PBS affiliate WCNY has created a semi-public courtyard area with a 5.1 surround sound system from Renkus-Heinz to enhance the broadcast of films and programmes.
The facility is constructed from reclaimed buildings in Syracuse’s Near Westside industrial district and includes a broadcast and education centre, which houses two large television studios, two radio stations and 10 audio and video production suites. It is also home to the Centralcast LLC command centre, which serves content to more than 25% of PBS viewership in the US via stations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Utah, North Carolina, Indiana, Washington, and Hawaii.
For the courtyard area, WCNY removed one section of the building and equipped the outdoor space with a Renkus-Heinz sound system.
The station hired DCI Sound of Marcellus, New York, to design and install the system, and after demoing a variety of loudspeakers, WCNY chose Renkus-Heinz CFX 151-WR loudspeakers.
“This was a 5.1 surround project with all Renkus-Heinz CFX151-WRs,” stated DCI Sound owner David May. “The customer preferred the CFX151-WRs hands down.”
A 30ft-wide by 17 or 18ft-high videowall is the focal point for the space. Above it, May installed three CFX151-WRs, the weather-resistant version of the compact, point-source loudspeaker. On each side, he installed a pair of CFX81-WRs to handle the surrounds. A Renkus-Heinz CFX18-WR subwoofer sits at the front right corner to handle sub-lows. “While the system primarily is addressed through a Denon decoder, we provided six additional inputs so that the station can bypass the decoder and patch already-decoded material directly into the main DSP and 5.1 system,” added May.
At the rear of the courtyard is an all-glass wall, behind which is a cafeteria. A pair of CFX81s is mounted inside, so if there’s an event in the courtyard area, the stereo audio can be played in the cafeteria as well. “In effect, it becomes an indoor-outdoor space,” May explained.
The CFX151 is a powerful loudspeaker that handles up to 700W of program power and features a 15in heavy-duty woofer and 2in titanium high-frequency driver. In addition to delivering clear audio, it employs Renkus-Heinz 90° x 40° Complex Conic Horn technology, which provides constant beam width and directivity. As a result of the loudspeaker’s precise coverage pattern, shows can be loud without a lot of sound spreading out into the neighbourhood.
“As harsh as the winter can be in Syracuse, people still go outside and do things,” observed May. “Those weather-resistant Renkus-Heinz speakers perform 24/7, throughout the year, but they handle the rain, snow, and cold with no problem and always sound terrific.”
