060 REPORT
GERARD BECHAR CENTER
Company: Meyer Sound Location: Jerusalem, Israel
The recent upgrade to a Meyer Sound UltraSeries loudspeaker system transformed Jerusalem’s Gerard Bechar Center into a prime multipurpose venue to support its wide-ranging calendar of performances and community events. “The old system was barely adequate for lectures,” said Harel Tabibi, the Jeru- salem-based independent audio consultant who designed the system. “For most performances, they had to hire outside sound companies to bring in equipment for the show. It was a situation that was not economically viable and often involved compromises in sound quality.”
Since installation, the Meyer Sound loudspeakers have ably supported everything from community meetings and dance recitals to live theatre and rock concerts. “After a theatre show and eight concert performances using the new system, the comments from artists and sound engineers have been overwhelmingly positive,” reported Tabibi. “Some have even called it one of the best systems now operating in Israel.”
The primary left / right coverage of the auditorium is supplied by six UPA-2P loud- speakers, with four loudspeakers covering the main floor and two for the balcony. A pair of UPA-1P loudspeakers anchors the center, while eight diminutive UPM-1P loudspeakers serve as rear balcony delays and fills at stage front, balcony side, and floor corner. Persuasive bass comes from dual 600-HP subwoofers, with drive and optimisation supplied by a Galileo loudspeaker management system with one Galileo 616 processor.
www.mondodr.com
Installation was complicated by a requirement that the main floor loudspeakers be housed in alcoves recessed in the brick walls at the proscenium sides. “We did not want to take up stage space or block the stairs leading up to the stage from the audience,” stated Tabibi. “Fortunately, the fact that the Meyer Sound speakers are self-powered was very helpful, as it saved us from installing extra amplifiers and speaker wiring.”
For Israel Ben-Simon, Technical Director at the Gerard Bechar Center, the change was welcome and long overdue. “It sounds great,” he said. “After 20 years of work- ing here I’m finally getting compliments on sound from the audience and performers. It’s a real pleasure.”
Funding for the audio renovations was provided by the Jerusalem Foundation. Proj- ect manager on behalf of the foundation was Haim Barimboim. The Meyer Sound system was supplied and installed by Barkai Benny Brookstein, Ltd. of Ramat-Gan, Israel.
In addition to the main auditorium and a smaller, 200-seat performance space, the Gerard Bechar Center also includes art galleries and studios as well as the Jerusa- lem Municipality’s central library. Originally known as the Beit Ha’am, the building complex housed the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann shortly after it opened in 1961. After the trial, the Bechar family donated funds to create a centre for the arts, naming it in honour of their son, a victim of the Holocaust.
www.meyersound.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148