One of the most sensitive forms of A/V installation is for historic churches, where the infrastructure for modern systems does not exist and often cannot be installed due to preservation constraints. Among them, Coral Gables Congregational Church, outside Miami, was built in 1923 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, and has been on the US National Register of Historic Places since 1978.
When the church decided to replace its audio and video systems, it was aware of the challenges in prospect, and brought in Dave Armstrong and Sound Planning to consult on the project. Based in Fort Lauderdale, Sound Planning has a track record of working with historic worship spaces. ‘This congregation has a real commitment to music, which was made very clear in our initial meeting,’ Armstrong says. ‘As soon as I saw the Bösendorfer grand piano in the sanctuary, I knew they were serious, and that the Electro-Voice EVA line array system would be a perfect candidate for the main PA.’
Widely regarded as a go-to EV for house of worship sound, EVA (Expandable Vertical Array) offers the benefits of concert-type line arrays without their usual cost and complexity. Each EVA module comprises two array elements of two 8-incg woofers and four 1.25-inch compression drivers mounted on Hydra waveform converters – a construction the helps reduce overall array size. This compact design also minimises visual distraction, with clean lines and no visible rigging hardware.
EVA modules are available in four fixed-angle configurations that can be combined in any order for precise and even coverage. EVA’s efficient crossover and driver design allows two full-sized arrays to be driven by a single amplifier, further adding to cost and space savings.
In addition, Electro-Voice recently released EVA speaker settings for Dynacord amplifiers that provide enhanced performance through multi-stage loudspeaker protection and a slightly tailored midrange response. These settings are available for the full-range array cabinets and for EVA subwoofers.
Once the church had finalised its direction, Sound Planning was among the firms invited to bid for the installation contract. Using design input directly from Electro-Voice, the company proposed a single EVA array to cover the entire congregational seating area, which includes a balcony.
‘It’s not a huge space, so all we needed was one centre-hung three-box EVA array – the equivalent of a six-box conventional system,’ Armstrong notes. ‘We installed it among the exposed beams in the ceiling, with the lowest point 21ft above the floor. The beams are dark wood, so the black cabinets and cabling hide well up there. There were no objections to the aesthetics.’
The array features three EVA-2082S elements with a progressive dispersion approach. For the long throw to the balcony, the top box has a tight 90° x 6° coverage pattern. The middle cabinet covers the back of the room with its 90° x 20° pattern, while the bottom module uses 120° x 20° dispersion to address the front pews. This covers the entire space evenly, with no front, down or side fills required. For contemporary music presentations, a rolling cart with an active Electro-Voice EKX-15SP subwoofer is available for low-end support.
‘The historic architecture remains unchanged, the EVA system looks and sounds fantastic, and the folks at Coral Gables Congregational Church are thrilled,’ Armstrong reports.
