Avid Automation and JPRO have collaborated to provide Culture Kings’ first retail store in New Zealand with a Harman Professional distributed audio system.
The Auckland store is located in Sylvia Park, New Zealand’s largest shopping mall. Because music plays such an important role in culture, the brand places a high degree of importance on sound quality in their stores.
Culture Kings turned to AV integrators Avid Automation to install a system capable of delivering audio throughout the store and on the live entertainment stage. Avid Automation created a distributed audio system for Culture Kings using JBL Professional speakers, Crown amplifiers and BSS signal processors.
Avid Automation worked in conjunction with JBL Professional distributor JPRO to design an audio model within Ease to calculate speaker performance, speaker location and mounting angles with the goal of focusing the audio energy within the retail space. All speaker locations were coordinated with the acoustic consultants JPRO decreed that all wall-mounted speakers should be mounted to floating bracing that is not secured to the studs or joists, while Avid Automation fabricated a custom suspension system for the live performance area.
The integrators selected JBL Control28-1 loudspeakers for the main retail area. The versatile mounting options ensured that the sound was projected in the areas they were needed, assisting with the volume requirement of the venue. The team installed a Crown Drivecore CDI2600BL installation amplifier to power the JBL Control28-1 loudspeakers, ensuring consistent audio coverage in the retail area. Meanwhile in the performance arena, the team installed JBL SRX 812P active loudspeakers and SRX818SP active subwoofers to power performances by DJs and guest artists.
Avid Automation devised an in-store SPL control system for volume management using a BSS BLU-806 processor and a SoundEar noise monitor. The BLU-806 has fully configurable open architecture that allows the BSS processor to be integrated with the SoundEar and programmed so that if the volume goes above a preset volume limit, the BLU-806 will reduce the volume and continue to do so until the user lowers the incoming level.
This achieves a more satisfying result than using limiters and compression. Signal integrity is maintained so that the audio experience within the store remains clean and undistorted. The team also installed BSS EC-8BV 8-Button controllers to further facilitate precise volume control of various zones.