High Frequencies: Yamaha Flies In The DOX Airship
Perhaps one of the most unusual cultural buildings in Europe, from ground level the airship at DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague appears to float above the surrounding buildings. For those that venture inside it, a Yamaha audio system proves that great sound in an airship is no flight of fancy.
Named Gulliver, after the fictional traveller, the 42m long, 120-capacity steel and wood airship is a permanent space for lectures, exhibitions, screening and other cultural events. It was the idea of DOX founder Leoš Válka and his belief that, even in today’s fast-paced, globalised world, things can be done differently.
Gulliver’s intentionally symbolic shape recalls the Zeppelin era, representing utopian ideals of unprecedented technological advance, so it’s appropriate that it features a state-of-the-art AV installation.
Specified and installed by Martin Vondrášek of the Prague-based AVT Group, the audio system comprises four Yamaha VXS5W speakers arrayed along each side of the ‘body’, powered by an XMV8140 multi-channel amplifier, with signal distribution and processing by an Yamaha MTX5-D matrix processor.
Audio inputs come from wireless microphones, a laser projector and a waterproof connection panel for extra AV equipment, as required. Further rooms at DOX Prague are currently being refitted with new AV systems, including Yamaha matrix processors, mixing consoles and i/o units - ensuring that the visitor experience never goes down like a lead balloon.
Photos
