Local independent audio consultant Harel Tabibi designed the system. ‘The old system was barely adequate for lectures,’ he says. ‘For most performances, they had to hire outside sound companies to bring in equipment for the show. It was a situation that was not economically viable and often involved compromises in sound quality.’
Since the upgrade, the new loudspeakers have ably supported everything from community meetings and dance recitals to live theatre and rock concerts. ‘After a theatre show and eight concert performances using the new system, the comments from artists and sound engineers have been overwhelmingly positive,’ reports Tabibi. ‘Some have even called it one of the best systems now operating in Israel.’
The main LR coverage of the auditorium is provided by six UPA-2P loudspeakers, with four loudspeakers covering the main floor and two for the balcony. A pair of UPA-1P loudspeakers anchors the centre, while eight diminutive UPM-1P loudspeakers serve as rear balcony delays and fills at stage front, balcony side, and floor corner. Bass comes from dual 600-HP subwoofers, with drive and optimisation from a Galileo loudspeaker management system using one Galileo 616 processor.
The installation process was complicated by the requirement that the main floor loudspeakers were to be housed in alcoves in the brick walls at the proscenium sides. ‘We did not want to take up stage space or block the stairs leading up to the stage from the audience,’ Tabibi says. ‘Fortunately, the fact that the Meyer Sound speakers are self-powered was very helpful, as it saved us from installing extra amplifiers and speaker wiring.’
For Israel Ben-Simon, Technical Director at the Gerard Bechar Center, the change was long overdue: ‘It sounds great,’ he says. ‘After 20 years of working here I’m finally getting compliments on sound from the audience and performers. It’s a real pleasure.’
In addition to the main auditorium and a smaller, 200-seat performance space, the Gerard Bechar Center also includes art galleries and studios as well as the Jerusalem Municipality’s central library. Originally known as the Beit Ha’am, the building complex housed the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann shortly after it opened in 1961. After the trial, the Bechar family donated funds to create a centre for the arts, naming it in honor of their son, a victim of the Holocaust.
Funding for the audio renovations was provided by the Jerusalem Foundation. Project manager on behalf of the foundation was Haim Barimboim. The Meyer Sound system was supplied and installed by Barkai Benny Brookstein of Ramat-Gan, Israel.
More: www.barkai.com
More: www.meyersound.com
