Chandler Christian Church in Chandler, Arizona (southeast of Phoenix) recently completed the latest addition to its youth center and recreation facility. Called “The Bridge,” it now offers a versatile, 10,000-square-foot multi-purpose and live entertainment venue complete with concert-grade audio system headed by VUE Audiotechnik al-8 line arrays.
The new system was implemented by the team at AVDB Group, which has offices in several southwestern states, including Arizona. “We’ve been deploying VUE systems for nearly a year now, and have been consistently pleased with their extended frequency response and exceptional intelligibility,” explains AVDB president and founder Marty Waverley.
Designed to function as both performance hall and recreation space, Chandler Christian’s newest space presented AVDB with a number of challenges, including highly reflective wood flooring and numerous exposed ceiling structures. Exceptional pattern control was a critical consideration.
After creating an EASE model to determine the ideal al-8 configuration for the space, Nate Hall, AVDB senior AV designer, configured dual al-8 arrays of seven elements each. Five VUE V6 Systems Engines deliver power and processing for the arrays, while a pair of hs-28 subwoofers and an Avid SC48 console round out the mix.
“The al-8’s coverage was near perfect from the moment we fired it up. It was exactly as the EASE model predicted,” states Hall. “And the sound quality is simply amazing-especially at the high end. You can lean into the al-8 and it simply never breaks up or loses intelligibility.
“Over the years, Chandler Christian has deployed several different line arrays through various expansion projects—all with varying degrees of success,” Waverley adds. “We were very excited to see if the VUE al-8 would finally the impact and clarity they’ve struggled to achieve in other locations.”
For low frequencies, AVDB specified a pair of VUE hs-28 dual 18-inch subwoofers for the left and right of the stage. A forthcoming plan to install the subwoofers below the stage will see the hs-28s replaced by VUE’s dual 15-inch hs-25 subwoofers later this year. But Waverley isn’t worried about the swap.
“VUE is really onto something with their ACM technology,” Waverley states. “Both the hs-28 and hs-25 subs deliver amazing amounts of clean energy for their size-dramatically more than most subs that share their footprint.
“With the lower profile hs-25 we have the perfect fit for under the stage, with almost no discernable impact to low frequency performance,” he continues. “The hs-25 is a really impressive unit. We’re extremely pleased.”
