Built in the form of a pentagon, the striking Huainan Theatre cost $48m US and covers an area of 24,500sq.m. Capable of accommodating up to 1280 people, the building's internal design caused considerable difficulty with designing a PA system that was suitable for the variety of performances and conferences it is required to host.
After lengthy discussions with the theatre's owners, technical installation company Zhejiang Tongbo Electronic Engineering Co Ltd - otherwise known as Tempo - specified a Coda Audio system.
The system is configured as an LCR arrangement and features Coda Rx35 full-range units as the main speakers, with PW418 subs, K5 compact two-way units for front-fills and G512-96 two-way units for side-fills. The system is driven by C5 four channel, 5000watt as the DSP amplifiers.
The left and right channels of the LCR system are used for music, with the centre channel used for speech. This has proved the most effective way of delivering high quality sound for the whole range of events that the theatre will host, with theatre staff speaking very highly of the sound quality and the performance of the Coda system.
400 kilometres south of Huainan, the open air Qi Shu Lake Performance Theatre has been built to host plays, musicals and other live performances. Facing the 9900sq.m stage area is 3900sq.m of covered audience bleachers.
Here, Tempo specified another Coda Audio system, ensuring that the clarity and uniformity of sound were seamless throughout the audience area, which is significantly wider than it is deep. The flown line arrays cover the audience with pinpoint accuracy, while ensuring that sightlines are not compromised.
"Coda has systems for every type of installation and are being used in some very prestigious venues," says the company's Paul Ward. "The Huainan Theatre and Qi Shu Lake Performance Theatre are two very prestigious projects and we're delighted that they're experiencing the power and clarity of our products."
(Jim Evans)
