The Vienna Konzerthaus has become the latest European concert hall to install steerable Meyer Sound CAL column array loudspeakers. The Konzerthaus will utilise its CAL systems for voice announcements, concert narrations, and incidental music.
“With CAL, we have excellent coverage of the entire hall with installation at one point,” said Ingeborg Doblander, head of technical production for the Konzerthaus. “By placing both CALs behind the golden leaf grilles at the centre of the venue, we solved the time alignment problems that were present in the old system. This resulted in in very good STIPA [Speech Transmission Index for Public Address] measurements.”
The CAL systems were chosen following a rigorous evaluation process consisting of measurement and listening tests. “Several systems were brought in at different times, and no participants were given information about the others,” stated Doblander. “We collected the data for each demonstration, and that served as the basis of our final decision in favour of CAL.”
In the 1,840-seat Great Hall, one CAL 96 and one CAL 64 loudspeakers are both fully concealed in the organ loft behind a decorative grille. The advanced beam-steering technology in CAL allows the venue to custom-tailor both the vertical directivity and down-tilt angles. The CAL 96 loudspeaker is programmed in a split beam, an upper beam aims down at an 11° angle to cover the balcony with a 20° spread, and a lower beam aims down at a 24° angle to cover the lower floor with a 20° spread. The CAL 64 loudspeaker is aimed on axis with a 10° spread to cover the gallery.
In the 704-seat Mozart Hall, one CAL 32 loudspeaker is aimed down at a 10° angle with a 30° spread for balcony and floor coverage, while another CAL 32 loudspeaker is aimed on axis with a 10° spread to cover only the balcony. In addition, two MM-4XP and two MM-4XPD self-powered loudspeakers provide under-balcony and podium area coverage, respectively. Systems for both rooms were supplied and installed by Sommerein, Austria-based ATEC Pro Audio.
The systems both employ Allen & Heath iDR DSP and matrix mixers for signal processing and basic mixing capabilities. Other new equipment includes Sennheiser handheld wireless microphones with MMK 965 condenser capsules and Denon DN-700C CD players.
