UK-based system integrator Marquee AV took advantage of the discreetness and flexibility of Powersoft’s compact Mezzo amplifier platform for a new AV installation at Kings Place, a multifunctional conference and events venue in King’s Cross, London.
Located in the vibrant King’s Cross area, close to landmarks such as the British Library, Bloomsbury Theatre and St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, Kings Place is a mixed-use development that includes an arts and creative hub, office space, events and conference rooms, and bars and dining areas, including a waterfront restaurant. The recently renovated Battlebridge Room is at the heart at the Kings Cross complex, its modularity, natural light and scenic views (overlooking Regent’s Canal) helping to make it one of the venue’s most popular spaces.
Kings Place is an existing client of Marquee AV, and when it came time to upgrade the Battlebridge Room’s AV equipment the venue again approached Marquee – a long-time user of Powersoft amplifiers – to design and install the new system. Stacey Tough, director of Marquee AV and project director for the Kings Place installation, explains that his design philosophy was to be as inobtrusive as possible, matching the sophisticated, minimalist style of both the Battlebridge Room and wider Kings Place venue.
To that end, Tough specified a Bose Professional MA12EX column speaker system, installed discreetly at either side of the screens at the room’s focal point, and Powersoft’s small-but-mighty Mezzo amplifiers, which offer all the power and reliability of the manufacturer’s larger install products but in a compact, easy-to-hide ½ rack-unit form factor.
For the Battlebridge Room, Marquee opted for one Mezzo 602 AD and one Mezzo 322 AD two-channel amplifier, which deliver 600W and 320W of output respectively to the Bose Professional system. Additionally, the ultra-flexible AD models add audio networking capabilities via Dante/AES67, as well as an internal Gigabit Ethernet switch with a second port, allowing multiple products to share the same network.
With room to accommodate up to 400 people for a variety of events, including networking receptions, corporate dinners and wedding celebrations, it was important that the Battlebridge Room system be flexible enough to handle a broad range of applications. With its analogue and digital inputs, power sharing capabilities, and state-of-the-art inbuilt DSP, the Mezzo platform was the ideal solution.
Designed for corporate, hospitality and educational applications, Mezzo leverages Powersoft’s Smart Rail Management (SRM) technology to reduce power consumption, providing integrators with unparalleled energy efficiency, power density and thermal dissipation values. By minimising the amount of power needed to run the amplifier, end users can benefit from low running costs and reduced CO2 emissions.
Complementing the Powersoft amplifiers and Bose loudspeaker system are a Q-SYS TSC-70-G3 touch screen, a Q-SYS Core 110f v2 processor, and a Blackmagic Videohub, including a Smart Videohub 12 × 12 SDI matrix, for video content.
Commenting on the Battlebridge Room’s new AV system, Tough comments: “Both aspects of the AV in this space have seen significant improvements. The speaker system has greatly enhanced sound distribution throughout the conference room and the SDI implementation has stabilised and simplified the video path element of the requirement.”
On the choice of the Powersoft amplifiers, he adds: “We regularly use Powersoft in our projects, as their products are high quality and reliable. With its compact footprint, wide range of inputs and, in particular, its compatibility with Dante, Mezzo AD was the perfect choice to deliver high-quality audio and remote control and monitoring of the new AV system.”
