Named after the patron saint of the port city of Incheon in South Korea, Maris Stella is a comprehensive senior care facility established in 2013 by the Catholic Foundation – the first of its kind in the country. It offers social and cultural events, lectures, film screenings, live performances plus daily Mass in a dedicated 400-seat auditorium. A decade on from its initial construction, a recent upgrade to the audio system in the hall has improved both quality and intelligibility of sound using a pair of ESR106 active column loudspeakers installed by KV2 distributor, Daon SD.

Audio Control CEO Noh and the church’s head priest had several factors to consider when selecting a new system for the hall. The previous system relied on multiple full-range loudspeakers distributed throughout the space. In addition to being visually intrusive, both coverage and sound quality left much to be desired, particularly in terms of vocal intelligibility.

Following demonstrations of KV2 systems by Daon SD, it was the demo of the EX Series that proved decisive –although ultimately, it was the ESR106 active column array system that was chosen for installation. Mounted to the left and right of the stage, this proved the best fit for auditorium where the restricted ceiling height compared to the depth of the room was something of a challenge.

‘In an ideal world, we’d have raised the installation height slightly to ensure optimum coverage for both the front and back rows, but the configuration of the room didn’t allow us to do that,’ recalls Daon SD’s John Park. ‘However, once we turned the loudspeakers on, all our concerns were forgotten. Crystal clear sound filled the room from front to back. The clarity and intelligibility – even at seats 25m away from the stage – are in a different league to the previous system. It’s hard to believe that this is possible from just two enclosures.

‘We were delighted when the head priest and the rest of the clerical stuff reported back to us in the weeks following the installation that both engagement and concentration during the services had improved significantly, making the celebrations more meaningful and enjoyable for all.’