Newseum, Washington D.C.
Washington D.C.’s Newseum a technophile’s dream
Interested in taking a peek at a few Christie DLP projectors, Stewart screens, Tannoy speakers and Bag End subs and the Bag End ELF? What if a few HD flat-panels and a “4D” theater are thrown in? Astoundingly enough, all of the aforesaid equipment and much, much, more has been installed at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Put simply, the venue “traces the history of news reporting from the 16th century to the present,” and needless to say, it does so in impressive fashion. There’s no telling exactly how many Benjamin’s Electrosonic burned through installing the plethora of high-end gear, but with 250,000 square feet of technology-laced area, we’re thinking a trip (for “education,” of course) may be in order.
…Located in Arlington, VA, across the Potomac River from D.C., the Newseum provides visitors with a sampling of the information that the free press of a free nation distributes every day, 24 hours a day, and also gives them, for a few moments, at least, the opportunity to become a TV news personality or a big-city newspaper editor.
“By taking visitors behind the scenes, we hope to forge a deeper understanding of the role of new and a free press in our lives,” said Joe Urschel, Executive Director and Senior Vice President of the Newseum, which is funded and operated by Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan, international foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free spirit…
The Newseum
…Perhaps the most impressive feature of the Newseum is its gigantic, 126ft (38m) video news wall. The wall is a gallery of the day’s news. Visitors experience the pulse of real breaking news from across the country and around the world to better understand its enormous scope and universality. The 10.5ft (3.2m) news wall takes center stage, featuring a panorama of the day’s news gathered via satellite feeds, cable and computer networks…
To deliver accurate, time-aligned sound to enhance and enrich the experience of the video news wall, Electrosonic selected Bag End Loudspeaker Systems loudspeakers as the main program loudspeakers. In all, Electrosonic used 15 Bag End TA-12 loudspeakers systems to cover mid- and high- frequency audio and 12 Bag End S18E, single 18 inch (457mm) subwoofer loudspeaker cabinets driven by nine Bag End ELF-M2 (extended low frequency) controllers to handle the job.
Bag End was chosen based on its reputation, according to Electrosonic project manager Dan Laspa. “We had never used Bag End loudspeakers prior to this, but the reputation of its ELF (extended low frequency) subwoofer system was what caught our attention. After testing the loudspeakers, we decided to use Bag Ends for the entire system because they were such a good match.”
The Bag End ELF-M2 subwoofer system provides low distortion, extended low-frequency response in a compact, highly efficient design, down to 8Hz. The ELF processor features stereo high-pass output with CVR limiter and dual integrated ELF output with Concealment. ELF cutoff frequency and high-pass frequency are internally adjusted with plug-in resistors.
“News today is a video and audio industry,” Updike said. “Our peers take video and audio quality very seriously, and their expectations for this museum were very high. I’m happy to report the reviews have been glowing.”
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