Harman Pro rolls out SR at PVC blu0 Bowling
Published: ASIA
INDIA: The management at PVR blu0 Rhythm and Bowl recently approached Harman India to supply a sound reinforcement solution for its newest ‘ultra-modern’ bowling complex in Chandigarh, India. Harman subsequently enlisted New Delhi-based systems integrator, Resonance Audio to design, install, and programme the new system, which encountered several coverage issues prevalent with such a large open area.
The new entertainment concept bills itself as India’s largest bowling centre. A decidedly modern complex, it offers far more than just its 25 bowling lanes, providing world cuisine, karaoke rooms, and music from intentional DJs. Its lounges, adorned with ‘rippling wave’ lighting, are the scene of regular Bollywood celebrity sightings, and so sound system installed into the venue really needed to hold its own.
‘As a destination, PVR bluO epitomises a new bowling facility standard due to its capability to infuse energy and excitement through sound,’ said Karan Kathuria, sales manager for Installed Sound, Harman India. ‘When Harman was approached by the management of PVR, we knew our goal was to ensure the necessary blend of quality acoustics to match the aesthetics of the venue.’
Resonance Audio opted for a JBL speaker complement of four STX 815M two-way 15-inch loudspeakers, four STX 818S 18-inch subwoofers, two Control 28s loudspeakers, and a SB210 dual 10-inch compact subwoofer. Six Control 29AV’s featuring a rotatable high-frequency horn provide directional sound covering the venue.
Audio signal processing and distribution is handled by a BSS Audio Blu-100 signal processor with digital audio bus, BSS Blu-Bob break out box output expander, and a Soundcraft EPM-6 mixing console. The Blu-100 and EPM-6 desk combined enable the system to deliver zoned volume levels throughout the building. Crown amplifiers, including one XTi 4002, one XLS 2500 and three XTi 6002’s drive the loudspeakers, whilst Resonance also supplied four AKG HT-45 wireless microphones for paging and announcements, karaoke and visiting DJs.
With a lot of ground to cover, one of the trickiest challenges was providing even low frequency coverage across the vast open space, without creating unreasonably high SPLs in and around the speaker enclosures. Overall however, the system was designed to maintain a high signal-to-noise ratio and have enough headroom to prevent clipping.
‘Our primary needs for this installation were good speech intelligibility and very high SPL levels with uniform low-frequency distribution and exceptional audio reproduction throughout the facility,’ said Raghu Srinivasan, MD at Resonance Audio. ‘We had a lot of ground to cover – the bowling alley itself, the lounges, the bar and restaurant and other areas, and we selected the particular JBL loudspeaker models on an application-specific basis to best cover the areas in which they were installed, and because their form factors made it easy to place them where they would not intrude upon bluO’s decor.’
As there would be no full-time staff member appointed to take care of the system, a solution that could be managed regardless of technical proficiency was a must.
‘This project needed a system that staff members can easily operate without having to rely on a dedicated audio person,’ added Mr Srinivasan. ‘For this reason, and because it’s constantly in use delivering high SPL on a regular basis, the audio system has to be totally reliable and foolproof. We have relied on Harman Professional products in all of our large-scale installations for years, and our belief in their capabilities has only been strengthened with time.’
‘This project was a major success, and we now have an amazing audio experience with a system that is both clear and powerful,’ stated Bhanu Yadav, VP of Operations for PVR blu0.