Colorado College Chapel Installation Sums Up Tectonic DML Loudspeaker Advantages
Colorado Springs, CO based AV company Sight + Sound Technologies recently installed a five-panel PL-11 Distributed Mode Loudspeaker (DML) system in Shove Memorial Chapel at Colorado College. The process from live demo to final installation relied on virtually every unique capability that Tectonic panels provide.
The design mandate was to provide a speaker system that was highly intelligible, feedback resistant, providing equal frequency and volume coverage to all areas of the space and respectful of the architecture. The chapel is a natural stone construction in the traditional design of gothic cathedrals; with an arching ceiling, long and narrow nave and fairly wide perpendicular transepts. The resulting acoustics characteristics are highly reverberant.
The Tectonic advantage started with the ability to demonstrate the speakers on-site. After a preliminary walk-through, Tectonic’s demo team rolled in two 25’ lifts and placed a pair of PL-11s very nearly to their eventual positions to prove-out the concept and perform real-time listening tests. The Tectonic DML method of propagating audio performed very well in this large and reverberant space.
“Tectonic PL-Series loudspeakers utilize non-point source DML technology to overcome perennial issue of sound reinforcement in such difficult spaces”, explains Marcelo Vercelli – Tectonic Applications Engineer. “DML audio propagation is extremely wide in coverage, non-destructive when interacting with reflective surfaces, extremely low distortion and very feedback resistant. The DMLs operate from ~70Hz to 6kHz, with no cross-over, and nearly immeasurable odd-order harmonic distortion. This capability makes the Tectonic panels highly intelligible and perform extremely well in large reverberant spaces.”
With proof of system performance, Tectonic was able to provide color-matched powder coated PL-11 panels, a location guide and recommend standard VESA mounting solutions.
Sight + Sound Technologies mounted two PL-11s in a horizontal orientation at the front of the chancel, two PL-11s in a vertical orientation 1/3 of the way into the nave and a single horizontal PL-11 facing rearward into the apse. All Tectonic panels were mounted with standard VESA 400mm x 400mm hardware.
Together, Sight + Sound and Tectonic were able to solve a complex audio design, starting with a zero-impact audio demonstration, and provide a solution that met all audio and architectural requirements. “The demo sealed the deal for the client”, says Sight + Sound CEO Kris Johnson. “When we got the demo speakers in we realized the wide coverage pattern covered the areas very well. In fact we were able to reduce the total number of speakers needed.”
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