Alexandria church becomes first in US to utilise Alcons QRP20 pro-ribbon system

A new building for Alexandria Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Virginia, has seen the first US installation of Alcons’ QRP20 pro-ribbon loudspeaker systems, in its fan-shaped auditorium. Alexandria Presbyterian Church was given planning permission to demolish its existing building in West Braddock Street and build a brand new, 2118 m² home. Worship at the church includes sermons, a praise band playing both contemporary songs and traditional hymns, adult and youth choirs. The main auditorium needed an audio system that would deliver all of these in high quality to every member of the congregation. The clean lines of the architecture also meant that it was desirable to conceal the loudspeakers.

Steve Taub from Taub Sales, Alcons Audio’s mid-Atlantic representative, was invited to do a demonstration by acoustic consulting firm Miller, Beam & Paganelli – the company tasked with designing the technical systems for the new church. “As both the AV and acoustic designers, we had to ensure the acoustics of the room would be appropriate for its intended use and then select speakers accordingly,” said John Paganelli, partner at Miller, Beam & Paganelli and the project’s acoustic consultant.

“Steve brought in several Alcons pro-ribbon models and we listened to them both indoors and outdoors. We were impressed with the performance of the QRP20. The high frequency pro-ribbon tweeter delivered exceptional clarity and intelligibility, we thought it would be a good fit for the design and the small size allowed them to be concealed in the walls on each side of the stage, maintaining the uncluttered interior decor.”

Once the design was complete and the bidding process finalised, local integration company Design & Integration was chosen to handle the install phase. As a new member of the Alcons dealer network, the company worked closely with Alcons Audio USA to ensure the end result achieved the goals set by the consultant and client.

Complementing two QRP20/120s, Paganelli chose a pair of BF121 12-inch subwoofers, intended for tight and accurate bass response with very low distortion. The system is powered by a Sentinel10 amplified loudspeaker controller.

“I have always been a fan of pro-ribbon drivers and Alcons uses them very well in the QRP20s,” said Paganelli. “The speakers sound great and have a lot of capability for their size. In the Sentinel series, Alcons also makes one of the coolest amplifiers on the market, which provides all the necessary signal processing for the speaker system.

“The customer is very happy and the Alcons system is the perfect complement to their brand new house of worship, both in terms of sound and appearance.”