Japanese temple Higashi Betsuin has chosen Renkus-Heinz to deliver clear sound in the main hall whilst respecting the building’s traditional aesthetics.
Affectionately known as “Higashi Betsuin,” it has grown into a central place of worship in the Japanese region since its construction in 1632. As well as hosting Buddhist ceremonies and religious events, the temple is used for exchange events and markets, making it an important meeting place for the local community. However, the building’s distinctive architecture comes with complex audio challenges, including intelligibility in the main hall.
To resolve long-standing acoustic issues and improve clarity for attendees, the Taimensho reception hall recently underwent an upgrade with the help of Renkus-Heinz distributor Beetech, who installed an Iconyx Compact audio system. The reception hall is a large, traditional temple structure built with thick concrete. Buddhist sermons (Howa) are delivered here every day, as well as large ceremonies. As a place of reflection and religious importance for both locals and tourists, it was vital the new audio system reflected this significance by delivering precise sound.
Around ten years ago, the building underwent a major renovation. Original tatami flooring was replaced with carpet laid over concrete, whilst shoji paper screens on the sides were changed to a more durable, tear-resistant material. The renovation, along with the temple’s previous loudspeakers, caused significant issues with reflected sound from walls and ceilings. The sound-absorbing properties of the tatami flooring and shoji paper screens were lost, leading to increased sound reverberation and a significant drop in speech intelligibility when using the PA system. A substantial upgrade was necessary for the temple to continue hosting sermons and other events successfully.
A representative from equipment supplier A&V suggested Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers would be suitable due to their narrow form factor and beam-steering technology. After conducting a demonstration with the Iconyx Compact Series ICC12/3, the decision was made to officially install the system.
Where the temple’s previous sound system used portable loudspeakers, the new fixed installation needed to be mounted on the pillars. Due to the temple’s unique architectural design and structural limitations, installation locations were highly restricted and required careful consideration to achieve optimal audio performance. To address these concerns, the installation team designed custom mounting brackets that allowed the loudspeakers to be positioned with maximum precision. The brackets were also engineered to be almost invisible behind the array, ensuring minimal disruption to the hall’s traditional appearance.
Hanging the speakers from the front pillars raised concerns about potential sound distortion; however, using the ICC12/3’s beam-steering technology guaranteed minimal reverberation. The technology allowed integrators to freely adjust the output sound angle, allowing precise control over the focus and therefore minimizing echoes around the pillars.
Furthermore, Renkus-Heinz’s RHAON II software’s 8-band equaliser was used to adjust the acoustics to match the existing system for input devices such as wireless microphones and mixers, creating an optimal acoustic environment whilst maintaining seamless integration.