San Giovanni dei Fiorentini is a famous church in Rome dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Completed in the eighteenth century, its unique floor plan consists of three naves lined with arched pillars, five side chapels and three apses with high vaulted domes. Although beautifully decorated, this layout creates a distinct separation of areas within the cathedral and as a consequence creates, in terms of acoustics, spatial unevenness with some areas well-covered by the sound source leaving other sections obstructed.
Additionally, reflections from the domed ceilings and an ample level of reverberation from the marble and concrete within the cathedral significantly compromise the level and clarity of sound and the intelligibility of speech. So when sound designers Exhibo were asked to provide an audio solution to address these issues they were posed with quite a challenge.
The Italian distributors looked no farther than fellow compatriots K-array, implementing four white KK102 Kobra loudspeakers for the nave and three white KK52 half-meter Kobra loudspeakers throughout the aisles and as a monitor for the sanctuary, all powered by a 4-channel KA24 amplifier.
With a solid stainless steel body frame that is ultra-thin and elegant, the Kobra was the ideal choice for Exhibo. Composed of sixteen transducers with 2″ neodymium magnets, the passive speaker is capable of wide horizontal or narrow vertical to create a true 3D line arrays.
Two of the loudspeakers were placed on the pillars of the apse facing the aisle with their focus on the first rows of pews, while the other two Kobras were placed on the pillars 20 meters farther out reaching the last row of seats. The left and right side of the pillars were each reinforced with a half-meter Kobra and the third KK52W Kobra was installed inside the apse for monitoring – all customised in white to effortlessly integrate with the church.
Exhibo utilized the 4 fully-independent and configurable channels featured on the KA24 amplifier to divide the area into 4 independent zones and manage them individually. The configuration ensures a very uniform SPL on the listening area, making clients extremely happy.
Info: www.k-array.com