As part of continued technical upgrades to Singapore’s ‘Esplanade Theatres on the Bay’ arts centre, its 2000-capacity Theatre – one of four performance venues at the facility – has been fitted with a d&b audiotechnik sound reinforcement system centred on the C-Series.
Robin Shuttleworth, technical manager sound at Esplanade, explained: “A phased-in sound system upgrade throughout the Esplanade’s venues has been ongoing for the last four years.
“The last venue to be addressed has been the Theatre; we had the opportunity to explore improvements in the permanent sound reinforcement system to create a first class sounding room for performances ranging through musicals in all their different forms: operetta, jukebox musicals and straight musical drama through to playback, light pop and jazz.”
After evaluating the systems from five separate audio suppliers, the Esplanade opted to go with a d&b audiotechnik system which was designed by Ralf Zuleeg, head of education and application support at the d&b HQ in in Backnang, Germany. This is the first system that Zuleeg has designed using elements from both the Black and White ranges. Sebastian Song and his team from d&b audiotechnik S.E. Asia were charged with its installation.
The Theatre was equipped with a left/centre/right configuration of Ci7-TOP loudspeakers, with bass arriving from Ci-SUBs from the C-Series.
Elsewhere various elements from the White range have been implemented: from the xS-Series, the 12S and 12S-D along with the 10S and 5S, all driven by d&b D6 and D12 amplifiers.
“What we have gained here is an accurate, high-quality distributed audio system,” said Shuttleworth. “It’s common knowledge that I am one of the C7’s greatest fans, but the clever fill achieved by the support of the White range loudspeakers, as I walked the room… I was amazed with the sound coverage, not only the excellent audio quality but the perfect focusing throughout the auditorium.”
He added: “We know the guys from d&b, and together with my team at the Esplanade, they worked hard to get this absolutely right. Of course, there are always discussions along the way like the one about an area of coverage that didn’t seem quite right. We made a quick call to Sebastian and, no sooner said than done, there were two additional 10S loudspeakers and a D12 provided just for that awkward spot. As passionate professionals we are all proud of the result.”
