Cleveland State University (Cleveland, Ohio) recently installed a new Electro-Voice XLD sound system in its Walter B. Waetjen Auditorium. Now audiences for the wide variety of speakers, chamber musicians, and jazz ensembles that frequent the auditorium are enjoying audio quality worthy of the space’s stunning design.

The system was installed by longtime EV users Paladin Professional Sound of Cleveland, and features two linear loudspeaker arrays at stage left and right, each comprising five XLD281 full-range elements topped with a single XS212 subwoofer. Former Paladin employee Mike Larcey and David Yost, Audio Engineer for Cleveland State, designed the new system with the XLD in mind, as Jim Rivard of Paladin explains:

“The design for Waetjen Auditorium wasn’t build around an EASE model; it was built around a budget. We needed equipment that could cover the most space with the fewest boxes, and XLD stood out as a superior choice for a number of reasons. They are very compact in proportion to their power handling capacity, and offer unmatched horizontal directivity control right down to 250 Hz, even though they have a 120-degree-wide dispersion pattern. In particular, this ensures excellent intelligibility throughout the vocal range. This combination of coverage and control was a key factor; the auditorium is relatively wide, so the arrays needed to be flown quite far apart. With XLD, there’s no distortion or dead spots anywhere in the room. In this sense, the XLD was a real problem solver, and all at an agreeable price point.�

For low-frequency support, Paladin added a single XS212 dual 12-inch subwoofer to each array: “The single XS212 does an excellent job at balancing the LF energy with the rest of the boxes for a wide range of program material,� Rivard says; “I would not have expected so much LF energy from a single dual 12 sub.�

Despite the architectural and budgetary challenges, Cleveland State’s new XLD system performs flawlessly. Coverage in Waetjen Auditorium is so smooth that even spectators in boxes sitting only feet from either array are not overwhelmed by volume.

“Cleveland State is thrilled with their new sound system,� says Rivard. “Aside from their balanced coverage, these boxes are inherently good-sounding and nuanced,� says Rivard. “All we needed to do was plug the rig in, and the speakers took care of the room by themselves. They sound exactly like LAPS predicted, and they need almost no EQ-ing.�

www.paladinps.com

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