Alcons Audio is making a strong impact in the French city of Orléans, where its pro-ribbon sound systems have now been installed in the Arena du CO’Met.
The multi-purpose Arena du CO’Met is part of the Centre Orléans Métropole, a complex of three major venues on the edge of the city. Comprising the arena, an exhibition centre and a convention centre, the venues are located on the banks of the River Loire and form a striking impression for travellers entering Orléans from the south.
The arena is designed to host live music and indoor sports, including athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, gymnastics, handball, judo and volleyball, with Orléans Loiret Basket its resident team. Featuring a balcony and up to 10,000 seats in modular blocks, Alcons Audio’s French distributor Audiolead proved that the LR15 ultra-compact pro-ribbon line-array was the right choice to deliver the high quality audio experience demanded by the city.
‘Orléans Métropole and Orleans City Council wanted a sound and video installation which would match American standards,’ says Audiolead’s Bruno Ghidionesco. ‘The sound system had to deliver sound pressure, seamless coverage and intelligibility which would ensure every seat in the arena enjoyed the best sound.’
Jimmy Bonnaud of Poitiers-based A/V consultant MTCE Consulting was asked to invite systems integrators to submit acoustic simulations and costings for the project, while Audiolead organised listening tests of a range of sound reinforcement systems for MTCE and the city council’s technical teams.
‘While some proposals offered lower cost options, several did not reach the required performance level for the room in all configurations,’ he says. ‘The listening tests and acoustic simulations showed that the new Alcons LR15 would deliver all the qualities that were asked for.’
The installed system comprises six flown arrays to cover the audience seating and balconies, each comprising eight LR15/90 or nine LR15/120 ultra-compact double 6.5-inch line-array and two LR15B ultra-compact 15-inch line-array bass modules, plus six BF362 mkII high output double 18-inc subwoofers suspended around the centre cube.
Four VR12 12-inch pro-ribbon monitors provide fill in the top audience corners, while two more arrays, each of three LR15/90, cover the central play area. The system is managed by nine Sentinel10 4x 2.5kW amplified loudspeaker controllers and can be reconfigured according to the demands of each event, including changing the height of the flown arrays.
The installation was overseen by MTCE Consulting’s Kevin Bonnaud, with system commissioning by Jean-Marie Hervet and Gilles Thébault of Bourgueil-based AGT.
‘We have worked with Alcons for over 16 years and knew that the new LR15 would be the perfect solution for such a venue where the highest sound quality was demanded,’ Ghidionesco says. ‘However, those unfamiliar with the company’s pro-ribbon solutions were surprised at how good it sounds; These included the Orléans Métropole staff and a number of sound engineers, including the Harlem Globetrotters’ Donny Thomas. They were very impressed by its compactness and the quality of every musical source we put through the system.’
‘The customer is completely satisfied that they have made the right choice. Like us, they believe that the LR15 pro-ribbon system makes it the best equipped arena in France.’