Thammasat University is one of Bangkok’s oldest institutions of higher learning. Renkus-Heinz speakers have been chosen to provide sound at the lecture theatre which is located at the university’s Rangsit campus.
The multi-purpose lecture theatre measures more than 6,000 square feet and has a sloped seating configuration that rises from the stage to the rear of the auditorium. The previously installed line-array system, deployed in 2010, had failed to adequately serve the space. Patiyuth Gludnim from Vichai Trading 1983 said: "The existing loudspeaker system had problems with speech clarity. There were uneven sound pressure levels and coverage problems."
Vichai Trading 1983 proposed the Renkus-Heinz Iconyx, with two IC16-RN columns mounted at either side of the lecture theater's stage to augment the existing line array. K.K. Tan, Renkus-Heinz application engineer, said: “The primary purpose of the IC16-RN columns was for the all-important speech intelligibility during lectures, while the existing line array would be used for music playback."
But even with the additional loudspeakers, the venue was hard to tame, particularly when it came to the rear seating. Tan continues: “There simply wasn't enough SPL in the room for a hall of this size when we used traditional multi-beam coverage, so instead we decided to try our new UniBeam format."
RHAON software was used to set the IC16-RN to UniBeam (Universal Beam) mode. Unibeam counters the limitations of traditional point source enclosures, in which optimal coverage is achieved with a trade-off between distance and accuracy. In contrast, UniBeam makes it possible to deliver ‘half horn’ coverage, with digital beam steering allowing the user to shape their ideal coverage pattern.
Gludnim concludes: "Using UniBeam means that there's no undue stress on the system, while the lecture theatre now benefits from consistent and clear speech, right to the back of the hall."