Set on 636 acres, Elon University (in the Piedmont area of Central North Carolina) ranks as one of the most beautiful college campuses in the US. In addition to this appeal, the university has just opened the all-new Schar Center, which serves as the new home for Elon Phoenix basketball and volleyball, and a centre for major events.
In addition to the main arena, the Schar Center boasts a spacious entry atrium, a large gymnasium, locker room and team facilities, and a hospitality room for social events and gatherings. Audio & Light, Inc designed and installed the A/V systems for the extensive new facility, including a Fulcrum Acoustic/Lenea Research sound system in the 5,100-seat arena.
‘This is the first time we have specified or used Linea Research amplifiers, and so far, they have been very impressive,’ says Audio & Light Installation Division VP, Brian Cox, who designed the A/V systems. ‘We’ve been impressed with Linea Research amplifiers’ DSP capability and ability to do all of our speaker processing in the amplifier per channel – and the power output is incredible.’
The arena has no acoustic treatment, relying on the design and quality of the sound system. To ensure that quality, Cox designed a Dante system featuring Fulcrum Acoustic loudspeakers driven by Linea Research 88C10 and 44C20 power amplifiers and networked with Symetrix Edge DSPs.
‘For the main system, we designed eight speaker clusters, each consisting of three Fulcrum AH96 full-range coaxial horns paired with a CS121 21-inch cardioid subwoofer,’ states Cox. ‘The main clusters are flown above the arena’s north and the south sides to cover the court and stands. The AH96s provide all the output we need and their fully horn-loaded design increases sensitivity for more efficient use of amplifier power to reduce overall system cost. Fulcrum’s unique CS Series passive cardioid subwoofers deliver low frequency punch while minimising reflections from the steel ceiling.
‘Five Fulcrum DX1265 dual 12-inch coaxial loudspeakers serve as fill for the north side stands,’ he continues, ‘and we installed 12 GX1295 single 12-inch coaxial speakers above the arena’s east and west ends for concourse and lower seating coverage. Fulcrum was very helpful with loudspeaker selection and confirming our thoughts on the system design.’
‘To ensure a flexible and reliable sound system, we required that each of its loudspeakers have the ability to be controlled individually,’ adds Elon’s Assistant Director of Campus Technology Support, Joe Davis. ‘This allows us to easily tailor the 49 loudspeakers’ coverage for any use. The Athletics and Events departments, and support staff all love the system’s sound and configurability. Audio & Light delivered an amazing sound system that adds to the Schar Center’s wow factor, and is worthy of Elon’s stature and commitment to excellence.’
Five 8-channel Linea Research 88C10 power amplifiers drive the 40 channels of mains and fill, while a pair of 4-channel Linea Research 44C20 amplifiers drive the eight subwoofers. A sixth Linea Research 88C10 is kept in the rack, unpowered, as an emergency spare. ‘Using the full passive loudspeakers was made possible by the Linea Research amplifiers,’ Cox explains. ‘Fulcrum Acoustic speakers work extremely well with Linea amplifiers. The Linea Research amps’ built-in DSP gave us the ability to process the limiting by frequency, rather than just limiting by level. They can close down on high-frequency damage before it happens, without worrying about the low frequencies.’
‘This was one of our first projects using Fulcrum Acoustic Level 1 presets,’ offers Rik Kirby, President of Allied Professional Technologies, Linea Research’s US distributor. ‘This compatibility has been proving very popular, and the end result sounds great. And Fulcrum Acoustic have been able to implement Linea’s Virtual Crossover (VX) Limiter, allowing them to limit LF and HF separately despite using a passive crossover in a mid-high device.’
‘We wanted this to be a Dante digital system so we could make it as flexible as possible,’ offers Cox. ‘The Linea amplifiers come with an option for Dante I/O, and they work very well with the Symetrix Edge DSPs. We have one Edge for arena processing, one for auxiliary area processing in other parts of the Schar Center, and a third Edge for routing and switching. The Linea amplifiers have three network ports: one for control and the primary and secondary Dante ports. The Symetrix DSPs, Linea Research amplifiers, and Fulcrum Acoustic speakers have so far worked together flawlessly.’
When deciding on Linea Research amplifiers, Cox considered multiple factors: ‘It seemed like the Linea Research amplifier was designed for the Fulcrum Acoustic speakers we wanted to use,’ he says. ‘In fact, the Fulcrum Acoustic rep first brought Linea Research amplifiers to our attention. We looked at other brands but anything else that had Dante didn’t have enough DSP horsepower, and the Linea Research amplifiers’ power-to-size ratio and output capabilities are among the best on the market. To go with another brand, we probably would have ended up with more external DSP power and larger amplifiers with more heat load. And programming the Linea Research DSP was easy; we had the amplifiers updated, loaded, and ready to go and passing audio in one morning.’
Audio input for the arena system is through a Yamaha TF1 16-channel mixer with a NY64-D Dante I/O card. The mixer rolls out in a mobile cart, which includes a headset and computer inputs, and can be located at the scorer’s table for sporting events. Floor pockets enable the mixer to send Dante audio to the network.
‘The Schar Center is great; it’s a beautiful building,’ Cox relects. ‘The athletic departments are now using their new offices, and the basketball and volleyball teams have moved in. The arena opened with a women’s volleyball game in August, and the sound system did a really good job. The Linea Research amplifiers’ sonic performance so far seems to be above everything else. Everybody here is very happy.’
See also:
DAS Audio gains honours at US university
