Hailing from one of the nation's most vital music scenes, the Seattle area's audio professionals know great sound; even still, consensus is sometimes hard to come by. That is why it is of particular note that the NTL720 Line Array Loudspeaker System from EAW, a world leader in audio system solutions for the past 30 years, has quickly - but not quietly - become the reference standard for the greater Pacific Northwest. The self-powered, true three-way NTL720 features numerous EAW-patented and proprietary technologies, all housed in an extremely compact package, and it has become the new favorite in the region thanks to its great sound, high reliability, exceptional flexibility and its good-sense economics. Leading regional S.R. providers including Carlson Audio Systems, Audio Media, Inc. and Triamp Group have all found the EAW NTL720 lives up to their expectations.
"The NTL720 is possibly the most versatile box we've ever had," comments Mark Carlson, who, with partner Jonathan Stoverud-Meyers, built Seattle-based Carlson Audio from its beginnings in a garage 20 years ago, to the region's largest sound reinforcement provider, regularly handling sound for major festivals including Bumbershoot: Seattle's Music & Arts Festival and the Sasquatch Festival at the Gorge in George, Washington.
"The 720 is a compact box that we can use for small and mid-sized venues like hotel ballrooms, and it's becoming popular for house-of-worship installations" - Carlson Audio has installed the NTL720 in two Seattle-area churches since purchasing 20 boxes last October - "but it can also extend the reach of our existing EAW systems." That's how they've used the NTL720 at recent outdoor venues, such as the KWJZ Music Festival at Château Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, Washington, and at the Sasquatch Festival, where the 720 was arrayed for offstage coverage in conjunction with the company's EAW 761 Line Array system. "There's nothing else out there that can take in the 100-plus-degree coverage angle," Carlson explains, noting that in one instance it took the 100 degrees of coverage of the main P.A. to a full 180 degrees. "It's got very predictable coverage, it's self-powered so it's easy to set up and it sounds great. It's a great asset for our inventory."
Audio Media, Inc. is a Seattle-based P.A. provider specializing in the  corporate and award-show market categories throughout the region. Audio Media has done work for major area clients including Microsoft, Boeing and the Bellevue Symphony. The NTL720 was Audio Media's introduction to EAW P.A. technology, and company President Steve Midkiff is duly impressed. "When we did a comparison of what was out there in this type of box, the 720 was simply the best package at the best price and with fabulous sound," he says. Audio Media purchased 16 NTL720 boxes and bought additional bumpers because, Midkiff explains, some corporate events require more than two clusters to maintain speech intelligibility as well as serve music properly. And in a unique twist, both Audio Media and Carlson Audio coordinated their NTL720 purchases so that they would be able to support each other if one or the other needed additional boxes. "We've already had a few instances where we have cross-rented with Carlson, and it's been working out very well," says Midkiff.
The Seattle-area-based Triamp Group is another early NTL720 adopter who has had great experiences with the system. An NTL720 they installed at the Wildhorse Casino in Pendleton, Oregon, consists of six 720 boxes flown per side and augmented with four ground-stacked EAW SB1000z Large Format Subwoofers and two EAW VR62 Compact Full-Range Loudspeakers used as delay speakers, played 60 feet back in the 120-foot hall. The new system had its debut earlier this year with Frank Sinatra, Jr. and his orchestra, followed not long after by Poison front man Bret Michaels. "The sound was amazing for both performers, which really shows how versatile the NTL720 is," says Kevin Hill, National Sales Manager for Triamp Group. "We chose it because of the enclosure's low profile, which made it a great fit in a room this size, which holds about 900 people. Bret's band reached between 115 and 120 dB during rehearsal, measured from the front rows, and I didn't think the system would be able to handle it, but it not only kept up but also sounded great doing so. The drivers are very efficient, so it still sounds pristine even when it's being pushed. It's just a great sound system."

Posted by EAW at 8:36 AM | Permalink

Hully & Mo Restaurant and Tap Room in Dallas, Texas, opened earlier this year, and it features stellar sound thanks to loudspeakers and amplifiers from EAW, a world leader in sound system technology. Gemini Light Sound & Video was the contractor chosen for the project, and they selected a number of EAW products for the restaurant's unique audio system needs. The sale was made by Cowser-Lee Marketing, EAW's sales rep for the region.

Hully & Mo, named after the co-owners, former Dallas Stars right wing Brett Hull (a recently-announced NHL Hall-of-Famer) and current Stars center Mike Modano (the leading American-born scorer in NHL history), is Dallas' newest premier sports bar and restaurant. Located in the McKinney entertainment district, Hully & Mo is a sports-inspired restaurant reflecting a neighborhood feel with Texas Hill Country limestone, custom-designed black and Godiva brown leather booths, dark woods, open theater kitchen and tap room lounge with a courtyard view of fountains. The restaurant houses a front patio, a private dining room, a VIP leather booth to seat large groups and a curtained table offering privacy for national celebrities and special occasion diners. Televisions/drop-down big screens are strategically positioned throughout the restaurant, patio and tap room. The Tap Room Lounge offers a neighborhood-feel atmosphere with imported beers, specialty cocktails and a premium wine list served from the lounge bar designed with dark stone and warm woods. Hully & Mo strikes a delicate balance between an upscale dining environment and a spirited sports establishment, so the speaker system has to have enough control and finesse to meet the restaurant's audio requirements
The main dining area has 12 ceiling truss-mounted EAW SMS1990 Surface Mount Loudspeakers powered with an EAW CXA160 Power Amplifier. The SMS1990's in the main dining room effectively blend in to the background of the black ceiling while providing excellent coverage throughout. Additional SMS1990's were also selected to cover the foyer (one SMS1990 unit) and outsider patio (two SMS1990 units), where surface mounting was necessary. These three units are powered by an EAW CAM80 Integrated Mixer-Amplifier.
In the lounge and the private dining room, flush mounted speakers with high output performance and excellent low frequency response were needed, and several EAW CIS400 Ceiling Loudspeakers were chosen. The lounge has nine CIS400's, powered by a CXA160. The private dining room features six CIS400's, powered by a CAM80. A matrix switcher allows any one of eight DirecTV sources or a DVD player to be routed to any of the speakers in dining or lounge areas - especially useful for hectic game days.
Jerad Garza, Sales Manager for Gemini Light Sound & Video stated, "This restaurant has one of the best atmospheres of any dining establishment I have seen, and the EAW units are appropriately powerful, elegant and low-profile. Because of the nature of a sports bar, several different channels of audio must be piped through different speaker channels throughout the dining room and bar without turning into a muddled mess, and EAW's SMS1990's and CIS400's provide the kind of crisp, clean audio that is just as classy as the restaurant itself."

Posted by EAW at 1:14 PM | Permalink

The Christian Life Assembly (CLA) church in Langley, British Columbia is a tech-savvy multi campus congregation that offers both media streaming and podcast downloads of its services from its website. When the church began an extensive upgrade of its facilities last year, a state-of-the-art sound system for its 1,500-seat sanctuary was high on its list of priorities, and that's exactly what they got with equipment from EAW, a world leader in audio system technology. Three clusters made up of the EAW KF730 Compact Line Array Module, the SB730 Compact Line Array Subwoofer and the SB1000z Large Format Subwoofer provide a touring-class P.A. system that serves all the needs of the congregation, from music to speech, with high intelligibility and full frequency response. Vancouver-based audio, video, lighting and multimedia systems design and integration firm Sapphire Sound was chosen by the church as its design/build partner on the renovation.
"This is a very contemporary, technologically-aware church, so we knew we had to bring in the most advanced sound system equipment available for it," explains Harold Wiens, President and Head Designer of Sapphire Sound. The stage thrusts out into the sanctuary, with seating in a 180-degree arc around it. Technical Director for CLA Kurtis Witt, together with Sapphire Sound decided on three arrays in an "exploded cluster" configuration, with the KF730 enclosures loosely spaced to take full advantage of the KF730's Phase Aligned^TM LF design that extends its horizontal pattern. A center array consists of four KF730 enclosures with an SB730 designed to fly above the KF730. This array is flanked on either side by an array of six KF730 boxes topped with an SB730 subwoofer. These are buttressed by eight EAW JFX88 Compact Full-Range Loudspeakers installed as under-balcony fills and five EAW UB52 compact full-range loudspeakers for front fill, controlled by a UX8800 Digital Signal Processor with proprietary Gunness^TM Focusing technology.
"The dispersion pattern of the KF730 is fantastic," says Wiens, noting that when the room was analyzed for tuning purposes after the system was installed, every one of the 1,500 seats was within 1.0 dB of the others at any selected frequencies. "The consistency and the quality of the sound throughout the room was all you could have asked for. It's excellent for speech intelligibility and it's just as great for music," which Wiens says typically exceeds 100 dB during Sunday services. To add an even bigger bottom to the sound, four SB1000z's were installed in poured concrete bunkers underneath the front of the stage, to eliminate low-frequency vibrations to the stage. With the addition of a Digidesign Venue console at FOH, the system would be at home on any major tour. In fact, says Wiens, "Several of the top live sound mixers in the greater Vancouver area have told us it's one of the best-sounding P.A. systems they're ever heard. It's really a fantastic sound."

Posted by EAW at 3:30 PM | Permalink

Britain's Top of the Pops (TOTP) has been a BBC institution since 1964, broadcast weekly until 2006 and occasionally as one-off specials in the years since. The latest such TOTP special, broadcast on BBC2 in spring 2009, featured performances from Franz Ferdinand, Flo-Rida, Oasis, Take That, Tom Jones, James Morrison and more, live from BBC's Studio 4, as part of this year's Comic Relief charity fundraising special. Aside from the significance marked by convergence of these great artists, a TOTP revival and the world-renowned Comic Relief organization, this program was notable for being the U.K. television debut of the JFL210 Line Array from EAW, a world leader in audio system technology. The JFL210s were supplied and installed by John Henry's Ltd. (JHL), a leading multi-media sound reinforcement provider for the entertainment industry in the U.K. and Europe.
"Rigging the JFL210 hangs was a breeze," commented JHL staff engineer Simon Panos, who looked after the audience sound for the show. "The studio hoists have a maximum capacity of 112 kg, so each hang of four including a flybar came in at a total of 109 kg, which made everyone happy. Additionally, once the four hangs were in the air, the sound was pin sharp and needed very little additional tuning. The FB121 flybar gave us the flexibility to rake the hang just how we needed it. The system was very versatile and had amazing coverage in spite of the cluttered ceiling space it inhabited."
Panos' fellow engineers Robin Tombs and Aden Gregory were equally enthusiastic about the system's hi-fi sound and ease of use, pronouncing it perfect for the job at hand.

Posted by EAW at 2:59 PM | Permalink

Peak Hire Ltd., based in Cheltenham in Gloucester, England, serves as one of the U.K.'s leading sound and lighting contractors. They provide skilled technical support for productions, concerts, theaters, conferences, outdoor events, etc., throughout the U.K. and Europe, and their hire inventory of sound, lighting, rigging, power, set and stage equipment is varied and extensive. Recently, they bolstered their inventory of products from EAW, a world leader in audio system technology, with the purchase of eight EAW KF850 Series Virtual Array^TM System Modules and eight EAW SB1002 Large Format Flyable Subwoofers.

Peak Hire's EAW arsenal was already sizeable, including 16 EAW KF730 Compact Line Array Modules and eight EAW SB730 Compact Line Array Subwoofers, along with a good stock of EAW JFX88 Compact Full-Range Loudspeakers, EAW JFX200i Compact Full-Range Loudspeakers and EAW SBX220 Compact Subwoofers. The purchase of KF850 and SB1002 units is a significant investment in large-scale EAW systems, further enhancing Peak Hire's commitment to their market sectors and clients and dedication to the EAW brand.

Peak Hire Managing Director Karl Ashman stated, "EAW has long been a staple in our inventory of sound reinforcement components, and over the years, our clients have always commented about the outstanding sound quality of their modules. That being said, we have increased our warehouse of EAW System Modules and Subwoofers to meet the equipment demands from our clients in live sound and corporate conferences, as well as theatrical productions."

Posted by EAW at 8:06 AM | Permalink

Leading Spanish multi-media/audio provider FOCUS, S.A. was recently contracted to furnish sound reinforcement for Pride Barcelona 09, a huge GLBT event attended by an estimated 15,000 people. The event was held June 28 at Avenida Maria Cristina in Barcelona, Spain. As they often do, FOCUS turned to EAW, a world leader in audio system solutions, for loudspeakers and processors for the night's main stage concert, which featured several live musical artists and DJs performing well into the early hours of the morning.

The main P.A. system consisted of 16 EAW KF760 Line Array Modules (eight on each side of the stage), eight EAW KF730 Compact Line Array Modules (four on each side) and 16 EAW SB1000z Large Format Subwoofers, all processed by EAW UX8800 Digital Signal Processors. Onstage sound for the bands was accomplished with eight EAW JFX260i Compact Full-Range Loudspeakers, and for stage monitoring for the DJs, FOCUS used two side fills formed by one EAW SB730 Compact Line Array Subwoofer and two JFX260i modules per side. All components were amplified by Lab.gruppen FP Series amplifiers, and FOCUS used Smaart Live 5.4 for the adjustment and alignment of the system.

  
  Pepe Ferrer of FOCUS, S.A., stated, "We are big supporters of EAW's products and technological innovations. For this event, we were particularly delighted that the UX8800 gave us access to EAW's proprietary Gunness Focusing Technology. That allowed us to phase all of the EAW speakers in very specific ways, giving us the possibility of multiple configurations."

Posted by EAW at 3:39 PM | Permalink

London, England's Clapham Grand nightclub, located in a historic theater space, was recently renovated, and the club's P.A. system features outstanding sound thanks to loudspeaker and processor components from EAW, a world leader in audio system technology. South Africa-based pro audio distributor/installer Surgesound supplied the equipment, and the London branch of the SSE Audio Group installed the system and is in charge of its maintenance.
The system consists of four EAW DC4 Medium-Format Dance Club Loudspeakers, four EAW DCS2 Bent Horn Dance Subwoofers, 10 EAW JFX100i Compact Full-Range Loudspeakers and one EAW UX8800 Digital Signal Processor. Lab.gruppen FP+ Series and C Series units are used for amplification.
The owner of London's Clapham Grand also has several venues throughout South Africa, many of which feature EAW units supplied by Surgesound. Andrew Rowan, Managing Member of Surgesound, stated, "We have equipped many of those venues with EAW, including the award-winning Manhattan Club in Rivonia, Johannesburg, as well as Tiger Tiger, which is located in Cape Town. And at the same time Clapham Grand London was set up, we were installing a similar system at another Clapham Grand in Durban, South Africa. For that system, we used EAW JFX88 Compact Full-Range Loudspeakers instead of JFX100i's, but other than that the specifications are identical."  Rowan continued, "We have supplied EAW products for spaces throughout South Africa and even in different parts of the world, and everyone is always pleased with EAW's sound quality, power and control. A venue like London's Clapham Grand relies on keeping the sound energetic and loud, yet with a balanced clarity, and EAW components exceed the demands of club-goers and audio professionals alike."

Posted by EAW at 10:05 AM | Permalink

EAW is now shipping the DX1208 DSP Matrix Mixer. The direct result of end-user feedback, the market-driven, easy-to-use DX1208 represents the next generation of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) from EAW, maintaining EAW's highest standards while providing end users with an intuitive, high-performance, yet cost effective solution. Its expandability options, combined with its deep feature set, make this mixer ideal for a wide range of commercial and install applications.  

"The DX1208 was introduced at InfoComm 2009 in June, and it received an overwhelmingly positive response from contractors and system integrators," stated EAW Commercial Product Manager Dave Raneses. "Six weeks later, we are shipping the product, and we look forward to meeting the demand that has spread since InfoComm."

The DX1208 is a 12-input, 8-output 1U-rackspace DSP matrix mixer. Eight inputs are mic/line capable, with selectable 48-volt phantom power provided when the user selects mic level. Four additional inputs on unbalanced RCA connectors allow the users to "stack" inputs, increasing the number of audio sources that can be connected. An additional four digital inputs are available on S/PDIF with sample rate conversion to 48 kHz. All 12 inputs are included in the audio matrix and can be assigned DSP functions prior to distributing signal at line level.

The DX1208 can also receive up to six logic inputs and send up to three logic outputs, combined on a single 18-pin connector and programmable via the included EAW DX Navigator software. The DX1208 has serial RS-232 remote capabilities via a DB9 connector on the rear panel, for control by AMX®/Crestron® and other third party integrated control systems. Two RJ-45 connections are provided as well, for linking multiple (up to eight) DX Link-enabled products together in a ring network topology.

A remote control port (RJ-25 connector) is included on the rear panel, facilitating the linking of two different types of remotes, all mounted on wall panels. Up to 10 remotes can be attached to the DX1208, and each is individually addressable.

The DX1208 is supplied with EAW DX Navigator software that allows access to all of the system's settings and configurations. The expected range of user-adjustable processing such as EQ filters, gates, compressors/limiters, priority assignment, delay, gain and crossovers are included. In addition, up to 24 programmable presets are available per DX1208; the programming interface is flexible, with connection via the USB port on the front panel or the Ethernet jack or DB9 connector on the rear panel. The DX1208 employs a universal power supply, 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz.

DX1208 Features:
- 32-bit DSP and 24-bit analog-digital conversion
- Eight balanced mic/line inputs and four unbalanced line inputs
- Four digital input channels via S/PDIF
- Six programmable logic inputs, three programmable logic outputs
- 16-channel DX Link expansion bus
- USB, Ethernet and RS-232 connectivity

Posted by EAW at 10:08 AM | Permalink