White range loudspeakers find discreet homes in historic academic architecture in London and Oxford, writes Dave Robinson
SUCCESSFUL, sympathetic installations of sound reinforcement systems can be a hard trick to pull off when you are faced with buildings of architectural and historical value that also need to prove their worth as revenue generators. Two of the UK’s most prestigious centres of
education found themselves in exactly that situation and, quite independently of each other, arrived at the same solution. The Dining Hall in Exeter College at Oxford University dates from 1618 and is a Jacobean masterpiece of vaulted oak beams and tiered stained glass windows while in London,
the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has been located at Lincoln’s Inn Fields since 1797. Like many similar institutions around the country, venue hire for conferences, weddings and so on have become a vital revenue stream in what can often be an extremely competitive market. Providing the right audio
The new system at Exeter College had to work for both music and speech…
equipment for a customer as well as maintaining a top of the range educational facility, is an important factor. When both institutions
looked to upgrade their existing sound systems, both decided to go with d&b audiotechnik’s new White range of loudspeakers. London’s Orbital Sound advised on the RCS project, while Lancashire’s Wigwam Acoustics was approached by Exeter College’s Steward, Phillip Munday, to carry out the task. “Phillip came to us with quite a clear brief of what was required,” reveals Wigwam’s installation manager, Tim Mortimer. Assured quality was high on the agenda, Munday told them, as well as the need to keep the speakers as discreet as possible. “Phillip knew the system had to work for both music and speech but he wanted any emphasis to be on the spoken word as that forms the main requirement of the PA. After that, he left the choice and design of the system up to us.” Following a pre-installation site survey, Wigwam chose to install a system of ultra- compact 4S cabinets from the d&b xS-Series. Each is only 15cm in height and weighs less than a kilo, but they can still deliver: “Clients are always amazed at the power hiding inside such a tiny frame.” Since completing this job for the College, Mortimer adds, Wigwam has been approached to upgrade the system in the College Chapel. “Mind you, it was only built in 1859 so compared to the Dining Hall it is positively modern!” About 60 miles away in London, the Royal College of Surgeons has become one of London’s most sought after event venues. It is able to offer four venues for hire, the largest of which is the Edward Lumley Hall, a rectangular room with a ceiling height of seven metres, polished wood flooring and
…While aesthetics was a key concern at the RCS
magnificent oak panelling on all the walls. Tom Byrne, Orbital Sound’s sales director, was the RCS’s contact. “The RCS approached us because we are relatively local and they knew we used d&b products. Like a lot of first time d&b clients, the college specified a loudspeaker system that was way, way bigger than they needed and the final system that we designed came well within budget; for example, the amplifiers with built-in delay helped save on extra outboard equipment costings.” Just as up the road in Oxford, the aesthetics were an important factor but being able to colour match the speakers with the wood panelling kept everything unobtrusive and inconspicuous. Just as requested, these were loudspeakers that might not be seen but could definitely be heard, as Byrne explains: “They were more than happy with the diminutive size of White range loudspeakers but even more surprised at the way they delivered in the face of the very reverberant acoustics in the room.”
Both these installations, from
different suppliers in different parts of the UK came in on time and on budget, report Wigman and Orbital. Were there any problems to overcome? “It took us a while to explain that, although the loudspeakers were called the White range, they didn’t in fact have to be white,” responds Mortimer. “They could be almost any colour they wanted.” n www.dbaudio.comwww.orbitalsound.co.ukwww.wigwam.co.uk