Powersoft’s compact Mezzo amplifier platform has been installed at Kings Place, a multifunctional conference and events venue in King’s Cross, London, which comprises an arts and creative hub, office space, events and conference rooms, as well as bars and dining areas, including a waterfront restaurant.
The recently renovated Battlebridge Room is at the heart at the King’s Cross complex. It modularity, natural light and scenic views overlooking Regent’s Canal help to make it one of the venue’s most popular spaces. When it came time to upgrade the Battlebridge Room’s AV equipment, the venue approached UK integrator Marquee AV to design and install the new system
Stacey Tough, director of Marquee AV and project director for the Kings Place installation, said his design philosophy was to be as unobtrusive as possible, matching the minimalist style of both the Battlebridge Room and wider Kings Place venue.
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 powerful Mezzo amplifiers, which offer the power of the manufacturer’s larger install products, but in a compact, easier-to-hide half 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 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 inbuilt DSP, the Mezzo platform was considered a good solution.
Designed for corporate, hospitality and educational applications, Mezzo leverages Powersoft’s Smart Rail Management (SRM) technology to reduce power consumption. 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.
Tough said: “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.”
He added: “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.”
