Dongguan Yulan Theatre is one of China’s newest multipurpose performing arts venues. With its multi-layered exterior suggestive of an unfolding lotus petal, it has become a landmark in Dongguan city. The new cultural hub houses two theatres presenting a full schedule of performances, including Romeo and Juliet and the Chinese classic Butterfly Lovers, all heard through extensive systems of Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers installed by Guangzhou, China-based Leifull Enterprises.
In the 1,600-seat main hall, the main left-center-right clusters are anchored by six MSL-4 horn-loaded long-throw and two CQ-1 full-range wide coverage loudspeakers. Down- and side-fill coverage is provided by DF-4 dedicated downfill loudspeakers, UPA-1P compact wide coverage loudspeakers, and UPJ-1P compact VariO™ loudspeakers. Subwoofers include one center-flown PSW-2 high-power flyable subwoofer and four 650-P high-power subwoofers on the floor. Additional compact UltraSeries™ loudspeakers are deployed for sound effects and stage monitoring, along with 21 of the palm-sized MM-4 miniature wide-range loudspeakers for balcony delays and loudspeaker management system provides signal and front fill via Galileo routing and drive processing. On completion, the system was aligned with SIM® 3 audio analyzer by design consultant Roger Gans.
Liu Chongyang was the onsite project manager for the installation. System design was handled by Leifull’s technical director, Li Zhixong, who singled out the tiny MM-4—a mere 4-inch cube—as an exceptional problem solver. “It’s extremely small yet remarkably powerful,” Li observes. “We could install it discreetly on the orchestra pit wall and maintain excellent sound quality in the first few rows.”
In the 400-seat theatre, the main flown clusters are built around UPA-1P and UPJ-1P loudspeakers, with support from UMS-1P ultracompact subwoofers and MM-4s for fills and balcony delays. Additional compact UltraSeries cabinets comprise the auxiliary and monitor systems.
Leifull’s installation also included LAWO mc”66 mixing consoles, Midas’s Verona and Legend 3000 analog mixing desks, digital fiber optic snake systems, and 18 channels of Shure UHF wireless systems.
The theatre’s sound engineer Chou Xucun believes that the Meyer Sound systems have helped Dongguan Yulan Theatre provide a world-class experience to its performers and audience. “Since the systems were installed, we have not experienced a single problem in a performance,” says Chou. “The equipment has been very stable and the sound quality is impeccable.”