Israeli cultural centre upgrades with LEA Professional

Professional audio equipment importer TechTop Marketing has worked with systems integrator Charmer Group to upgrade the audio system at the Mandel Cultural Center, using LEA Professional solutions.

Established in 1991 in Jaffa, the 200-capacity multifunctional centre consists of a large room and a smaller space. Located beside one of the largest stadiums in Israel, it is in high demand for private functions, hosting music and art classes, live performances, lectures and other community-led activities.

“LEA has a huge depth of pro audio experience, and going into a significant local project like this, that level of expertise is incredibly reassuring to all parties involved,” said Shimon Pick, Director at TechTop Marketing.

What initially started as a system upgrade led to a complete new install, with Charmer Group choosing four LEA Professional Connect Series amplifiers suited for small- to-medium scale installations: three Network Connect CS704 and one Network Connect CS352. Integrators can connect to any local area network via Cat5 or Cat6 cable using the built-in WiFi access point, the venue’s WiFi or Fast Ethernet.

“We had initially looked at a different amplifier company for the project but when we were introduced to the LEA Professional products, including the Cloud control functionality, I knew we could better serve the venue and the community with their technology,” explained Babu Levy, co-founder of Charmer Group.

All LEA Professional amplifiers leverage the built-in Amazon Web Services (AWS) IoT Core., while the cloud platform allows integrators to control and monitor operational data points that are integral to maintaining system health securely and remotely. Individual amplifiers or entire venues of amps can be accessed and controlled from anywhere in the world without the need to VPN into a Local Area Network.

“We don’t want a system that requires intense training and set up,” continued Levy. “From the first time we saw LEA’s amps in action we knew this was a product we could easily implement into many of our projects. They’re just easy to work with and you can tell these products were manufactured with integrators in mind.”

For David Budge, founder of Blue5 Technology, LEA Professional’s representative in EMEA, this project underlines growth in the region. “The demand for LEA Professional is beyond anything we could have imagined,” he said. “Cloud technology has never been more integral to a functioning society than it is today and we look forward to collaborating on more projects in the region over the coming months.”

While Mandel Cultural Center has yet to reopen to due to health and safety guidelines, the team looks forward to welcoming the community back into the upgraded space when it is safe to do so.