When a venue is renowned for superb acoustics, unobstructed sightlines, and world-
class artists, its sound system had better be equally outstanding. Nobody knows
that better than the management of the legendary Town Hall in midtown Manhattan.
The auditorium has been one of the most venerated concert halls in America since it
opened its doors in 1921. That’s why, when Audio Incorporated of Roselle Park, New
Jersey, was asked to specify a new sound system for Town Hall, they selected
Renkus-Heinz VL3 self-powered, 3-way line arrays.
“Renkus-Heinz VL3 self-powered line arrays deliver a clear, transparent sound,”
explains Audio Incorporated President Stephen Tolve. “Whether the show is classical
or jazz, rock artists like David Crosby and Jackson Browne, or A Prairie Home
Companion, you want it to sound as if you were listening to the performance
without needing a sound system-especially in a venue that’s famed for its
acoustics.”
The 1,500-seat Town Hall is a very wide room, with a short downstairs area, so
there aren’t many rows in the audience down on the floor. “But the balcony is quite
deep,” Tolve observes, “so coverage there was an issue in the past. Not with the
Renkus-Heinz system, though.”
Tolve’s team chose three VL3 self-powered line arrays and one Renkus-Heinz DR18-
2R dual 18-inch subwoofer per side for the main system. The system sits on carts
that can be rolled out on either side of the stage.
There is minimal under-balcony seating at Town Hall, which makes coverage a bit
easier. Still, covering every seat in the deep balcony could have posed a difficult
challenge. Tolve solved that with two Renkus-Heinz CF101LA modular point source
arrays per side, which easily handle the balcony.
Renkus-Heinz’ VerSys VL3 is an integrated, self-powered, 3-way line array system
with dual 1,000 watt, 12-inch neodymium woofers. Smaller than comparable large-
format line arrays, the VL3 works with Renkus-Heinz’ RHAON system-manager
software and is designed for applications where outstanding sonic performance is a
must, as with Town Hall.
The self-powered CF218-S subwoofer delivers a powerful sub bass punch and
physical impact and is equally at home in fixed installations and mobile
applications. The CF218-S subwoofers and VL3 arrays together form a system
capable of handling anything from the most delicate classical and jazz to powerful
rock. “Before we installed the Renkus-Heinz system,” Tolve recalls, “most artists
brought in their own sound systems. Now, most artists and engineers prefer the
Renkus-Heinz house system; they love the sound.”
Indeed, although Town Hall’s long-standing mantra “not a bad seat in the house”
originally referred to its unobstructed sightlines, with the Renkus-Heinz sound
system and the hall’s famous acoustics, the phrase applies to the sound as well.
