Electro-Voice reinforces Crufts Dog Show
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ARB Events was the primary AV provider, with project manager Steve Boote working with sound system designer Neal Allen of Safe Hands Audio on the audio for the arena. They chose the X2 line-array loudspeaker system from the X-Line Advance family by Electro-Voice as the best and most suitable system for the job.
“This was my fourth year working with ARB Events on the system design for Crufts, and it was the best yet,” says Neal Allen. “They want perfect clarity for all the speech, but there are also music-based competitions, so the system needs to be punchy with great fidelity as well, to get the right effect on the audience without scaring the dogs.
“We began using the Electro-Voice X2 system last year, and got great results. This year, we added the 120-degree version of the X2-212 line array to help extend the coverage, and the results were outstanding.”
The PA system consisted of six identical X2-212 line arrays, each with three 90-degree dispersion speaker elements above three 120-degree versions. Arranged in pairs, each set of arrays covered one of the three seated sides of the arena. Low frequencies were handled by a block of four Electro-Voice QRx 218 subwoofers located beneath the main stands.
Finally, Electro-Voice Xw15A monitor wedges were employed as fill-speakers, with one pair providing dedicated audio for the VIP seating area and two more covering the hard-to-reach corners of the grandstand.
All speakers were powered by 16 Electro-Voice TG-7 amplifiers equipped with RCM-28 network and DSP modules, with two of the amp racks located up on the arena catwalk, and the third beneath the stands. With IRIS-Net, each audio device on the network could be monitored and controlled from a single computer running Dante Controller software.
(Jim Evans)
