101 and HD-RXC-4KZ-101 extenders, two Samsung QB98T-B displays and six Shure MXA920W-S ceiling arrays.
Because we built the original room, the upgrade started from our own drawings and program file. The new parts were specified against a system we already had on paper.
Can we keep our existing wireless microphones or cameras when a room is upgraded?
Existing equipment can stay when it still works and the new system can drive it, which is why the first Dublin build by Creation Networks reused the owner's Shure MXW wireless microphones, access points and Crestron touch panel, and Room 202 kept a customer-furnished camera beside a new Logitech Rally camera.
We check each reused device before design so the new DSP and control code are written around it. See our hybrid meeting spaces page for how we mix new and existing gear.
Why add sound masking to an office after the AV system is already installed?
Sound masking covers speech in open work areas that room systems never reach, so Creation Networks added a Cambridge Sound Qt X 600 six-zone generator and 24 four-packs of Qt E-A-W-16-4 emitters across the Tailored Brands office in Dublin after the first training room was finished.
Masking works best once the furniture and occupancy are real, because that is when the noise problem shows itself.
Which ceiling microphones did you use in the Dublin rooms, and why were they different?
Creation Networks matched each ceiling microphone to the DSP in its room, using six Shure MXA920W-S arrays on a PoE+ switch in the upgraded training room and a Biamp Parlé TCM-X and TCM-XEX pair powered directly from the TesiraFORTE X 1600 in Room 202, which keeps that smaller room to one processor.
The original training room used two Sennheiser TeamConnect Ceiling 2 arrays before the upgrade replaced them.
How do you install AV in a city where you do not have a local crew?
Creation Networks installs out-of-state offices by subcontracting local labor while keeping design, equipment and programming in-house, and for the Tailored Brands office on Seventh Avenue in New York the installation technicians came from Digital Labor Solutions, a New York firm working under our direction and to our kit list.
We stage the equipment, write the room programming and stay the single contact for the client from quote through closeout.
Do you work as a subcontractor to an IT integrator or general contractor?
Creation Networks regularly works under another prime contractor, and the first Tailored Brands project, a divisible training room in Dublin, came to us through Rahi Systems, the IT integrator on the office, with our team working to their scope, their schedule and their insurance requirements.
After that job the client contracted with us directly for the next four projects.
What support comes with a room after installation?
Every Creation Networks installation carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee from first use with manufacturer warranties handled through us, and Tailored Brands added a 20-hour block of support hours that covers remote fixes, programming changes and site visits without a new purchase order each time.
Hours are logged against the block as work is done. Ongoing coverage beyond that runs through our support help desk.
Technology partners on this project
Planning rooms in a second or third office? We can walk your current rooms and tell you what would carry forward into the next site.
Creation Networks, Inc. — nationwide commercial AV integrator, CTS-D certified, based in Concord, CA and Incline Village, NV. Design, engineering, programming, installation, and support from a single point of contact. Call 888-230-3661 or email sales@creationnetworks.net.
Multi-site AV standards
Let's Talk About Your Next Office
Tell us the room count, the cities and the platform you run today. A CTS-D engineer replies within one business day — no charge, no obligation.
