The Hongcheon Culture and Arts Centre serves the South Korean city of Hongcheon-gun. Opened in 1995 the Centre comprises a theatre, small auditorium and exhibition space, and stages a wide range of events including concerts, plays, musical theatre, lectures and presentations. The Centre recently decided to upgrade the audio provision in its 500-seater theatre and engaged Seoul-based specialist Soundus to install a state-of-the-art CODA Audio system to meet the brief. Established in 1994, Soundus imports and distributes world-class audio equipment as well as offering audio-related solutions including system design, installation and tuning.

A CODA Audio CiRAY system was chosen for the venue, designed by Soundus Sales Manager Beomki Jo: “The Hongcheon Arts Centre is a multipurpose venue that stages a wide variety of events, so the solution needed to cater for everything from music performances to speeches. We decided that CiRAY with its 10-inch driver offered the most suitable solution, offering the high output of a large system with the flexibility of a compact system. This met the venue’s demands for a flexible, competitive, high-quality solution.”

The design utilised CODA’s proprietary state-of-the-art prediction software, System Optimiser, to determine the installation points and angles between the line array loudspeakers with 3D simulations created using AFMG EASE 4.4. The main flown system comprised 16 CiRAY units (8 per side) with 4 SCV-F compact 18” sensor controlled subwoofers (2 per side). The structure and layout of the space was such that the maximum height for mounting the arrays was significantly lower than the balcony, so Soundus deployed 4 x HOPS8i (8” High Output Point Source) mounted on the auditorium ceiling to ensure complete coverage of those seats. A further 2 x HOPS8i and 2 x HOPS12i were wall-mounted to provide onstage side-fill monitoring, with 2 x portable CUE TWO compact 3-way stage monitors for floor monitoring.

Beomki Jo added, “The choice of system for the Hongcheon Arts Centre project was based on evaluations made by the Centre’s representatives during loudspeaker demonstrations. Since the completion of the installation, they have expressed great satisfaction with the sound quality and performance.”

Paul Ward, Director of Global Business Development for CODA Audio concluded, “Soundus has done great work in Korea as our valued distributor for many years, ensuring that the brand is professionally supported and utilised in the best projects. The choice of CiRAY for this venue is a good example of the great flexibility it offers across such a wide range of installation and touring applications.”

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