With Christmas fast approaching, the congregation of First Baptist Church was
excited about upcoming holiday concerts featuring Grammy and Dove Award-
winning artist Jason Crabb and the church’s own Celebration Choir and Orchestra.
Much less exciting was the prospect of hearing the music on the church’s old,
inadequate sound system. So a month before the shows, Pastor of Worship and
Music Joel Harris contacted the team at Ford Audio-Video, a nationally known
systems integrator with offices in nine cities, including nearby Austin.
At 9:30 am the next morning, Ford AV Senior Account Manager Matt Scharff met
with the church leaders. “That’s service,” reports Harris. “I was extremely
impressed.” The First Baptist Church leaders were even more impressed with what
happened next.
“We knew that the key to this project would be Fulcrum Acoustic loudspeakers,”
recalls Ford Senior Project Engineer Gary Ewald. “Fulcrum is usually our first choice
because they’re the best. Their Temporal EQ™ coaxial technology is amazing; there
is nothing out there that can compete. It’s really easy to make a Fulcrum system
sound good, so we were confident we could complete the design and install in time
for Christmas.”
To cover the front rows in the 110 x 67-foot space, Ford AV’s team flew three
Fulcrum Acoustic AH65 loudspeakers above the front of the proscenium. The AH65
is a bi-amplified, 2-way, high sensitivity, arrayable coaxial horn system that
provides precise pattern control to below 400 Hz, low frequency extension to below
80 Hz, and exceptionally high output with modest amplifier power.
“Voice intelligibility is always of great importance, and since the church hosts
concerts and has both an orchestra and a choir, music reproduction was crucial as
well,” Ewald explains. “Fulcrum Acoustic AH65 loudspeakers provide exceptional
clarity and consistent voicing, even while delivering high sound pressure levels.
That’s exactly what we needed.”
To fill the rear of the auditorium, Ford AV’s team mounted delayed Fulcrum Acoustic
CX1595 15-inch coaxial loudspeakers along the sides. The 2-way CX1595 uses a 3-
inch coaxial titanium-diaphragm compression driver and a 15-inch woofer, with a
single neodymium magnet. CX-series loudspeakers provide the output capability
and pattern control of normal, premium 2-way systems in significantly more
compact enclosures. Their vertically trapezoidal shape and compact size allows
mounting very close to ceilings or under balconies-ideal for side fills. A Dante-
enabled Yamaha QL5 console and stagebox and BSS DSP completed the new
system.
