The award-winning and newly reopened Stuttgarter Schauspielhaus offers a good listening experience in all of its 670 seats, thanks to a new sound system from Alcons Audio.
Considered one of the most innovative theatres in the German-speaking countries, the Stuttgarter Schauspielhaus, along with the Stuttgart Opera and the Stuttgart Ballet, is part of the largest three-section theatre (“Drei-Sparten-Theater”) in Europe. Before 2001 the Schauspielhaus was known as the Kleine Haus; it was rebuilt from 1959 to 1962 after its destruction in World War II, and has been renovated in two phases in recent years .
Frank Bürger, head of the audio and video department of the theatre, explained the decision for an Alcons system: “From a natural, balanced sound for unobtrusive theatre reinforcement to a powerful sound for modern productions and concerts a versatile system was required. In comparison tests, the Alcons components excelled by far.”
Thomann Audio Professional, as technical service provider involved in the project, installed the system during the first restructuring phase of the Schauspielhaus. Carsten Land, project engineer professional audio at Thomann, explained the requirements of the theatre that were to be met by the new sound system: “Compactness was clearly one of the main requirements – and the LR7 is one of the most compact line arrays on the market.”
Frank Bürger added: “The compact size of the system, of course, is really an advantage for us; as permanent installation, it integrates excellently in the spatial conditions of the Schauspielhaus. The steeply rising auditorium is optimally covered by the Alcons line array, whereby the aural impression of the sound is homogeneous in almost every seat. The natural clarity and open, yet punchy sound offers a lot of pleasure when using the system.”
Highlighting the versatility of the system, Land said:” The LR7 is by its sound characteristics particularly well suited for a theatrical environment, even when more modern productions from the genres of musical or pop are staged.”
The main system of the Schauspielhaus consists of eight LR7 micro line array (4in pro-ribbon, 6.5in woofer) and two LR7B, micro line array bass on each side, left and right. Four LR7-120 micro line array cabinets operate as the centre cluster. Two VR12 monitors (6in Pro-Ribbon, 12in woofer) are used for downfall, and two BF362i (2 x 18in) subwoofers are used as low-frequency elements. The system is driven by ALC2 and ALC4 (2 x 1kW, 2 x 2kW) Amplified Loudspeaker Controllers with DDP (Digital Drive Processor).
The Alcons LR7 a is a passive two-way loudspeaker system, based on Alcons’ patented pro-ribbon transducer technology. Ultra-compact and ultra-light, it is nevertheless a true line array system that can be used as a vertical as well as horizontal array. Besides in fixed installations, also mobile use is possible. Like all Alcons systems, the LR7 offers an uncompressed, high-performance and uncolored sound, with exceptional speech intelligibility, precise pattern control and a high direct sound at large distances.
