KV2 active ESR106 active column loudspeakers have been deployed at the Maris Stella senior care facility in Incheon, South Korea. The Catholic care facility provides an integrated programme of pastoral care, including a daily celebration of Mass in the 400-seat auditorium, which also hosts lectures, film screenings and live performances.
A decade on from its facility’s initial construction, the decision was made to upgrade the audio system to improve both quality and intelligibility. KV2 distributor, Daon SD, collaborated with audio consultants, Audio Control, to supply the pair of ESR106 active column loudspeakers.
Audio Control and the church’s head priest had several factors to consider. The previous system relied on multiple full-range loudspeakers distributed throughout the space. In addition to being visually intrusive, both coverage and soundro quality left much to be desired, particularly in terms of vocal intelligibility.
Audio Control proposed the ESR106 active column array system, which deploys multiple six-inch woofers and a single one-inch high frequency driver mounted on a wide dispersion horn. Mounted to the left and right of the stage, this proved to be an excellent choice for the auditorium where the relatively low ceiling height compared to the depth of the room was something of a challenge.
“In order to secure the loudspeakers to the wall we customised the wall mounting hardware so that we could mount the cabinets safely on the striated wooden wall cladding,” said John Park, SD, Daon. “In an ideal world we’d have raised the installation height slightly to ensure optimum coverage for both the front and back rows, but the configuration of the room didn’t allow us to do that.”
He added: “However, once we turned the loudspeakers on, all our concerns were forgotten. Crystal clear sound filled the room from front to back – in fact the coverage and throw of the ESR106s defies common sense! The clarity and intelligibility – even from the back seats which are 25m away from the stage – are simply in a different league to the previous system. It’s hard to believe that this is possible from just two enclosures.
“We were delighted when the head priest and the rest of the clerical stuff reported back to us in the weeks following the installation that both engagement and concentration during the services had improved significantly, making the celebrations more meaningful and enjoyable for all.”
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