Vocal intelligibility for commentary as the first priority
Commentary and music from a single system
Even coverage to every seat in the arena
Everything flown, electronics included
A fast setup inside a tight event schedule
Crufts 2022 Best in Show Arena, NEC Birmingham
20,000 dogs, 38 countries, one clear voice over the arena
Crufts returned to the NEC Birmingham for the show's 118th year, drawing more than 20,000 canines from 38 countries to compete for the coveted Best in Show title. The event covered 25 areas of the NEC, including 5 halls and the Best in Show Arena. In that arena, Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 line arrays driven and controlled by Dynacord electronics carried every word of commentary and every note of music, with the entire system flown.
Case Study
Stadium / Arena
Electro-Voice
Dynacord
Europe
Crufts 2022 Best in Show Arena, NEC Birmingham
20,000 dogs, 38 countries, one clear voice over the arena
Case Study
Stadium / Arena
Electro-Voice
Dynacord
Europe
Crufts returned to the NEC Birmingham for the show's 118th year, drawing more than 20,000 canines from 38 countries to compete for the coveted Best in Show title. The event covered 25 areas of the NEC, including 5 halls and the Best in Show Arena. In that arena, Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 line arrays driven and controlled by Dynacord electronics carried every word of commentary and every note of music, with the entire system flown.
- Location
- NEC Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Install partner
- Merlin PA Hire and ARB Events
- Product highlights
- Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 · Dynacord TGX20, MXE5, SONICUE
The venue
The world's greatest celebration of dogs
Crufts is the world's greatest celebration of dogs, and 2022 marked the show's 118th year at the NEC Birmingham. More than 20,000 canines from 38 countries came to compete for the coveted Best in Show title, across 25 areas of the NEC that included 5 halls and the Best in Show Arena.
An event of that scale draws on the skill sets of multiple companies. Merlin PA Hire and ARB Events supplied and deployed the arena's audio, with ARB involved for the last 5 years. Their choice for the Best in Show Arena: a fully flown Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 system, picked for its capacity to deliver superior coverage and output from a relatively compact cabinet.
“X2 is a small but very powerful box. Crufts is certainly not a rock ‘n’ roll show, but it can get loud. The system is used for commentary and music so the vocal intelligibility that it provides is incredibly important. It also helps that X2 gives you a really good performance without the need for subs.”
Neal AllenMerlin PA
The challenge
Clear commentary for every seat, with everything flown
Crufts is not a rock and roll show, but it can get loud. The arena system carries both commentary and music, so vocal intelligibility comes first: every announcement and every result has to reach every seat in the house.
The whole audio system, electronics included, had to fly from the gantry. And with the event running 4 days, the rig needed to go up fast and run without a climb up to the amplifiers every morning and night.
The solution
6 hangs of X2, driven and controlled by Dynacord
The Best in Show Arena system comprised 6 hangs of 5 X-Line Advance X2 full-range line-array cabinets. Each array mixed 3 of the 90° horizontal coverage versions of the compact 12” two-way unit with 2 of the 120° versions, producing a smooth and even sound field to every seat in the house.
Power came from 6 Dynacord TGX20 4-channel DSP amplifiers, designed for live applications, while an MXE5 24 x 24 crosspoint performance audio matrix provided comprehensive supervision of all system-wide commands. SONICUE Sound System Software delivered control, system visibility, and direct access. With the electronics flown from the gantry alongside the loudspeakers, that remote control mattered for all 4 days of the event.
- Electro-Voice X-Line Advance X2 line arrays in 6 hangs of 5 cabinets
- 90° and 120° horizontal coverage versions mixed within each array
- 6 Dynacord TGX20 4-channel DSP amplifiers
- Dynacord MXE5 24 x 24 crosspoint performance audio matrix
- SONICUE Sound System Software for control and system visibility
“SONICUE always works well and gives you great insight into the system. But this is particularly important when the amps are in the gantry. Rather than having to go up there every day to shut the system down, the intuitive user interface gives me all the control I need to get the best out of the system when it is needed and power it down when it isn’t.”
Neal AllenMerlin PA
The result
Up in just over an hour, even to every seat
The full system went up in just over an hour, with the X2's light weight and easy rigging points drawing comments from the riggers on the speed and efficiency of getting the equipment up and down. Once in the air, the arrays delivered full-range performance without the need for subs, and SONICUE let the crew power the system down each night without a trip up to the gantry.
Baxter, the flat coated retriever from the Gundog group, became the 84th winner of the Best in Show title. The combination of Electro-Voice loudspeakers and Dynacord electronics proved to be a crowd-pleaser of its own.
Smooth, even coverage to every seat in the house
Full-range performance without subs
Setup completed in just over an hour
Remote control and power-down through SONICUE
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