One of Singapore’s oldest and most trusted cinema chains, Shaw Brothers cinemas operate in eight locations and offer a range of viewing formats. Shaw Theatres Lido and Shaw Theatres JEM, two of the most popular, have recently upgraded their audio systems.
The chain contacted Goldenduck Asia to select and install new amplifiers to support both locations. Director/Business Leader Lee Chew Kai recommended the LEA Professional Connect Series of 2/4/8-channel amplifiers to serve their immersive audio plans.
‘LEA’s performance and technology offer the best experience to cinema goers,’ he says. ‘Space constraints are also a common challenge in boothless cinema setups, so LEA’s compact footprints are another benefit that helps us significantly reduce rack space without compromising performance.’
Goldenduck installed ning Connect Series 354, 49 Connect Series 704 and 19 Connect Series 1504 amplifiers to serve 19 theatres across both locations.
The CS354 is a 4-channel amplifier with 350 watts per channel, while the 4-channel CS704 offers 700W/channel, and the 4-channel CS1504 provides 1.5kW/channel. All amplifiers in the Connect Series are professional-grade, IoT-enabled smart amplifiers suitable for installations of any size. They support both Hi-Z (70V or 100V) and Lo-Z, selectable by channel, eliminating the need for separate amplifiers to handle different speaker impedances, while streamlining installations and reducing equipment costs. The Connect Series also includes 96kHz DSP as a standard feature, providing a range of benefits that greatly enhance audio performance and system versatility.
Goldenduck’s team used LEA SharkWare software to configure a base profile and push it to all pre-staged LEA amplifiers. SharkWare includes amplifier grouping, offline design, granular user access control levels, locked speaker tunings, and a graphical EQ. SharkWare also allows users to monitor the status of every amplifier connected to the network, as well as the status and performance of individual channels. With LEA Cloud, Goldenduck can remotely control and monitor amplifiers from anywhere, at any time.
WebUI functions as a simple on-site control interface, offering integrators and end-users an easy-to-use platform to view and adjust channel settings, ranging from load monitoring to EQ adjustments, through any standard web browser. For A/V companies like Goldenduck, WebUI streamlines on-the-spot testing and modifications, enabling efficient system setup and fine-tuning during system installation.
Since upgrading to LEA amplifiers, audiences have enjoyed enhanced sound quality with clearer, more immersive audio at every screening. ‘Our audiences expect the best, and LEA Connect Series delivers exactly that – advanced performance and rock-solid reliability that keep every theatre sounding flawless,’ says Terence Heng, VP of Innovation at Shaw Theatres. ‘It was the clear choice for elevating audio across our cinemas.’