The College of Audio Arts opened in 1973 as Japan's first specialised audio education institution, the College of Recording Technology.

In 2024, a new immersive audio studio was installed at the school. We spoke to Yoichiro Mikami, the school's president and chairman, about the selection process and the purpose of introducing an immersive system:

"We started thinking about introducing immersive systems a couple of years ago. The most significant difference between vocational schools and four-year universities is probably their purpose. Whereas university education often has research as its main objective, technical schools are supposed to educate students in technology that can be used in the field. Curriculum development in the limited time of two years is not influenced by trends in the industry and is repeatedly discussed, not only with lecturers but also with graduates and external advisors.The number of students enrolled at the school is around 100 each year. Many of the new students intend to work in the industry, but had no experience of listening to sound through speakers or working with cables prior to enrolment. And when it comes to immersive systems, most students have never even heard of them. Until now, it was thought that immersive systems were out of the question in the curriculum of a vocational school, where students learn how to use microphones and coiled cables and, above all, how to produce 2-channel stereo sound."

EVE Audio's immersive system is the first of its kind in Japan: a 7.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos system, consisting of 11 SC205s and one TS108. The system is compact enough to fit into a 12U equipment rack in the corner of a classroom.

In selecting the speakers, the Institute of Sound Arts conducted a comparative listening session of 10 different models of speakers from various manufacturers. The listening session was attended by members of the school's teaching staff from a variety of backgrounds, including recording engineers, directors, musicians and video editors. Without any prior knowledge of each speaker, they created a scoring chart to evaluate the speaker's elements, such as balance per bandwidth, speed of response and overall impression. In the end, they found that the SC205 and one other model scored noticeably higher. The SC205 is very well-balanced, with good high extension and quick low-frequency response. Also, this studio isn't installed for very loud use, so the fact that the balance doesn't change when the volume is turned down was also highly praised.

"The ‘silver cone’ 5-inch woofer, from which the product name ‘SC’ is derived, is made of a honeycomb structure with a glass fibre coating, making it light and strong. It is efficiently driven by a low-noise 1’ voice coil and, despite its relatively small size, boasts reproduction capability from as low as 53 Hz and a wide dynamic range of up to 101 dBSPL. In terms of studio monitors, the balance of the system was also important, as it could be used with any sound source. At the same time, however, in a school setting where students from all walks of life congregate, the team considered its qualities as a listening speaker to be equally important. After listening to various genres of music, including classical, jazz, J-pop and hard rock, at different volumes, they found the SC205's wide reproduction range and non-habitual sound to be useful for enjoying music. In the construction of an immersive system, which inevitably requires a large number of speakers, not only quality but also balance with price is an important factor. There was a big difference in price between the two remaining models in the evaluation of the viewing session, and the EVE Audio SC205 was finally chosen for its high cost-performance ratio."