AXYS Ranges Provide The Sound Solution

The Centre Court atmosphere at this year’s Wimbledon Tennis Championships was a very different one due to the absence of a roof - an environment which called for a very different loudspeaker system.
It was clear to Tim Speight and Jon Berry, of sound contractor RG Jones Sound Engineering, that installing a distributed system would not be a viable option, as the limitations on possible loudspeaker positions and cable routes would have compromised the performance of a distributed system enough to render it useless.
Jon Berry explained: “We started thinking about possibilities for a point source system, but designing a point source system that was capable of throwing the 100 metres across the bowl whilst at the same time containing the sound within the bowl to prevent noise nuisance to neighbouring courts and residents. After our experiences at St Paul’s Cathedral with Duran Audio’s DDS beam steering technology we asked them what their AXYS Target/Intellivox ranges may be able to offer. The 3D predictions they came back with convinced Tim and I that this would be a viable option for a temporary installation.”
Tim Speight said: “We then decided to do a demonstration to the client, The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, its umpires and the BBC to collect their views on the system's final design ahead of The Championships. Due to the unavailability of Centre Court, this took place in Court Number One. The demo was a success and all parties agreed that this should be the solution for Wimbledon 2007.”
For the installation, a total of thirty AXYS Target U16 mid/hi units and four AXYS Intellivox DS1608’s were installed. The area taken up by the loudspeakers was very compact, helped by the built-in DSP and amplification, and the system was invisible to the untrained observer.
Mr Speight added: "The result was very impressive and there were several comments from officials that this was the best sound that had ever been achieved in centre court.”
(CL/LC)