POWERSOFT AMPLIFIERS BRING BIG BROADWAY SOUND TO MOONLIGHT AMPHITHEATRE

Powersoft Green Design Saves On Space, Electric and Cooling Costs

VISTA, CA, October 15, 2009 – The recent re-construction of the Moonlight Amphitheatre, a city-owned, city-run outdoor facility presenting Broadway musical productions, featured a new sound system powered by 34 Powersoft amplifiers. The sound system, designed by Acoustic Dimensions, covers the 900 permanent seats and the 1,200-capacity lawn area with separate vocal and music systems. The choice of Powersoft was based on sound quality, on-board DSP and space considerations with resulting electric service and cooling equipment savings.powersoft_moonlight-amphitheater.JPG

“We needed to power an extensive system, in terms of number of speakers and speaker locations, with a very minimal number of amplifiers that had to fit in a space constrained area,” says Jeff Miller, LEED accredited senior design consultant for Acoustic Dimensions. “As Powersoft amplifiers take up only a single rack space, our amplifier racks only needed 34 spaces to accommodate them as opposed to 68 or 102 spaces for traditional amplifiers. This allowed us to have additional space for future expansion. Powersoft amps are also extremely efficient so they draw far less power and transmit far less heat than a traditional power amplifier. This meant that we had to supply fewer electrical circuits on installation and greatly reduced the cooling capacity to the room by somewhere between 50 to 100 percent. These installation cost savings alone justified the investment in Powersoft and the operating savings over the long term are a real bottom line bonus. So, from a green standpoint, we're making a double reduction in terms of energy usage – both between the amps and the cooling systems.”

powersoft_moonlight-amphitheater_jeff-miller.JPGAs this system was the facility's first permanent installation, a primary consideration was sound quality. According to Miller, extensive tests were run on many amplifiers with Powersoft consistently running at or near the top in terms of sound quality. The final vocal system featured six Powersoft Q4004 powering a weather-treated JBL system with five AC18/95, five PD5322/64, seven PD5322/43 and 14 AC18/99 speakers. The JBL sub-bass system consisted of 12 Vertec VT4882 speakers electronically steered by six Powersoft K6 DSP amplifiers. The music system featured 16 JBL Vertec VT4888 speakers powered by eight Powersoft K3 DSP and eight Powersoft K6 DSP amplifiers.

The system for the upper lawn seating area used 12 JBL VRX932LA-1 speakers driven by four Powersoft Q4004 amplifiers, while the monitor/effects system consisted of eight JBL AM6212/00-WRX with yoke mounts, four JBL AM6212/00 with yoke mounts, six JBL AC16 and four JBL SRX-712M speakers driven by two Powersoft Q4004 amplifiers.

“Powersoft K-Series amps also give us the advantage of having built-in DSP processing for both the music and sub-bass speakers,” states Miller. “As we could do all of our processing settings for EQ, cross over, delay and our subwoofer steering all inside the amplifiers, we didn't need to add a separate processing system for those functions. As the industry is moving towards green designed components to help save on operating costs, Powersoft amplifiers really shine for this installation.”

About Powersoft

Powersoft is the world leader in lightweight, high power, single rack space, energy efficient amplifiers for the professional audio market. Headquartered in Florence, Italy, with offices in Farmingdale, NY, Powersoft couples the experience and precision of its production department with exceptional components to deliver products with perfect audio response and high performance reliability. Its state-of-the-art amplifiers can be found in an array of markets, ranging from stadiums, sporting arenas, theme parks, performance venues and airports to convention centers, churches and clubs. For more information, visit the Powersoft Web site at www.powersoft-audio.com.