The recently opened Cendera Center is a multipurpose facility designed to accommodate a wide range of functions, including fine arts performances, meetings, training sessions / presentations, boxing events, parties, and more.
With such a varied agenda, selecting a sound reinforcement system capable of providing pristine music reproduction characteristics as well as a high level of speech intelligibility was a paramount issue during the venue’s planning stages.
After evaluating a variety of systems, the consultants and client agreed on Valencia, Spain-based D.A.S. Audio Aero Series 2 components.
Fort Worth-based Sowden and Associates, an acoustics and entertainment technologies consultancy, and American Audio Visual (also of Ft. Worth), a design/build firm that, in addition to its installation business, operates a rental house for the special events market, pooled their efforts in the design of Cendera Center’s new sound reinforcement setup.
Ultimately, Christopher “Topper” Sowden, principal consultant of Sowden and Associates, and Mike Horn, president of American Audio Visual, demonstrated systems to Cendera Center personnel comprised of D.A.S. Audio Aero 8A and Aero 12A line array elements, accompanied by Aero LX-215RA sub bass enclosures.
“Cendera Center was designed to accommodate a broad assortment of activities,” Horn explains, “and, as such, it was critical for the system to not only provide first-class sound quality, it also needed to be relatively compact so as to facilitate the resulting three stage positions in Cendera Hall, which is the primary entertainment space at Cendera Center.
“Since the loudspeakers get moved to best accommodate the nature of the event, their compact footprint was a huge consideration. Similarly, the system’s self-powered design was equally important, as it virtually eliminates the necessity of housing separate power amplifiers. Since the power amplification is integrated right into the loudspeaker enclosures, this also streamlines system cabling.”
Sowden adds, “This approach resulted in a reduction in overall system cost while maintaining the quality of the system, which Cendera representatives indicated was most important.”
The main sound reinforcement system at Cendera Center consists of two primary clusters—each consisting of five Aero 12A mid-high line array elements.
These two flown clusters are augmented by two D.A.S. Aero LX-215RA band-pass subwoofers per side, which reside behind the Aero 12As. Additionally, a pair of Aero 12As is used for sidefill purposes.
Six D.A.S. Aero 8A compact 2-way line array elements complete the system, used in side fill, front fill, and delay capacities. A single Aero 8A is deployed to the extreme left and right sides of the house mains to provide coverage for the far sides of the hall.
Another two Aero 8As are typically placed for frontfill, and the remaining two enclosures are deployed roughly 35 feet out into the room—one each left and right—for delay purposes.
“This combination of loudspeakers gives Cendera Center a truly versatile setup that can be tailored to the nature of the event,” says Horn. “The sound quality is consistent from front to rear and side to side and the system’s rigging hardware facilitates re-positioning the loudspeakers easily. I honestly don’t believe there’s another loudspeaker system available that offers the performance and functionality of D.A.S. Audio’s Aero 12A.”
Since its completion in July, Cendera Center’s new sound reinforcement system is winning praise from visitors and the center’s staff alike. Brain Collins, Cendera Center president, states, “We’ve been very pleased with the new sound system’s performance. The audio quality is everything I had envisioned for the room and the versatility of the system is quite impressive.
“We’ve received numerous positive comments from our clients. The combined efforts of ‘Topper’ Sowden and Mike Horn have resulted in a system that delivers upon the promise of superior sound quality for all the events that take place here.”