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"The audio quality of these Meyer Sound systems gives the audience a more vivid and realistic presence, and as a result we are seeing a steady increase in the numbers of patrons drawn back to the cinema."
- Akira Kato, Sound Craft
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The busy Tokyo suburb of Tachikawa has been undergoing something of an urban renaissance over the past decade. Once an all-but-forgotten industrial enclave located some 25 miles west of central Tokyo, this city of some 180,000 has benefited from a number of redevelopment projects around Tachikawa's central train station, beginning with the opening of the "Cinema City" complex in 1994. Building on the success of Cinema City, which boasts an annual audience of nearly one million, a second complex – appropriately named "Cinema Two" – opened its doors to reveal high-end, state-of-the-art theatres with floating floors for sonic isolation, wall-mounted screens (instead of the traditional suspended screens), and 7.1 surround sound delivered through Meyer Sound loudspeaker systems. Located a short 600 feet from the original Cinema City complex, the purpose-built facility houses five state-of-the-art theatres, with seating for 1,245 patrons, bringing the total capacity for both complexes to 2,270. The five theatres vary in capacity from 177 to 396 seats, and employ sound systems designed and installed by local systems design firm Sound Craft, in conjunction with leading Japanese pro audio company Acoustic Technical Laboratory (ATL). Theatre 1, the largest room, utilizes three MTS-4A full-range loudspeakers, augmented by 12 UPJ-1P compact VariO loudspeakers for surround coverage and four 650-P high-power subwoofers. Four MM-4 miniature wide-range loudspeakers supplement coverage for the rear seats. Theatres 2 and 3 seat a total of 303 and 180, respectively, and are covered by two CQ-1 wide coverage main and two CQ-2 narrow coverage main loudspeakers, with a pair of 650-P subs in each room; surround is again courtesy of 12 UPJ-1P compact VariO units per room. The smaller Theatres 4 and 5 each hold 177 seats, and each room employs three UPA-1P Compact Wide Coverage Loudspeakers, along with 10 UPM-1P's and a single 650-P subwoofer. Speaker management in all rooms is handled by ATL's own audio distribution system products, including DSM-01P, DSM-02P, as well as the Meyer Sound MM-4 CEU. "For several years it seemed the movie industry in Japan was on the decline, as people spent their money on other entertainment options such as TV, DVD and the Internet," observed Sound Craft's Yoshiyasu Kuriki. "We are now stepping into a new era, where the cinema experience is far more exciting than what these viewers can get from their home systems." "The audio quality of these Meyer Sound systems gives the audience a more vivid and realistic presence, and as a result we are seeing a steady increase in the numbers of patrons drawn back to the cinema," added Sound Craft's Akira Kato.
April, 2005
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FEATURED PRODUCTS
MTS-4A UPJ-1P UPA-1P 650-P MM-4 CQ-1 CQ-2 UPM-1P
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