The installation of Auro perfectly fits Nu Metro's list of firsts in Africa, as Nu Metro was the first cinema chain with an all-digital Cineplex and now again leads the way with the Auro immersive sound system.
Being a first in Africa required collaborating with leaders in the professional audio industry and so Nu Metro called upon JBL importers and distributors Wild & Marr. They assisted with the system design, calibration and setup of the Auro 3D system to integrate it with JBL Screen Array loudspeakers. Wild & Marr's technical team met up with the international team from Barco and went through training to become certified Auro 3D engineers.
Wild & Marr worked in conjunction with Nu Metro's technical providers to come up with the best design and solution for the cinema. "From the start of the project which included the design and presentations, to product training to the installation and final setup were all done with a positive attitude and professionalism," says Nu Metro's head of technical Johan van Staden. "Their knowledge and sharing of such was also highly appreciated."
"We are thrilled with the professional services rendered by Wild & Marr's very capable technical team," confirms Nitesh Matai, Nu Metro's marketing executive.
Auro 3D 11.1 Immersive Sound Experience requires three layers of sound - surround layer, height and top - which meant that a total of 42 JBL cinema range loudspeakers, powered by Crown Audio were used to complete the installation at each cinema complex.
Each system consists of six JBL Screen Array 3730 loudspeakers for the front channel, surround channels were covered using 34x JBL 8320 Compact Cinema Surround Speakers while two JBL 4642A dual 18" cinema subwoofers took care of the low frequencies.
The loudspeakers are powered by 10 Crown Amplifiers, which includes Crown XLS 1500 and 2500 as well as XTi 6002.
"The dynamic range of the JBL Cinema Array front end speakers and surrounds in combination with the Crown amplifiers are fully capable of handling the digital AES sound signals of the new Barco Auro 11.1 and is a system that can be trusted to stay in use for a long period of time with the minimal maintenance," concludes van Staden.
"The immersive capabilities of the Auro 3D system are amazing," comments Andrew Sorrill, sales and marketing manager at JBL importers Wild & Marr. "Gustav Teitge, Anton van Wyk and our team in conjunction with Johan's team produced a well-planned system design. The JBL Screen Array has a really warm sound from the centre channel while the surround channels are remarkably accurate - if you haven't been to the movies in a while, I would highly recommend the immersive experience."
(Jim Evans)
