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  •   A.C. Entertainment Technologies makes a Splash at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

A.C. Entertainment Technologies makes a Splash at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

1st April 2009

A.C. Audio, a division of A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd., has recently supplied a sound and control system to Blackpool Pleasure Beach for their latest outdoor display, the Spectacular Dancing Water Show. The new high energy, interactive water display is situated at the heart of the beach complex, providing various theatrical showers of shooting fountains over 100ft high. Choreographed to a vast repertoire of music including classical, pop and even rugby anthems, this thrilling attraction is expected to be a huge hit for all the family.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach approached "A.C." to specify and supply a powerful, durable sound system for the water show. The system needed to be able to withstand both the wet environment and high ambient noise levels emanating from the surrounding restaurant district. Knowing KV2 Audio had previously manufactured loudspeakers to such high levels of durability, A.C. Audio Sales Manager Peter Butler turned to KV2 with the brief. He commented:

"The reliability of the loudspeakers is imperative due to the nature of this attraction. With the system running on an almost continual basis throughout the opening hours of the park, KV2 was my first and preferred choice." Peter continued: "Although the physical durability of the boxes was an extremely important factor, ensuring the quality of sound was not compromised for this reason was a top priority. Having previous experience with the KV2 ES Series in areas with high ambient noise, there was no doubt in my mind that the sound performance would be unparalleled."

Situated in the surrounding buildings at the perimeter of the plaza, two KV2 Audio ES1.0 three-way Mid Hi enclosures and two ES2.5 dual 15" subwoofer enclosures, coupled with two EPAK2500R amplifiers, were specified to provide ample coverage for the area. The trigger system includes a Crestron timing control unit that sends a signal to fire the pre-programmed display of the 25 individual fountains set within the ground. A Marantz solid-state digital player ensures high quality playback that will not deteriorate over time.

The four loudspeakers were custom finished to ensure their extreme durability and reliability within the harsh seafront environment of this long-term fixed installation. The treatment involved coating each cabinet in tough fibreglass on the outside. Equally, the inside of each enclosure was coated in a resin-based seal, internal driver components were treated with a moisture resistant solution and all metal hardware was replaced with stainless steel fittings. This high level of protection was essential to protect the loudspeakers against exposure to the changing weather, the water from the fountains and a very high saline content within the atmosphere that causes massive erosion in a relatively short time frame.

Mick Butler, KV2 Audio Sales Director explains: "The custom coating technique our factory utilises when weatherproofing involves quite a long and complicated process. However, it does ensure our loudspeakers can be used to their full potential without altering the sonic performance and output. In this day and age, new attractions are only limited by the imagination, so having a range of speakers that can be used without detailed modification in a diverse variety of settings is very important."