Harman Professional's Crown and JBL Professional Provide Audio Solution for South Bend's Kroc Community CenterThe Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in South Bend, Indiana is dedicated to enriching the lives of people in the region with a wide range of education, faith, sports, arts, and supportive programs. The $64.2 million, 100,000-sq.-ft. Kroc Center encompasses 12 acres in downtown South Bend and houses a worship and performing arts venue, aquatics center, fitness and recreation center, and a fine arts, music, education, and special events facility. More than 110 Harman JBL loudspeakers, powered by nearly two-dozen Crown amplifiers, deliver sound for the entire complex. Specializing in commercial, government, education, healthcare and entertainment installations, systems integrator Communication Company of South Bend Inc. provided the audio/video and paging for the facility, along with life safety CCTV and control systems. "Kroc Center has a combination of teaching areas, athletic facilities, worship spaces, and even a fully equipped recording studio, so the facility required almost every conceivable type of A/V need," said Rick VandenBossche, Communication Company's systems engineer. As a result, VandenBossche and his team went with a variety of application-specific loudspeakers and amplifiers according to the requirements of each of the 12 rooms they wired for sound. Sound for the chapel is provided by a relatively modest complement of three JBL AC18/26 compact wall-mount loudspeakers, three Control 26CT in-ceiling loudspeakers, 11 Control 65P/T pendant loudspeakers, and two ASB4128 subwoofers. The loudspeakers are powered by eight Crown XTi 4002, XTi 2002, and CDi 1000 amps. The fitness room and gymnasium, two of the other larger rooms at Kroc Center, are served by equally unassuming yet capable systems. The fitness room is fitted with eight JBL Control 24CT in-ceiling loudspeakers, 12 Control 65P/T pendant loudspeakers and a Crown CDi 1000 amplifier, while the gym is served by 12 JBL Control 321C in-ceiling loudspeakers and three Crown XTi 2002 amps. "Thanks to the loudspeakers' efficiency, wide coverage patterns, and clarity over a wide frequency range, we were able to successfully take a 'less is more' approach and deliver outstanding sound throughout the Kroc Center facility. It didn't hurt that JBL offers tremendous value for the money," noted VandenBossche. In fact, the "biggest" loudspeaker installation is in the youth activity center, where Communication Company went with a pair of JBL PRX615M 15" portable powered loudspeakers and two each of JBL's EON 515 15" two-way speakers, EON10 G2 10" two-ways, and EON 518S 18" powered subs. The Center hosts a wide variety of functions and they needed to meet a wide range of audio requirements from bands, DJs, and live performances to general PA, events, and background music requirements. "The PRX and EON loudspeakers can accommodate anything and everything that happens here -- they play loud, are easily moveable, and because all the loudspeakers are powered, they can be moved into place and set up in a few minutes," VandenBossche pointed out. Other areas in the Kroc Center include a number of classrooms, two dance rooms, an aquatic center, a fine arts and digital arts center, a music rehearsal room, a kids' care room, and other areas. Audio for these parts of Kroc Center is provided by a combination of JBL Control 24CT, 28, 65P/T 67P/T, and C29AV1 loudspeakers and Crown XTi 1002, CDi 1000, and CTs 4200 amplifiers and 280MA mixer-amps. "We chose Crown because so many different types of systems are used in this facility that different types of amps were required and Crown makes an amp for every need," said VandenBossche. The Kroc Center and its audio system are used day and night, VandenBossche notes, and the facility has become a cornerstone of the community. "The project was a great success and we look forward to working with Kroc Center for many years to come." 
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