Dynacord Vertical Array System for German church

Several Dynacord and Electro-Voice systems have been included in a major audio installation at the Church of St Thomas in Schwaig, near Nuremberg.

Built in 1971, St Thomas provides a setting not only for church services, but for concerts and theatrical presentations as well. The church elders recently decided to have a new sound reinforcement system put in – one that would not only cater for the diverse program of events, but also blend discretely into the surrounding architecture and be easy to operate. The task of planning and implementing the installation was entrusted to the Nuremberg installation and service provider Barowski AG.

The team, led by managing director Michael Barowski, was able to point to a number of church installations performed by the company in recent years. As with the earlier projects, Barowski opted to rely on systems from Dynacord and Electro-Voice for the St Thomas job, including the Dynacord Vertical Array System.

Single TS 400 full-range loudspeaker systems were placed on each side of the altar, resulting in a set-up that easily met Barowski’s requirements. “The loudspeakers deliver exactly what we had hoped. The 90 degree (h) x 40 degree (v) coverage angle measured was exactly that promised by the data sheet, and it proved ideal for this installation," he said.

It impressed in terms of ease of use, too, particularly as the sonic image delivered by the loudspeakers required no further enhancement from additional DSPs or equalisers. “We knew in advance what the system was capable of,” Barowski continued, “so we were even able to dispense with a simulation.”

“Driven with the full-range FIR preset, the TS 400 covers the entire frequency range from 74 Hz to 20 kHz at -10 dB. Nothing more is needed under normal circumstances in a church of this size.”

The TS 400s are complemented by S40 loudspeakers from Electro-Voice. Two and three cabinets serve the areas below and above the gallery respectively, while another serves as a monitor for the organist and choir.

The two TS 400s are driven by a two-channel PCL 1245 power amp from Dynacord, while a four-channel PLC 1415 amplifies the signal to the S40s. The system is controlled by a Dynacord P64 digital audio matrix manager that can be operated from a PWS wall panel. Control can be switched between this and the mixing console.

“The system is designed in such a way that, for church services, no one ever needs access to the rack. To provide sound reinforcement for the mass, all that is required is to switch the system on from the central touch panel at the start of the service and off again at the end," Barowski concluded.

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