Pioneer has announced its entry into the professional audio market with the launch of its flagship club sound system. Along with sub-brand TAD, Pioneer has a long heritage in high-quality audio, and the company says that Pioneer DJ’s expertise in the pro-DJ market makes the move into club sound systems a natural progression.
The company has partnered with Gary Stewart of Gary Stewart Audio (GSA), whose sound systems have roused clubbers in iconic venues around the world, including Singapore’s Zouk and Costa Rica’s Club Vertigo. Another element of the partnership is Powersoft, which has provided high-performance amplifiers. The new offering is promised to make its mark in Ibiza this summer.
Marta Robowsky, manager at Gary Stewart Audio, said: “We wanted to partner with a manufacturer who shared our vision of reproducing the best sound for the club environment. The technological synergy between Pioneer and Gary Stewart Audio will provide the ultimate nightclub sound system.”
Pioneer’s Alex Barrand, the sound engineer behind the Ministry of Sound London’s award-winning sound system upgrade in 2008, oversaw the development process. He said: “We didn’t just want to enter the market; we wanted to be the best in the market… You have to hear it to believe it.”
Pioneer’s new club system includes two series of passive speakers, GS-WAVE series and XY series, the combination of which is designed for a wide variety of installations.
GS-WAVE are 3m-high dance floor stacks with wide dispersion, designed to deliver sonic clarity and high SPL across the whole frequency range. The components are: a multi-fold hyperbolic horn subwoofer (WAV-SUB) with large horn extension (WAV-HORN); a dual 15in high-power upper bass box (WAV-LOW); twin acoustic lens and horn with two coaxial compression drivers (WAV-LENS); and an omnidirectional super tweeter pod (WAV-TWPOD).
The more compact XY series is intended for use as DJ booth monitors or as PA speakers in smaller rooms. The DJ monitors are available in 12in or 8in versions, and feature a rotatable horn with wide dispersion of 90° x 60°, and a high-quality internal passive crossover with separate cooling zones. Also in the range is a dual 15in quasi-bandpass subwoofer and a reflex-loaded 18in subwoofer with ceramic driver. Multiple installation options are available, including brackets, pole mounts, top hats, flying cradle and other accessories for quick set-up.
The whole system is supported by Powersoft K-Series DSP amplifiers, which come with preset data to maximise the performance of the speakers.
Barrand concluded: “We’re installing the flagship sound system in a number of world-famous clubs in Ibiza and beyond, including a complete club re-fit, which we’ll be announcing in the coming weeks.”
