The 600-seat worship sanctuary at Valley Community Church (VCC) in the East Bay suburb of Pleasanton, CA has been outfitted with a new sound reinforcement system headed by L-Acoustics A Series loudspeakers and supporting components to replace an existing PA system that was showing its age.
“They were experiencing sound quality issues with their older, powered line array, and after several attempts to tune it, they knew it was at the end of life for that product, especially as compared to today’s technology and sonic standards,” notes Chuck Mitchell, CEO of Los Alamitos-based TechArts, an L-Acoustics Certified Provider since 2020 that was brought in to perform an audio retrofit for the space.
“The client initially had their eyes on other loudspeaker manufacturers that actually required a higher budget to compete,” he adds. “While L-Acoustics is a premium brand, the cost-effective A Series manages to combine top performance with a very attractive price.”
The new loudspeaker setup is relatively simple, utilizing three A15i Focus enclosures over one A15i Wide per side, plus two KS21i subwoofers hung behind each main array. Six compact 5XT coaxial loudspeakers spread out across the stage lip serve as front fills, while three LA4X and a single LA2Xi power the entire system.
“I have been a fan of L-Acoustics since hearing V-DOSC back in the ’90s,” statess John Heyer, VCC’s technical director since 2016. “I didn’t think it was possible to even consider a high-end system from them. We were going around to a few churches and other venues to listen to their systems when we told TechArts what we were looking for and gave them our proposed budget. Chuck and his team came in under that number with an L-Acoustics solution, which was something that we had only dreamed about.
“We then found out that a local theatre and music venue had some A10 arrays, and their technical director graciously set up a demo for us to hear the A Series. What ultimately finalized it for me was experiencing that system in person. Even without subs, the clarity of the full-range source, the speech intelligibility, and the amazing venue coverage they provided with so few enclosures was incredible. When Chuck came to us with a Soundvision design showing our predicted coverage, we knew it was absolutely the right choice for us.
“This system is a night-and-day difference from our old powered PA,” Heyer enthuses. “The A15i arrays have provided a new depth to the overall mix during worship and a new level of vocal intelligibility in both our worship and teaching times. With fewer boxes, we have more uniform coverage throughout the sanctuary, both on the main floor and in the balcony. It was even able to give us increased coverage under the balcony with no need for fills. The Panflex feature of the A Series is helping us keep a lot of energy off of the side walls, and the addition of front-fills have made every seat in the room a great-sounding spot. Also, we now have so much headroom! We were initially looking at the smaller A10i models, but I think we made the right choice in getting that increased dB with the A15i. I always like having that extra room when we need it for the worship team.”
