Wuxi Normal Concert Hall is Anything But Typical

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June 10, 2015

Jiangsu Province, China | June, 2015 – Founded in 1911 as Jiangsu Province Third Normal School, Wuxi Higher Normal School has a storied reputation as one of the province’s oldest and most respected institutes of higher education. As it marks its second century, the school’s burgeoning campus has grown to become the region’s largest. It is home to some of the area’s finest cultural and sporting facilities, including its acclaimed Concert Hall, which hosts a regular calendar of symphonies, orchestral concerts, theatrical performances, as well as meetings and other public events.

The 446-seat auditorium boasts a uniquely circular footprint some 1100 feet (340 meters) in diameter, with a natural wood interior that creates a wonderfully natural reverberance that nicely complements the Concert Hall’s musical events. That same ambience also creates challenges for plays, meetings, and other spoken word presentations, where vocal intelligibility can fall victim to the abundance of echoes.

Called upon to provide a solution to the hall’s sonic challenges, pro audio specialists CAH Professional Sound prescribed a sound system based upon Renkus-Heinz CF Series loudspeakers. The main system comprises left and right arrays of CF101LA-5 line array loudspeakers, with each four-cabinet array running as a mono system to cover half the hall. Each array is topped with a pair of CFX12S subwoofers to provide low frequency reinforcement. Six Renkus-Heinz TRX61 two-way loudspeakers, mounted on the stage lip, provide front fill duties.

Onstage monitoring is handled by four TRX121 cabinets, as well as a pair of CF61-2 cabinets. QSC amplification powers the system, while a Rane RPM88 handles system processing, offering a user-friendly operation for the wide range of students and professionals operating the system.

CAH reports that the new system has met with high praise from Concert Hall staff and patrons alike, including a number of glowing reviews of recent productions in the venue. With better sound drawing more patrons to the hall, Wuxi Normal Concert Hall is ready for its next 100 years.