Neutral d&b sound provides transparency for prayer
In 2015, construction was completed on a new mosque in the Kayseri Organized Industrial Zone in Central Anatolia, Turkey. The spectacular building, with its stunning domes and minarets features marble and other traditional materials throughout. Measuring around 3,500 square metres, the mosque can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers during religious festivals and daily prayers. In terms of national and international importance, its size and beauty puts it on par with the world famous Mustafa Pasha Mosque in Istanbul.
Procurement and Purchasing Manager, Fatih Gozel, sums up the sound reinforcement requirement: “Speech intelligibility is the most important thing during prayers, but we also needed a sound system that could mirror the spiritual quality of the Imam’s voice.”
After evaluating a number of manufacturers, a d&b loudspeaker system was selected. “We know that the d&b brand is synonymous with quality and reliability,” says Gozel. “We had also heard the d&b solution implemented at the Turkish Parliament and we were hugely impressed by the sound quality, directivity control, SPL, and speech intelligibility.”
Local d&b Distributor, Atempo, designed and installed the system, utilizing the d&b ArrayCalc simulation software to create a virtual plan of the space inside the mosque. Tayfun Konuralt, Sales Manager and Engineer at Atempo, adds the detail: “We deployed two clusters of main line arrays in the central area of the mosque, each with eight Ti10L loudspeakers. In addition, we deployed a total of twenty eight E8s on the building’s upper and lower balconies.”
Atempo’s long, successful history delivering d&b solutions in Turkey didn’t go unnoticed. “Our experience of working with Atempo was excellent,” comments Gozel. “We saw the benefit of their experience time and time again, from the selection of system components right through to the design phase and delivery.”
As predicted, the installed system overcomes the acoustic challenges presented by the mosque’s high ceilings and reverberant surfaces. “The system is fantastic in terms of sound quality and speech intelligibility,” says Gozel. “The combination of the mosque’s awe inspiring architecture and the d&b sound system make it easy for worshippers to give themselves completely to the surah. The d&b Special Colour option also means that our equipment matches the interior characteristics. That means we can provide excellent sound quality without ruining the stunning architecture of the building.
“We needed a system that could provide sound reinforcement for prayers five times a day, every day of the year. With d&b, we know that the system will perform when we need it, and the five year support and repair service also protects our investment long term. Our mosque is one of the most important in the whole country, and the d&b sound system enhances the overall prayer experience for thousands of worshippers, day in, day out. A mosque like ours deserves the very best sound system available, and that, for us, means d&b.”
