Makeover of 19th century McPherson Opera House Features QFlex
McPHERSON, KS – The McPherson Opera House, saved from destruction in 1986, had been home to everything from Vaudeville shows and films from the golden age of cinema through to political rallies and suffrage meetings, and through it all, it had been known for superb acoustics.
To extend that tradition, the McPherson Opera House
Preservation Company wanted a sound system that performers would find not only
adequate, but impressive, according to Michael Dunn of Sounds Great Music, the
designer and installer on the project – one that would provide not only good,
natural sound, but achieve a look in keeping with the buildings' roots and
legacy.
The refurbishment of the 1888 opera house was virtually a
complete rebuild, Dunn noted. The final phase was completed in December 2009 with
the installation of the venue's new lighting rig, and an audio system featuring
Tannoy's compact, digitally steerable QFlex arrays.
Tannoy wasn't the first solution considered, Dunn says. But
after a closer look at the initial concept, one based around a conventional
line array system, with the inherent bulk and significant architectural impact
that such a system would bring to the space, the benefits of QFlex swiftly
became apparent.
We started to look at the lines of sight and the 3D models
the architect had, and we realized that more than half of the audience would
not be covered by the traditional line array concept, and would have to be
covered by additional under balcony fills.
The end result was high impact sound with a low impact
visual profile, and as Holecek has noted, artists who've performed at the venue
have expressed a wish to take the theatre with them wherever they go.
For more information, please visit www.tcgroup-americas.com (http://www.tcgroup-americas.com/).
Source: Makeover of 19th century McPherson Opera House Features QFlex
