Designed by Seoul architect G.Lab, the Gimpo Art Hall graces the southern bank of the Han River with architecture that symbolises both the South Korean city’s emergence as a contemporary hub and the agricultural history of the region. Located on the first floor is a 509-seat theatre, capable of hosting including concerts, plays and recitals.

Opened in 2014, the first performances in the hall revealed shortcomings in its audio provision, however. Recently Gimpo City Hall called in A/V distributor and integrator Sound Place to review the entire sound system and over come the hall’s complex challenges.

Ease Focus acoustic simulation software was used to get an accurate 3D rendering of the hall and understand the sound system that was required. The results quickly led to the Uniline compact range from French manufacturer APG. ‘The Gimpo Art Hall hosts a wide range of eclectic performances,’ says Sangwoo Do, Director of Sound Place. ‘We needed a versatile audio solution that could satisfy any type of performance, from lectures to concerts, and the answer came from APG and its new Uniline Compact range.’

Based on APG’s Modular Line Array concept, the Uniline Compact offers versatility and scalability cover a range of applications with a single system of boxes from small to high power, and from short to long throw. In all, 16 APG UC206N speakers were laid out in the venue, coupled with eight APG UC 115B bass and four infra bass speakers.

For front fill, Sound Place turned to the Uniline Compact, opting this time for two UC206W speakers to address the acoustic challenges of the venue’s architecture. The installation is completed with 21 APG DX8, an ultra-compact loudspeaker which provides a wide and coherent sound field thanks to its coaxial technology, as well as four DMS48 digital processors offering four inputs and eight outputs. Sound Place praised the quality of its electronic design and its input/output converters, which give a high level of audio performance.

‘The major drawback of the previous system was a lack of performance in the ultra-low frequencies, which was particularly problematic during rock performances’ explains Sangwoo Do. ‘There was also a lack of sound pressure due to the low number of speakers and their inadequate position in the hall.

‘The Uniline Compact has brilliantly solved all these issues thanks to its great versatility, providing a high sound pressure regardless of the type of performance. The director of Gimpo Art Hall is particularly happy with the new sound system and emphasised the perfect balance and the very high sound quality of the Uniline Compact.’