When Athens’ Pallas Theatre was built in 1926, it quickly became a popular cosmopolitan destination for Athenian socialites, replacing the royal horse stables that were representative of this oldest city in Europe.
With its regular jazz music and other eclectic performances, the Pallas Theatre paved the way for an influx of cafes, restaurants, and other gathering places, transforming the city’s Voukourestiou Street district into a cultural hub.
Many decades later, Athens received a much needed revitalization, and the Pallas Theatre also received a full-scale cosmetic makeover, as well as a sound system based on Meyer Sound M’elodie line array loudspeakers.
To equip the 1,500-seat Pallas Theatre with an audio system on par with its exquisite architecture, Athens-based audio firm Omikron Control enlisted a complete overhaul of the existing system. Sound designer Vangelis Petridis knew such a job would be anything but straightforward.
“The space is mainly used for theatrical performances and musicals, but they also do plenty of classical music presentations, a little jazz, some cinema, and corporate events and ceremonies, making it a truly multipurpose venue,” says Petridis. “This required an easily adjustable system, but they also wanted us to install the system out of the audience’s view.”
Petridis decided on flown left and right arrays each consisting of nine self-powered M’elodie loudspeakers, concealed within the proscenium, while three 600-HP subwoofers are mounted on top of each array.
Stage monitoring is handled by one USM-1P stage monitor, one CQ-1 loudspeaker, and one UPA-1P loudspeaker per side, with a Galileo loudspeaker management system controlling all processing.
“The Galileo was an easy choice, as it provides so many different abilities, including the different sound levels for the balcony and other areas,” says Petridis.
For the theatre’s cinematic presentations, a 5.1 surround sound system was later added. “The theatre managers loved the new main system,” says Petridis. “They didn’t even discuss any alternative options when it came time for the surround system. It just had to be Meyer Sound.”
As a result, one more array of nine M’elodie loudspeakers was installed as a center cluster, with rear left and right arrays of ten UPJ-1P loudspeakers each. An additional independent Galileo controls the extra zones.
The decision to purchase Meyer Sound components for the venue came easily for Omikron.
“When we think of Meyer Sound, the first thing that comes to mind is quality. The sound quality is exceptional. The materials used are meticulously chosen. And the construction is outstanding,” says Petridis.
“We’ve provided sound locally for years now, and we choose Meyer because they are one of the top companies, if not the top in their field. Using their products gives us quite an advantage over our competitors.”
