SA Sound Services in partnership with Oak Audio Visual have recently completed a significant AV installation for Tearfund, a UK-based Christian charity providing aid and relief to many of the world's poorest and dispossessed. At the core of the installation are a number of ElectroVoice Xi loudspeakers that were custom-painted for maximum integration with minimum visual impact.
The installation was part of a complete refurbishment of the conference facilities at Tearfund's 4-storey Teddington headquarters. According to Tearfund's facilities manager Mike Webb it was important that the system be powerful, versatile and discreet as the conference room is used for a variety of applications. "Being a Christian organisation we also use the room for our church services which of course includes a worship band, so the system needed to be able to handle live music as well as playback and video."
SA Sound Services' Steve Ashley explained why he opted for EV Xi 1082s, which are designed as under-balcony fills. "Given that the system had to handle more than just speech reinforcement I was looking for a professional speaker that would both look and sound good, but would be discreet enough for a corporate environment," he said. "I looked at a couple of manufacturers but they weren't quite right and they couldn't be supplied in a white finish. It was Duncan Marlow from Phoenix Sound Works in Northampton who suggested (and ultimately supplied) the Xi 1082s. They are absolutely perfect for the job. They are extremely low profile, so we've treated the ceiling as our balcony and attached them in a row across the front of the stage. Furthermore, Shuttlesound was extremely helpful in spraying them white for us, so they met all our criteria. And I must say, they sound absolutely stunning!"
Mike Web agrees. "The whole system is a joy to use, beautifully integrated and does exactly what we asked for." In addition to the sound reinforcement system, the installation includes two 42-inch plasma screens either side of the stage and two 15-inch flat monitors on pillars towards the rear of the room where sight-lines are restricted. There are also remote operated video screens concealed in the ceiling in front of the plasma screens for projection purposes, plus a vision mixer and preview monitor.
|
