Borås Stadsteater, a theatre in the southern Swedish city of Borås, has installed an Alcons LR7 pro-ribbon system to improve the sound of its productions.

Founded in 1964, Borås Stadsteater is a state-owned production house which moved to its current home in 1975. A typical 1970s-style provincial venue, the 500-capacity main auditorium features raked seating and a balcony.

By 2016 the ageing PA system had become too small and outdated to meet the demands of modern audiences, so the management team worked with the local authority to find a solution. They contacted systems integrator Electrosound, who visited the venue and suggested the Alcons LR7 system. Electrosound also recently supplied a KLANG: fabrik unit to connect with the theatre’s Dante-enabled Allen & Heath dLive digital mixing system.

Once the technical specification for the project was agreed, Gothenburg-based DAV Partner won a competitive tender process to supply the equipment.

The Alcons system includes two main hangs of eight LR7/90 and two LR7B each, four ground-stacked BF181 Mk2 single 18in subs and a centre cluster of six LR7/120. Four SR9 (double 5in LF + RBN401) were installed for frontfills, plus three VR8 (8in LF + RBN401) compact monitors for balcony delays and four more SR9 for under-balcony coverage. In addition, 14 CCS8 (8in coax) were installed for surround sound, with the whole system controlled by Sentinel3 and Sentinel10 amplified loudspeaker controllers.

The surround loudspeakers are mainly used for theatre special effects, but the system can be used for showing movies, if required. The LR7 system is ideal for medium-sized venues, featuring the RBN401 pro-ribbon HF driver and a 6.5in LF driver in a micro-sized design.

“Thanks to the size and weight of the speakers, rigging the system was very straightforward,” said Borås Stadsteater sound manager Tobias Walka. “After some prediction in Ease Focus, it took less than an hour to hang the entire PA. Setting up the amps is also very easy, as there are presets for all the speaker models, including number of boxes, spread, etc.”

“Acoustically it is a good room, but the quality of the Alcons loudspeakers has really improved the sound of events,” added Electrosound’s Brollan Söderström. “Thanks to the pro-ribbon technology, everything just sounds fantastic. Mixing with the system is a walk in the park – the EQ can be used to make ‘musical’ adjustments, instead of using it to correct problems caused by the loudspeakers.”

“The sound quality I experienced with a small LR7 system became all the more prominent when installed in a more controlled environment, while the larger scale of the system gave it a lot more muscle,” remarked Walka. “It’s beefy, very clear and in your face. The perceived sound-to-size ratio is absolutely staggering.”

http://www.alconsaudio.com/