AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS—Jun 25, 2007
Studio Berar Upgrades Audio System at the Great Hall of Sava Center in Belgrade with Products From JBL Professional and Crown
Demonstrating the capabilities of the Harman Pro Group to provide complete audio solutions for the world’s most prestigious venues, Studio Berar has installed JBL Professional cinema loudspeakers, processing from dbx and amplifiers from Crown International as part of a retrofit at the Great Hall of the Sava Center in Belgrade, Serbia.
For many years the Great Hall of Sava Center has been a host to various events, from concerts and theater performances to movie premieres. With nearly 3,700 seats, of which 2,300 are on the main floor and 1,400 on the balcony, it is considered one of the largest multifunctional halls in Europe and one of the greatest movie theaters in the world. The Hall is equipped with flexible acoustics that adjust to the needs of movies or live performances through positioning of hanging lamella.
Because of the Hall’s multipurpose functionality, Studio Berar faced the challenge of covering the auditorium with sound systems placed behind the screen (left, right and center screen channels and subwoofer channel) as well as designing the system for reproduction of surround effects in the Hall. Additionally, with the diversity of programs presented at the venue and technical requirements for implementation, the Sava Center needed the audio system behind the screen to be easily reconfigurable, and for certain components of the audio system to be used for other events.
The audio system for reproduction of movie sound consists of five dbx 260 loudspeaker processors, with 17 Crown CTs power amplifiers, and three JBL 5674 three-way screen channel loudspeaker systems (in a left/center/right configuration). The sidewalls of the hall are equipped with 40 JBL 8430A high power cinema surround loudspeaker systems for surround effects. Additionally, eight JBL 4642A dual 18-inch subwoofers provide low frequency sound reinforcement.
The initial phase of planning was assigned to the Belgrade Faculty of Electrotechnics – Laboratory for Electroacoustics. The faculty, with its associates, provided the original system design. The recommendations were related to the sound system positioning behind the screen, and especially to positioning and fine-tuning of surround sound systems on side and back walls. The width of the hall demanded setup of double-row surround sound systems in order to cover the center of the hall. The solution is a result of the analysis of surround channel coverage with support of adequate software modeling.
Commenting on the installation, Stephen Morris, Vice President Cinema Sales & Marketing, Harman Pro Group noted, “The Sava Center is a remarkable theater that provides the moviegoers of Belgrade with a compelling, immersive experience comparable to the most prestigious and iconic cinemas anywhere in the world. This is in no small part due to the excellent sound system that was designed and installed by Studio Berar and the Belgrade Faculty of Electrotechnics. We are very pleased and proud that components from JBL Professional and Crown contribute to this great-sounding cinema!”.
