The Historic Eichelberger Theater Upgrades with a New 1 SOUND Audio System

The 700-seat historic Eichelberger Performing Arts Center in Hanover, Pennsylvania recently renovated its theater and upgraded its permanent audio system. After hearing through word of mouth about the new 1 SOUND system in the Levoy Theater, a theater similar in size and touring performers, Fitch Electronics who was contracted for the audio renovation at Eichelberger contacted 1 SOUND for a demonstration.

1 SOUND brought the proposed loudspeakers to the Theater for a demonstration with the team of Fitch Electronics and the Director of Eichelberger Performing Arts Center. The client heard the premium audio quality from the loudspeakers, felt that they worked aesthetically in the space, felt assured in the brand’s support, and quickly understood the quality of this investment.

The Eichelberger building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered worthy of preservation so it was important for the installation of the loudspeakers to not be intrusive to the space. Fitch Electronics installed two of 1 SOUND’s new Contour CT212 as the main left and right on the orchestra level for 450 seats. The Contour CT212 is a 3-way point source with controlled directivity, a long throw, and a max SPL of 145 dB. The CT212 has an intimate sound at lower volumes and an unprecedented clarity and lack of distortion at high SPL, especially for a loudspeaker of its size, making it the perfect loudspeaker for this application where there can be a theater play or a touring rock band on the system.

To support the balcony level of 250 seats two Contour CT28s were mounted with their Wall Bracket accessory. For bass two SUB215s were hung in the center of the hall above the proscenium. To rig the subwoofers in the air, M8 eye bolts were screwed into their rigging points at the top of the subwoofer and used to hang the subs in combination with custom hanging hardware made by 1 SOUND. The SUB215 is 1 SOUND’s newest subwoofer that is a compact, deep, and punchy sub with two 15-inch tetracoil technology drivers. This sub can reach a max SPL of 140 dB and is less than 18” wide or tall. For extra support in the first rows, Fitch Electronics specified five Panorama MS34s as the front fills on stage. The Panorama MS34s were deployed in 1 SOUND’s Mono + Stereo mode utilizing their proprietary M+S Controller interface, maintaining the stereo image in the seats next to the stage. The MS34s were all ran on one wire across the lip of the stage. Three full-range Cannon C8s were mounted to the ceiling using their C-Clamp accessory for under-balcony audio support.

Lou Mannarino, the Audio Designer and CEO of 1 SOUND, visited Eichelberger after the installation and did the system optimization for the venue.