UK - The Crosville Social Club in the North Wales city of Bangor is a multi-use venue whose origins lie in traditional working-class social club culture. Formerly the after-work haunt of the city’s bus-drivers, the club has evolved into a community hub, providing facilities for a broad range of events. Its membership and clientele crosses the generations, and the club’s continued existence owes much to its forward-thinking outlook.
Whether promoting its regular traditional staples of cabaret, comedy and bingo, or hosting DJ sessions, live bands and wide-ranging private events, the club remains committed to sustaining a cultural hub for the whole community. As the scope of its ambitions has broadened, so the need for high quality technical provision has developed.
Good audio is crucial to supporting the club’s varied programme and following a recent review of its provision, its committee decided to invest in a Pioneer DJ XPRS2 system, as chairman Jim Conway explains: “The PA we were using was old and it was becoming obvious that we needed to upgrade our audio to meet the requirements of our ever-expanding programme and the demands of private hires. The Crosville Club is a deceptively large space and we felt that our existing system lacked the power and quality to really fill the room.”
Having spoken to a number of regular users of the club including local DJs and musicians, the club considered a number of options. They needed a powerful plug-and-play system which was robust enough to withstand the rigours of regular handling, easy to use, fell within its budget, and was versatile and flexible enough to cater for everything from speeches to DJ sets.
Jim continues: “The Pioneer DJ XPRS2 system was recommended by a DJ and musician who suggested it would fit the bill for all our needs. He was right, and we’re very pleased with its performance. It’s simple to use and the presets enable us to adapt easily to different applications. Being a plug and play setup means that we can use the speakers as a pair or individually, depending on where they’re placed in the room and what we’re using them for. Above all, for our main events, they deliver clean powerful sound right to the back of the room.”
The Crosville Club, the floor area of which is approximately 25m x 6m, invested in a pair of Pioneer DJ XPRS152 15” 2-way active loudspeakers. Designed to provide quality coverage for mid-sized to large venues, the XPRS152 features Class D 2000W amplification and contains four different DSP preset modes - live, music, speech and studio monitoring - to address different use cases.
North Wales-based hip hop artist and DJ, Owen MacLean aka A Gent Orange of the Mostly Hosts brand, was the catalyst for the Club’s choice: “I play a lot around North Wales and the North-West of England, and I’d encountered the XPRS and XPRS2 Series on many occasions, either as booth monitors at bigger places or front of house at smaller or medium sized venues. They always sounded great, so when the Crosville Club asked for suggestions, I recommended them straight away.
“I’ve been involved with promoting a number of DJ-based events at the Club in recent times and the old system used to struggle in terms of quality and throw. The XPRS2 15-inch units don’t have any such problems in what is quite a big space. The sound is crisp and powerful from front to back. The new speakers have made a huge difference.”
Jim feels that the club has made a sound investment: “The XPRS2 speakers are an excellent asset for the club. We run a very tight ship and these loudspeakers have some serious power and quality for products that didn’t break the bank. Having an excellent and reliable audio system extends the scope of what we’re able to put on here.
“For example, many young bands and up-and-coming DJs don’t always own their own PA, so we’re able to encourage that talent and give them opportunities to play live. All in all, we’re delighted with the Pioneer DJ setup and the enhancement it’s made to what we feel is a vital part of the arts in Bangor.”
