A variety of NEXO sound reinforcement loudspeakers have been installed by audio systems integrator T.G.Baker at the famous intu Trafford Centre in Greater Manchester. These have been fitted in the atrium space known as The Orient, which is Europe’s largest food court and features more than 30 restaurants, cafes and bars.
intu Trafford Centre is the second largest shopping centre in the UK, now owned by Intu Properties. Hosting more than 30 million visits annually, The Orient food court is its entertainment and hospitality hub. Attracting nearly 30,000 visitors a week, this two-level atrium space is also used for live events, fashion shows and seasonal celebrations, centred around a giant video screen.
Systems integrator T.G. Baker worked closely with NEXO’s UK office to design a complete audio solution for this large and reverberant space. The primary system is a NEXO GEO M6 compact line array, with 6-box hangs of white M620 loudspeaker cabinets bracketing the huge video screen. These small speakers throw sound over 50 metres across the main seating area of the food court, supplemented by a pair of NEXO LS18 subbass units discreetly fitted into the structural surrounds.
Around the large atrium, the space on the ground and first floor is served by 8 pairs of NEXO’s super-compact point-source loudspeakers, the ID Series. The design has used white models with a 120° x 40° dispersion pattern, and all 16 units are time-aligned, using BSS Soundweb.
“As it is the 20th anniversary of the intu Trafford this year, our client wanted a state-of-the-art system to complement their world-class service. They wanted the option of adjusting the SPL of each pair independently, to suit different events,” explains T.G.Baker Project Director Jason Longworth. “To make this simple and user-friendly, we customised a BSS control page for the output levels.”
Four NXAMP 4×1 controller/amplifiers are powering the whole system. Each pair of ID Series is on a separate channel, with another 4 channels handling the GEO M6 line array. The fourth amplifer is used for the LS18 subs.
The NEXO cabinets sit on an existing fibre network, installed by T.G.Baker when intu Trafford Centre was opened in 1998. It will also play a role in the safety and evacuation provision for The Orient, and has been set up to supplement the existing voice alarm system.
Jason Longworth says, “the choice of the NEXO products was based largely on our excellent relationship with NEXO UK, where Gareth Collyer helped us with the system design, using NEXO’s proprietary NS-1 modelling and prediction software. Both the ID series and the GEO M6 are notably small cabinets relative to their output, so the results are aesthetically pleasing as well as sonically efficient.”
Further information:
www.tgbaker.com
