One of America’s most beloved historic cinemas, the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, has installed a custom Alcons Audio cinema sound system, with the support of cinema specialist and integrator Kinora and system design recommendations from industry veteran Bill Steel of Hollywood’s Post 43.
Opened in 1929, the Music Box Theatre is renowned for its architecture, extensive film programming and dedication to preserving the authentic cinema experience. As part of an ambitious audio upgrade, the venue sought a solution capable of delivering contemporary performance while respecting the architectural and acoustic constraints of the historic building.
‘The Music Box team was looking for a premium cinema audio solution that would seamlessly integrate within the historic architecture while significantly improving coverage, dialogue intelligibility and overall audience experience,’ explains Justin Dennis of Kinora. ‘At the same time, the system needed to overcome the acoustic challenges typically associated with heritage venues.’
The theatre’s new system features a front-stage configuration consisting of two Alcons CRA24N/90bi and one CRA24W/120bi pro-ribbon screen systems for the centre channel, complemented by LR channel arrays comprising four QR24 line-source columns with QB242 low-frequency extension. Low-frequency reproduction is provided by two CB362 high-output double 18-inch subwoofers, powered and managed by a combination of Sentinel10 and Director6 amplified loudspeaker controllers.
To maintain the visual integrity of the theatre’s interior, all left and right loudspeakers were custom colour matched to blend into the architecture, ensuring minimal visual impact while delivering optimum sonic performance. The subwoofers and CRA cluster live in a centre channel alcove behind the projection screen.
The project presented a variety of technical challenges. The room’s historic construction, demanding acoustics, and the physical placement constraints created by architectural elements – including the theatre’s iconic organ – required precise pattern control and highly accurate system deployment.
Alcons’ proprietary pro-ribbon technology and controlled directivity characteristics proved particularly valuable in addressing these challenges. By focusing sound energy precisely where it was needed and minimising unwanted reflections, the system achieved exceptional clarity and consistency throughout the auditorium.
For Music Box Theatre Technical Director Julian Antos, the results have exceeded expectations: ‘Alcons worked with us to come up with a system that could present state-of-the-art sound in our historic – and historically acoustically challenging – theatre while also working seamlessly with the architecture.’
‘The system reproduces the wide variety of soundtracks we play beautifully and accurately, from sweeping 70mm epics, to blockbusters, to films recorded at the very dawn of sound. We’re particularly thrilled with the system’s handling of older mono optical soundtracks, delivering clear, warm, and intelligible audio.
‘Installing an Alcons system put an end to complaints about dialog intelligibility and listener fatigue, and was one of the best investments we’ve ever made in our theatre.’