Located in Aptos, CA, Twin Lakes Church is a large faith community, offering three contemporary Christian services per week in a sanctuary seating about 1750. The church relies largely on the expertise among its 5000 members to drive its technical ministry, an approach that bore fruit in the selection and installation of a new audio system.
The team chose Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 line array loudspeakers, powered by the latest in amplifier technology – the Dynacord IPX series.
Director of Technical Ministries Barry Schneider led the process, using an in-house tech team from design through physical installation. Twin Lakes sound engineer Karl Heebner, who designs and installs sound systems for AV Now Fitness Sound in nearby Santa Cruz, was tapped as the official integrator.
Having heard several sound systems demonstrated at trade shows, the X2 and a system from another major brand were selected for an on-site evaluation. After a shootout, the X2 system was the clear winner. “All the demo systems were good, but we really loved the consistency across varying ranges and levels with the X2,” says Karl Heebner of AV Now. “There was a conversational quality that we loved for spoken word, with immense clarity and power for full concert events like our Christmas shows.”
The system design was a collaborative process among Twin Lakes, AV Now and Electro-Voice. The main PA consists of twin 10-box line arrays of X2-212/120 loudspeakers, supported by eight X12-128 dual-18-inch subwoofers hidden beneath the stage. Eight compact EVU-2062 dual-6-inch loudspeakers provide audio in the lobby area, while legacy loudspeakers remain under the balcony. The entire system is powered and processed by Dynacord’s new IPX series power amplifiers.
“We tend to take on these projects ourselves, so it’s a little different from the average church,” explains Schneider. “AV Now helped us to collaborate with Electro-Voice on the system design. It turned out to be an outstanding experience.” To aid in the transition from design to integration, a structural engineer was engaged to produce final drawings. The installation was done by the Twin Lakes technical team, then commissioned by Electro-Voice.
“The great thing about the X2 system is how completely it fills the space,” notes Schneider. “We no longer need front fills, and only about three rows are shaded by the balcony. We’ve got great uniformity across the room, without the need for a lot of additional support.”
Dynacord’s IPX series powers the entire X2 system, requiring just six IPX 20:4 and two IPX 10:8 models (four- and eight-channel respectively). The IPX 20:4 offers a power density of up to 20 kW from a single unit with all channels driven. IPX amps offer flexibility both for low- and high-impedance applications with parallel and parallel/bridged power drive modes, and up to 50 percent less power consumption thanks to Dynacord’s Eco Rail technology. Fully integrated 96 kHz DSP with FIR-Drive processing and OMNEO IP architecture supports Dante audio networking and OCA protocol.
“We loved the idea of going forward with the latest technology, and the new Dynacord amps fit right into our Dante network,” notes Heebner. “That allows us to send a full digital signal to the speakers. Our IPX amps were first run, commissioned prior to them hitting the market. With that kind of factory support, we knew we had made the right decision.”
Reactions from the congregation and tech team support that view. “Everyone loves the new system,” says Schnieder. “I would like to say that direct support from the EV team played a big role in our success. They always answered our calls, and spent a couple days here commissioning the system to make sure everything was just as we wanted it. It really gives us confidence in the long term, knowing the kind of support that’s backing it.
