The Saints Hoan-Thien Catholic Centre in Keysborough, Victoria, is situated on 4 hectares of land owned by Melbourne's Vietnamese Catholic community. Over the years, the Community Centre has been the site of many milestones for the local Catholic populace, such as festivals, congresses, and celebrations.
Across from the cardinal building lies the 'Our Lady Of La Vang' shrine, a newly completed house of worship that has been a long-term labor of love for the fellowship. Within the bright inner expanse of the shrine, the building's crisp white roof dominates the architecture. Hanging cleanly from either side of the far end, sit two compact RCF line arrays.
Looking almost transparent in their optional matte white finish, the HDL 6-A modules blend perfectly into the supernal scene. Supplied by Factory Sound in Melbourne, and recently set up by installer UB Group, the system provides Front of House audio coverage for voice reinforcement, music playback, and occasional live instrument reinforcement for the venue's regular church Services.
"We needed something with a low visual profile and something that we could count on to deliver great sound throughout regular use"
UB Group Director, Bang Le, explains his choice of technology for the shine- "Based on their audio requirements and budget, the HDL 6-A system was easily the best option. We needed something with a low visual profile and something that we could count on to deliver great sound throughout regular use. The HDL series is very neat, looks good with the architecture here, and has a fantastic size to power Ratio."
RCF's HDL 6-A system is an ultra-compact line array series designed for long-term performance. The Italian brand's combination of low-profile aesthetics and full-range, high-quality audio reproduction has solidified the HDL series as a go-to workhorse system for many installers. With a structurally wooden-reinforced composite polypropylene enclosure, touring-grade mounting features, and an efficient acoustic design, the HDL series is a highly dependable option for installation professionals seeking line array audio with a small form factor. Both the left and right arrays at the shrine feature 6 x HDL 6-A modules, each individually capable of an impressive 131 dB max SPL, as well as 2 x HDL 12-AS active flyable subwoofers. The HDL 12-AS are the perfect companion sub modules to the HDL 6-A, housing a 12" woofer and bringing the overall frequency response of the system down to 40 Hz.
"The primary function of the system will be sound reinforcement for speech and some live music- especially things like Christmas carols and special events where the space may get filled more than usual- situations where a little more power will be required," says Bang. For one of Australia's largest migrant communities, the Our Lady of La Vang Shrine is a shared dream made manifest - a project that has seen three Melbourne archbishops and been the work of generations of Vietnamese families.