The Empire Leicester Square London

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Date of issue : 18 Aug 2006



Empire Cinemas Limited knew they had a task on their hands when they assumed responsibility for the Empire cinema, in London's Leicester Square. Once the flagship cinema of the UCI chain, and the venue for many European film premieres in the past, the theatre was sorely in need of a refit; its once state-of-the-art surround sound system was outdated, and it had lost its THX licence, the Lucasfilm sound specification seen by many as the 'gold standard' for cinema sound. When the newly formed Empire Cinemas group took over the venue in late 2005, they knew that they wanted to return the cinema to its former glories -- and surpass them. And they wanted that THX licence back. So they turned to some of the best names in cinema sound to help them. The completed installation, a custom-built system assembled with the help of the Harman Group and renowned London-based cinema installation specialists Bell Theatre Services, includes an impressive array of Harman Group equipment. There are Crown power amps, dbx DriveRack 4800 processors, and JBL custom ScreenArray speakers containing technology for which JBL engineers received the Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Everything is networked with CobraNet technology, and managed using Harman's proprietary HiQNet control protocol.

The involvement of JBL is no surprise to anyone familiar with the history of cinema sound; some of the earliest products developed by company founder James B Lansing over 70 years ago were cinema loudspeakers, and sixty percent of cinema speakers sold today worldwide are made by JBL. Indeed, the former sound system at the Empire was built around JBL speakers, which is what led the Empire's new management to contact Harman Pro UK, the British arm of JBL's parent group. And Max Bell, Managing Director of Bell Theatre Services, was only too happy with Empire's choice. "We've always used JBL speakers", says Bell. "For me, they're the best on the market -- and JBL are still the only speaker company that has a proper research division, which means their products are always improving. We've always had a close relationship with Crown International, too -- we specify a lot of JBL/Crown systems."

One of the reasons Empire Cinemas took on Bell Theatre was that the latter have had a long association with the venue -- Bell had carried out the Empire's previous refit, back in 1988. And Empire were sparing no expense this time around, as André Mort, Technical Manager at Empire Cinemas Limited, explains: "As a new organisation within the UK cinema industry, we wanted to show that only the best would do for such an important venue." "They said 'Go for it. This is our flagship; we want the best'," adds Max Bell. "So that's what we gave them".

The refurbishment, which reportedly cost a six-figure sum, involved enlarging the projection screen to dimensions of 18.2 by 7.68 metres, reconstructing and acoustically treating the space behind the screen and rebuilding the THX baffle wall, and completely revamping the cinema's sound system. The completed setup comprises a Dolby CP650 digital processor, five newly THX-certified 96kHz-capable dbx 4800 DriveRack processors to manage the loudspeaker channels and handle delay compensation in the auditorium, and the power amplifiers: 13 CTs 3000s, six CTs 8200s, and five Crown CTs 2000s. This range of amps drives the generous complement of 16 JBL 4645C 18-inch subwoofers and 42 JBL 8340A surround speakers (each of which has a dedicated amp channel), as well as the five JBL Custom ScreenArray 5632 full-range, four-way speakers, which handle the Left, inner Left, Centre, inner Right, and Right channels. Everything is managed via Harman's HiQNet digital control protocol from a PC in the projector room.

In keeping with their usual hands-on approach, Harman closely assisted Bell Theatre as the refit proceeded, providing advice on system design and configuration and ensuring the equipment arrived on time. This was a particularly important role, given that the entire refit had to be completed in just two weeks, before the start of the important summer blockbuster season. As the project neared its end, Harman also sent Mark Bailey of JBL's European Technical Support team to help fine-tune the finished auditorium's acoustics.

With the work complete, the reopened Empire is now capable of an earth-trembling combined sound output of 56kW -- a great improvement over its former 13kW best. And of course, the THX certification is now firmly back on the cinema's wall. The only element remaining from the original installation is a Dolby CP200 analogue processor, which has been retained for those occasions when the cinema wishes to screen restored 70mm analogue prints. Thus the Empire is now capable of handling the best in analogue and digital formats, as befits a top-flight London cinema. "I've been involved with The Empire for many years," comments André Mort, "and the performance of the new system has greatly exceeded my expectations."

Dave Budge of Harman Pro UK comments, "It's a pleasure to be involved with Empire Cinemas, who have committed to this considerable investment in the name of making the cinema experience at the Empire truly memorable."

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