Pacific Coast Entertainment (PCE), live event production company and AV equipment provider in Southern California, recently provided a sound system to the newly opened Irvine, CA's Great Park Live venue, using the powerful Anya ADAPTive loudspeaker from Eastern Acoustic Works. Tom Pappanduros, production manager at PCE, led the installation of the system. Nestled within the park's picturesque setting, the venue has been so well received that the city of Irvine will continue to invest in a permanent amphitheater, set to open in 2027.
“The venue is situated in the middle of neighborhoods,” said Pappanduros of the challenges with the installation. “We needed a sound system with enough control to ensure an excellent audience experience while minimizing sound bleed into the surrounding community. We chose EAW's Anya rig, which proved crucial in meeting these demands.”
The custom EAW sound system consists of 24 Anya boxes, 12 per side, and 24 Otto subwoofers in a centralized cluster. “The combination of these powerful yet precise speakers allowed PCE to modify the sound based on the needs of the variety of events held at Great Park Live,” added Pappanduros. “We’ve worked through about seven different configurations for the low-end, focusing on energy control to maximize the venue’s space while minimizing disruption to nearby homes, and the end result offers the ideal balance.”
EAW’s Anya loudspeaker is a three-way full-range ADAPTive array module that adapts all performance parameters electronically, allowing it to be used in virtually any application. It is extremely powerful and immensely scalable, making it suitable for anything from small venues to the largest amphitheaters, such as Great Park Live. EAW’s Otto ADAPTive subwoofer balances low-frequency coverage with cancellation to suit the user’s requirements of omni, cardioid or hyper-cardioid. Combined in arrays, Otto provides users with nearly endless possibilities in low-frequency pattern control.
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One of the standout features of the Anya system is its ADAPTive Technology. “During one event, city officials noticed higher-than-allowed noise levels in the surrounding neighborhoods," said Pappanduros. "Thanks to the Anya's advanced control features, we quickly reduced the area's effective size from 300 feet to 180 feet, lowering the decibel levels without disturbing the concert experience. Being able to make those on-the-fly adjustments is invaluable. The audience didn’t even notice.”
For PCE, this project has been particularly rewarding. “I've been in the industry for over 30 years and first encountered EAW’s Anya speaker about a decade ago,” concluded Pappanduros. “It left a lasting impression. It’s rare to find a system that combines clarity, headroom and adaptability as seamlessly as Anya and Otto do.”
