Electro-Voice EVA powered by Dynacord C series amps: A high-performance, cost-effective audio upgrade for Grace Church

• Working with Bosch reps CL Pugh, Rootaudio replaced aging point-source system with the clarity of Electro-Voice EVA line arrays
• By blending dispersions within the EVA line arrays, the system achieves full, even coverage without front fills or down fills
• New Dynacord C3600FDi intelligent amplifiers deliver clean, efficient power and DSP

Located in suburban Akron, Ohio, Grace Church is a contemporary Christian church with eight locations. They sought a more musically coherent sound system to replace the aging point-source system in their main Bath Campus location. Integrator Kevin Root of Rootaudio saw the 620-seat sanctuary as an excellent candidate for a line-array system, and suggested Electro-Voice as a solution.

Located in suburban Akron, Ohio, Grace Church is a contemporary Christian church with eight locations. They sought a more musically coherent sound system to replace the aging point-source system in their main Bath Campus location. Integrator Kevin Root of Rootaudio saw the 620-seat sanctuary as an excellent candidate for a line-array system, and suggested Electro-Voice as a solution.

“Electro-Voice systems deliver amazing sound quality without breaking the budget, so I spoke with my representative, CL Pugh,” says Root. “They set up demos of the X1 system and Expandable Vertical Array (EVA) for us. The larger-format, longer-throw X1 was more than this sanctuary – which seats just over 600 – needed, and the EVA filled the room perfectly. EVA has the right tone, covered the space very evenly, and there was nothing abrasive or harsh. We knew right away that we had found the right system.”

Working with EASE software, CL Pugh and Rootaudio designed a highly efficient system based around two five-box hangs of EVA-2082S dual-element array modules. The top three boxes have 90-by-6-degree dispersion, transitioning to the 120-by-20-degree version beneath them for nearfield coverage. This layout provides full HF coverage from about three feet off the stage, eliminating the need for front fills, side fills and delay speakers. The arrays are each paired with three EVA-1151D subwoofers, flown separately, directly behind each line array. As a final touch, three Electro-Voice ETX-18SP self-powered subwoofers are mounted beneath the front stage extension.

The entire system is powered by just four Dynacord C3600FDi DSP power amplifiers. Each array requires just one amplifier, with one channel for the top three modules and the other feeding the bottom two boxes. Each flown set of three EVA1151D subs is powered by a single amplifier.

“These are great amps,” says Root. “With the power they have, and the efficiency of the EVA arrays, there’s so much headroom that they haven’t even hit the limiters yet, even during services.”

The actual installation went very smoothly, with all speakers flown in just one day, followed by time alignment and final tuning. Root reports that the EVAs sounded great right out of the box, requiring very little system EQ beyond a bit of filtering due to the room shape, which is 60 feet wide at the back and about 100 feet wide in the front. The entire process was completed in less than a week. The EVA’s installation-dedicated design also ensures a clean, architecture friendly look, with hidden rigging.

“Working with churches, budget is always a driving force, so some people end up designing a system around the budget instead of the room,” says Kevin Root. “That’s what makes EV and Dynacord such a great value. We designed the right system for the room, which turned out to be within budget and with no compromises, which is how it should be. Everyone involved is thrilled at the result.”