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Play AV & Viladco Team Up To Deploy CODA Audio In Upgrade At Culture Centre in Belgium

APS and N-APS loudspeakers combine in sonic remake for the main hall at Culture Centre de Kern in Antwerp.

The Culture Centre de Kern, a multi-purpose hub for the arts in the Wilrijk district of Antwerp, Belgium that presents a wide variety of entertainment in several different spaces in the venue, recently made the decision to replace the aging sound system in its main theatre, with integrator PLAY AV handling the project that includes deployment of CODA Audio loudspeakers.

“I’ve had really good experiences with other CODA systems at previous workplaces and on tour,” explains Wim Meuwis, Head of Technology at the centre. “The impact of Covid-19 meant that the venue was closed, and although I hadn’t specifically heard the APS system, the fact that it was CODA and that the virtual simulation looked really great, was enough to convince us to go for it. Since we are partly funded by the City of Antwerp, the system had to come in within strict budget limits — the CODA system was very competitive and its specs were better than some other more expensive alternatives.”

Play AV, which previously installed CODA TiRAY at another nearby venue, worked closely with Viladco, the company’s distributor in Belgium, with the latter’s Hans Engelen responsible for the pre-design of the system following a site study by Play AV Audio Visual Solution Architect Jan Ryckaert.

Hans Engelen, owner at Viladco describes the system design: “We were asked to design a left-centre-right system with a left-right sub arrangement, to achieve consistent horizontal and vertical coverage. As the stage is almost the same width as the seating, we deployed an asymmetric CODA Audio APS system to minimise the impact of any reflections from the side walls of the venue. To achieve the best possible result, we individually selected couplers within each APS loudspeaker, to tailor the coverage to the venue. For each side, three APS were selected, together with two APS-SUB per side on the floor – making use of the space available.

The center channel was more complex to integrate due to obstacles within the auditorium; however, the versatility of N-APS proved beneficial. Two hangs of dual N-APS loudspeakers flown as a “center” and “centre delay” were designed to clear all obstructions. The widest symmetric coupler setting (120 degrees) provided focused sound to the entire coverage area.

All loudspeakers, which are passive models, required one amplifier channel. This, together with intelligent linking of loudspeakers, allowed for an economic amplification configuration, with two LINUS14-D and one LINUS10-C handling the job.

“We are all extremely excited. We’ve moved on from a 30-year old point source system which was OK in its day, but no longer cut it in terms of the standards expected of a modern venue of our size,” says Meuwis. “Play AV and Viladco worked closely together to deliver excellent service and we hope we can open our doors very soon to let our audience enjoy the pristine quality of our new sound system.”

David Webster, Director of Global Marketing at CODA Audio, concludes, “With a return to indoor live events hopefully just around the corner, the patrons of the centre will soon be enjoying a wide variety of entertainment, all of which will benefit from the quality and flexibility of the chosen APS system. It is this flexibility that enabled the team to deliver a solution that met the venue’s budgetary requirements without any compromise on audio quality.”

CODA Audio
Viladco
Play AV

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