When they were ready to convert it into the 425-capacity Riga, they contacted Contract Audio Visual (CAV) for their technology infrastructure. CAV's sales manager, Howard Williams, says: "They loved the power of the NEXO Alpha Touring System, in particular the heavy bass, and opted for that on a contract rental basis."
But power comes at a price, and being in a residential area the operators needed one hundred tonnes of concrete to provide the necessary sound reinforcement after CAV had carried out a noise propagation test to measure the spillage.
"Contract rental meant they could have the power with none of the risk, and have the installation and maintenance as part of the package. It also gives the client scope to change the infrastructure once they have seen what is going to work and what will not," says Williams.
CAV also provided the lighting, including two Futurelight EVO-7's from NEXO's UK distributors Fuzion plc (DiFuzion) and replaced the existing visual monitors with plasma screens.
The two owners love the power they can get from the Alpha rig, with 4000W a side rumbling out of each of the two stacks. The system, which incorporates the B1 bass bin and M3 top box, faces the DJ booth, and behind that is the first of the two bars. "In view of the proximity of the stacks to the DJ, we decided to dispense with DJ monitoring," says Williams, adding that the raw power has been tamed, controlled and optimised via NEXO's NX242 digital management system.
Ayers admits that noise pollution had been the cause of the earlier close-down and they had the foresight to make their acoustic checks prior to agreeing to the lease: nevertheless providing a 12in thick concrete roof and DDA compliance ate heavily into their budget.
"It's just as well we have been able to absorb the power of the NEXO's because when the stacks were first set up CAV ran it up to 120dB(a) at the back of the hall. But more than just power we wanted good clarity, evenly dispersed across a wide range of music - and the Alpha system certainly achieves that," says Ayers.
(Chris Henry)
