A recent renovation of the 2,700-seat main worship center at Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL included a new sound reinforcement system implemented by Blackhawk Audio that utilizes Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) ADAPTive components, including Anya and Anna loudspeakers and Otto Subwoofers.
“One of the biggest selling points of the EAW ADAPTive speaker system was that in addition to its audio quality and excellent coverage, it also was low profile and would not visually overwhelm the sanctuary,” Rick Shimer, president of Blackhawk Audio, which is based in White House, TN, just outside of Nashville. “The previous look of the sanctuary had a very large ‘speaker cluster’ with grille cloth. Ensuring that the PA system was less obtrusive while also offering pristine sound was a main factor for this project; they wanted a particular look and we are able to achieve this using EAW’s Anya, Anna and Otto.”
The upgrade, which incorporates more than 30 EAW loudspeakers, includes two Anya enclosures each for far house left and far house right, six Anna ca inets each for house left and right, two more Anna for down fills, and six Otto subs in the center. Meanwhile, eight EAW VFR89i passive two-way stage monitors were also implemented for the choir.
“The EAW ADAPTive platform has proven to be the best choice for sonic clarity and acoustical control across our worship center,” explains Ryan Maynard, production manager, Shades Mountain Baptist Church. “Blackhawk’s design and deployment of the system has given equal attention to all seats in the room, so that everyone has an engaging experience, no matter their preference of seating location. For a system this powerful and configurable to fit within the confines of the new ceiling structure is quite an accomplishment.”