- Montevideo, MN
 Tricorne Audio Inc. of Fargo, ND was asked to design a cost-conscious sound system that would provide excellent speech reproduction and good music reproduction for sporting events announcements, and also for graduation and other special events.
“This is a 2500-3000 seat gymnasium,” says Tricorne systems designer, Dallas Anderson. “That's a lot of seats to cover on a budget.” The old system was a single SoundSphere - still hanging, now unused, of course - powered by a Bogen GS100 mixer/amplifier.
Anderson EASE modeled the space. “In similar venues, our choice would have been a two tiered cluster with upper bleacher coverage and lower bleacher coverage. However, in this instance, that solution was cost-prohibitive.” He suggested North bleacher coverage and a subwoofer option, which the school chose not to pursue at the time. So in the end, the client's needs had to be met with a single cluster system.
“I had my concerns attempting to fill this large a space with only four loudspeakers,” says Anderson . “Fortunately we had used the Community R.5 series before, so I was familiar with the larger R1 and R2 loudspeakers… the R2-694 was a perfect solution for this project. It provided excellent directionality, and full band width response in an aesthetically pleasing package. The four R2's play to the bleachers, and we included two R.5 speakers for floor coverage.”
 As a cost-saving measure, Anderson recommended QSC PLX amplifiers (instead of the usual CX series, he says). “We have three PLX 2402 amplifiers, with each channel driving one speaker each - four R2's and two R.5's . We incorporated the Shure DFR22 for signal processing and a Shure SCM800 mixer for input connections.” The system also includes a portable sports case with a small mixer, a wireless microphone, and a TASCAM CD/cassette combo. This unit has a microphone level output and can plug into any microphone jack.
“I was thoroughly impressed with the quality and consistency of the sound from the Community loudspeakers,” says Anderson . Though the SoundSphere is now merely an odd-ball ceiling fixture in the gym, the Bogen mixer/amp found a new home in the pool area - driving a pair of Community R.5's for swim meets and music during practice.
~ Reprinted with permission from Community Professional Loudspeakers. |
