Wayne State University chooses L-Acoustics
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All of those teams and the fans who come to see them will experience quality sound, courtesy of a new L-Acoustics A Series PA system designed and specified by consultancy Idibri and installed by AV integrator Ametek.
Key to the sonic success of this project was keeping sound on the seats and off of the highly reflective hardwood basketball court and venue walls. To accomplish that, the AV design team at Idibri chose L-Acoustics A Series; specifically, eight main arrays aimed at the seating area, each consisting of four A15i (two A15i Wide plus two A15i Focus), powered by a total of eight LA4X amplified controllers.
In addition, there is an end-court-fill system consisting of two A15i Wide, powered by a single LA4X, and two court-floor-fill arrays made up of four A15i Wide each in waterfall configurations for main floor coverage, powered by a pair of LA4X. There are also two hangs of four KS21i subs in a dipole configuration, powered by one LA12X.
“Using the A15i, we can get consistent coverage over the entire seating area, using the Focus’ 10 degrees of vertical dispersion and the Wide’s 30 degrees,” explains Ben Boeshans, senior consultant and lead system designer for Idibri. “The angles they offer off the shelf are exactly what we needed for this project.”
However, what wasn’t off the shelf was how the unique horizontal steering technology of Panflex enabled him to adjust the design literally on the fly when it became clear that a wall close to one side of the arena would be acoustically problematic.
“On one side, the arrays were closer to the wall than on the other, but we were able to adjust the A15, using Panflex steering fins, to have a 90-degree angle of dispersion instead of 110 degrees, keeping the energy off the wall,” he says. “It wasn’t part of the original plan, but it was adjusted in a matter of minutes in the field. It’s a real testament to just how flexible the L-Acoustics systems can be.”
