Electrosonic equips Wallis Annenberg Center’s Bram Goldsmith Theater with ARCS WIFO and XT loudspeaker systems.
After more than two years of construction, Beverly Hills’ first performing arts center, the Wallis Annenberg Center – or simply “The Wallis” – officially opened with a star-studded, invitation-only gala featuring a concert by Natalie Cole. Since then, the centre’s primary performance space – the 500-seat, proscenium-arch Bram Goldsmith Theater – has been hosting a steady line-up of world-class theatre, music and dance performances sonically reinforced via the venue’s new L-ACOUSTICS amplifier and loudspeaker system.
The sound system was designed and installed by the Burbank team of Electrosonic, which handled AV design and integration for the entire complex – including the adjacent 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office, fully restored and repurposed as a grand lobby, café, gift shop, classroom and office space, and home to the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater.
According to Electrosonic’s design Ccnsultant Steve Coe, the L-ACOUSTICS Certified Provider hung an array of three ARCS Focus and one ARCS Wide on a two-line winch above the centre of the Goldsmith’s full-sized theatrical stage. The compact array can fly from stage level to show trim at the top of proscenium, as well as fly out of sight above ceiling reflectors at the catwalk level when unnecessary for purely acoustic or orchestral performances.
At the request of the venue’s benefactors, the rest of the sound system is practically invisible. Coaxial 12XT enclosures are hidden in the proscenium on either side of the stage, while two more are flown above the ceiling reflectors as balcony delays. Also suspended above the reflectors are four individually flown SB18i subs for low-end.
For cinematic events, the venue additionally features a full 7.1 surround system built around L-ACOUSTICS’ smaller XT series products. Eight 8XTi enclosures are mounted in acoustically-treated wall recesses along each side of the room and covered with removable acoustic panels, while a total of four tiny 5XT enclosures are similarly hidden along the back wall of the balcony and deliver rear-balcony coverage.
Two LA8 and eight LA4 amplified controllers housed in a custom amplifier rack in the control booth power and process the entire system via LA Network Manager software.
