The Wolf Performance Hall is a concert hall, theater, and meeting facility in downtown London, Ontario, located within the London Public Library. A fully accessible 369-seat theater and cultural hub, Wolf Performance Hall’s tiered seating, sightlines and acoustics make it one of the city’s most sought-after venues for performers and audience members alike. The venue recently upgraded to a full EM Acoustics sound solution, installed by local integrators, Armor Pro in collaboration with OCTAV Integrated Design and Contact Distribution.
“The venue required a system that would provide even SPL coverage front to back without obstructing sight lines. Due to the multi-use nature of the venue, a left-center-right configuration with a center cluster dedicated to lecture and movie applications was also part of the initial brief,” explained Vaino Gennaro of Contact Distribution who was responsible for specifying the system. “EM Acoustics was chosen because of the precise tonal balance and coherent sound signature between all the different models in the product line.”
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EM Acoustics’ flagship Reference series loudspeakers were chosen as the foundations of the system, with EM R12s installed in the left, center and right positions, with the center further reinforced by one R8. EMS-81s and EMS-51s were installed for outfill and frontfill, and in the FOH sound booth. The EM Acoustics system was completed by EM DQ20 amplifiers, offering extremely high-power density in a convenient and flexible format.
“Through the collaboration of EM Acoustics, Contact Distribution, OCTAV Integrated Design and ourselves at Armor Pro, we successfully installed a high-quality system on time, on budget and to design specification,” explained Derrick Beckford at Armor Pro Audio Visual. “EM Acoustics, not only delivered products on time, during a time of significant supply chain issues and delays, but their loudspeakers offer such physical and sonic quality to meet the ever-evolving requirements for sound reproduction in today's market.”
Response to the new system has been extremely positive since its installation, with recent events such as TD Sunfest Canada concerts, Sean McCann, Banff Centre Mountain Film, and Book Festival World Tour showcasing the adaptability and reliable performance of the EM Acoustics solution. “When I heard the EM Acoustics rig, I was impressed by the linear response,” recalled Daniel Gregwah, a freelance audio engineer who recently worked on a performance with Larnell Lewis and Joy Lapps at the venue. “The tuning and alignment were excellent—it was the best mix I have ever done in a booth.
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The in-house team at Wolf Performance Hall echo these sentiments: “The coverage throughout the hall is significantly improved,” explains Ben Rudland, AV technician at Wolf Performance Hall. “Each seat is covered perfectly—it’s a world of difference.”
“We’re proud to have been a part of the Wolf Performance Hall project and bring the quality and performance of EM Acoustics to important cultural venues such as this,” reflected Vaino. “Not only are their loudspeakers sonically excellent but EM Acoustics as a manufacturer are dependable and reliable. They’re great to work with.”
