HUNTSVILLE, AL — When it came time to outfit the new 580-seat multi-purpose auditorium with sound reinforcement equipment, Randolph School’s Board of Trustees turned to Clarity Solutions to help make their vision a reality. Clarity Solutions, meanwhile, turned to gear from WorxAudio Technologies. The Board of Trustees envisioned a system that would be adept at handling live theater and choral or instrumental concerts to meetings, lectures, and multimedia presentations. After careful evaluation of the facility and the types of activities that were planned, Clarity Solutions recommended a TrueLine Series line array setup.
“In addition to the various activities that take place in conjunction with their academic programs, school administrators also wanted to use the new auditorium as a revenue generator by opening the facility to community use,” noted Bobby Hendricks, Clarity Solutions president. “They recognized that a highly capable sound system would be critical to attracting clients, as it would need to offer a high level of speech intelligibility for meetings and lectures while also having solid music reproduction capability for concert programs and theatrical use.”
“In this particular case,” Hendricks continued, “the auditorium’s sloping floor (near field) and the tiered seating at the rear provided the opportunity to use a vertical line array solution. The room’s constant, climate controlled environment led me to look at self-powered options, and the dimensions and characteristics of the space led me to look at smaller array solution.”
Hendricks specified two WorxAudio Technologies X5i-P compact line arrays and a pair of the company’s newly introduced X115i-P subwoofers. Both loudspeaker systems are self-powered, which eliminated the need for bulky amplifiers while also simplifying system cabling. Each X5i-P loudspeaker cluster was flown underneath an X115i-P subwoofer in a left-right stereo configuration. These vertical arrays are flown using a single mast solution, flanking the proscenium borders at 18 feet from the stage and 21 feet from the floor.
“I could tell you that the X5i-P was the right solution because of its ‘all in one’ cosmetic design, or because of the 25-degree down wave guide that eliminated the need for nearfills,” said Hendricks. “I could also tell you that the rigging and single mast solution is very quick, simple, safe and esthetically pleasing. And I could certainly credit the system’s broad 160-degree horizontal coverage. All these factors were and certainly should be considered, but the plain truth is that this is the best sounding speaker solution of this type we have ever heard — period! This system packs a punch.”
“The X115i-P bass extension box is the perfect companion,” Hendricks added. “We were looking for just a little extra punch in the low end and, although the X5i-P has plenty of depth, the additional sub was exactly what we were going after. The system’s rigging was simple — with very little exposed hardware — and the final solution is clean and elegant.”
The new sound system was completed in August 2009, in time for the new academic year.
For more information, please visit www.worxaudio.com.
