Located at number nine Yuancun Yiheng Road in the Tianhe district of Guangzhou, the Higher People's Court of Guangdong Province is one of the highest appellate courts in China. A typical commercial case heard here would sit in judgement over disputes in excess of three hundred million Renmimbi (approximately 3.70m). It also presides over cases from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau; most famously being the venue for the renowned Apple and Shenzhen Proview iPad trademark dispute.
"When the authorities to the Judiciary determined the court's PA system required renovation they set higher definition and intelligibility as immutable goals," said Mr. Long Po of integrators Acejet (Group) Technology Co. Ltd.
This was to be no easy task, the floor and walls of the courtroom are marble clad and reverberation is high; multiple gooseneck microphones with high input gain make for an unstable feedback environment; and in deference to the importance of the cases heard here a wholly unobtrusive audio system was required: "Yet one that could deliver high SPLs," added Mr. Long Po.
"Fortunately we have more than 10 years experience working with the d&b audiotechnik product range with high prestige installations such as Nanjing University Theatre, and the headquarters of the China Development Bank. We are accustomed in dealing with the more difficult acoustic environments such venues can present.
"The sheer variety of systems available from d&b, all with consistent quality performance and remarkably accurate pattern control, gives us a toolbox with which to address any problem. We contacted William Xue at d&b China's head office and arranged for the court room to be EASE modelled. Then in consultation with Mr. Xue, determined a system design using elements of the d&b E-Series, namely E12 and E15X-SUB for main left and right; and then added a number of 8S loudspeakers from the d&b White installation range to be embedded in the walls of the audience area for local fill without exciting the fragile reverberation environment." The whole system is powered by d&b D6 amplifiers.
