KLARK TEKNIK FLIES HIGH AT NEW HEATHROW TERMINAL 5
Klark Teknik's UK distributor Shuttlesound has supplied seven DN9848E system controllers to Pro Audio Systems for installation in the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. The DN9848Es are being used to drive all the speaker systems in the main World Duty Free retail area.
The Bradford-based company won the contract for the design and sound installation, advising World Duty Free on the best way to operate a fully integrated, high quality sound and visual media marketing package which would provide clear and intelligible audio while being sympathetic to the aesthetics of the retail environment.
Pro Audio Systems created an integrated network of high quality audio systems across seven World Duty Free stores in the terminal. The seven zones are fed from two control areas. Each zone can play separate or global, scheduled material, with some of the areas staging live performances or events such as personal appearances, acoustic music sets and celebrity makeovers. The speakers range from ceiling mounted distributed systems through stereo Left Right with Sub to more complex arrangements. Each zone is controlled by a DN9848E processor, all seven of which are networked to allow connection in either control room and access all devices simultaneously using KT's Elgar control software.
Pro Audio Systems' managing director Brian Lumb worked closely with the retailer for two years to bring the project in on time and within budget.
"We've been enthusiastic users of Klark Teknik products for some time, and have 9848Es in our rental stock," he says. "As I'm familiar with their features and reliability it was a simple decision to make; their quality is second to none. All the processors required four inputs and in some cases more than six outputs, and the DN9848E is one of the few models available to provide this. The routing is ultimately flexible and the Ethernet ports made the programming process very easy.
"We used individual system controllers for this application to add a degree of redundancy to the system, so if there was ever a processor failure, it wouldn't be complete and catastrophic. Saying that, we've never experienced any reliability issues with DN9848s or DN9848Es, and their specification and performance is excellent. I feel very confident we have chosen the correct product for the job."
Mark Riches, World Duty Free Managing Director adds: "We are delighted with the results. Pro Audio Systems have helped us to realise our ambition of delivering a world class store, with world class and ground breaking systems. The audio system is second to none and a real first in travel retail."
ENDS
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Editors' information:
Klark Teknik was founded in 1974 and in the years immediately following, their innovative approach to design and development allowed them to introduce some truly groundbreaking designs. Klark Teknik was responsible for the world’s first digital delay and digital reverb units, however it was their concepts for equalisation devices that really changed the world of professional audio resulting in the DN370 and the famous DN360. Today Klark Teknik continues to bring innovation in design and dedication to engineering and sonic quality in both the analogue and digital realm of signal processing, with the Square ONE and Show Command ranges updating the brand.

