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RG Jones equips Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross with a state-of-the-art networked audio system for even sound distribution and easy reconfigurability for special events

To enhance the atmosphere at Coal Drops Yard, the recently reinvigorated shopping and dining destination in the heart of King’s Cross, RG Jones designed and installed a cutting-edge HARMAN Professional Solutions networked audio system featuring JBL, Crown and BSS solutions.

Part of the 67-acre King’s Cross estate, Coal Drops Yard is a former offloading site for coal-carrying trains that has been transformed into a retail centre, dining destination and public gathering space. The Victorian-era brick buildings, featuring iconic architectural additions by Heatherwick Studio, now house a variety of restaurants and shops.  Located just across Regent’s Canal from the King’s Cross and St. Pancras International rail stations, Coal Drops Yard is a popular destination so to enliven the space with evenly distributed background music and support a robust events program, the venue required a flexible distributed audio system that could easily be reconfigured for different uses.

“The main goal was to give us the flexibility to support the brilliant events program at Coal Drops Yard, but we also wanted to support the day-to-day ambience of this amazing space,” said Jen Ponting, Senior Project Manager, King’s Cross. “The biggest challenge with the speaker system was the fact that this is a heritage location, meaning it’s a lot more sensitive than most venues, and we wanted any installations to be subtle and in keeping with the location. We were also sensitive to our residential community—we have residents living adjacent to Coal Drops Yard. The solution that the team came up with was to have a lot more speakers, but at a lower volume. This gave us much more flexibility and control over the sound.”

To deliver high-quality sound while complying with historical building regulations, we utilised custom mounting brackets.   JBL Control HST loudspeakers provides broad coverage on the upper-level walkway, featuring two splayed tweeters for 180-degree horizontal coverage and a wall-facing woofer design eliminating inconsistencies from reflections found in other wall-mounted speakers. JBL Control 28-1 high-output outdoor loudspeakers provide supplemental coverage underneath the walkway, with built-in InvisiBall mounting hardware that minimized damage to the buildings. All speakers feature durable all-weather construction for protection from temperature, humidity, salt corrosion and other environmental hazards.

“When choosing the speakers, we looked at pattern control and sound reproduction,” said Jon Berry, Sales and Installations Director, RG Jones. “The venue is in a very densely packed area, which was a consideration from a noise control perspective. It was very important to be able to control the dispersion of the sound, as opposed to simply putting in the biggest, loudest speakers we could. The other parameter was the visual aesthetic—it was critical that the speakers be able to blend in sympathetically with the surroundings.”

To provide precise control of the system with superb flexibility for special events, RG Jones powered the JBL speakers with network-connected Crown DCi Series amplifiers and used Soundweb London BLU-806DA signal processors for routing. In addition to providing crystal-clear amplification, Crown DCi Series amplifiers feature onboard EQ, delay and crossovers for precise speaker calibration and fine-tuning, as well as the acclaimed LevelMAX limiter suite for overload protection. Connected via the Dante audio-over-IP protocol, BSS BLU-806DA signal processors provide advanced signal routing across the entire system with easy reconfigurability.

“We’re a longtime user of BSS products and Crown amplification, and they work really well together,” added Berry. “We used all of the flexible processing and routing, we’re doing EQ and dynamics on the front-end inputs and we’re doing loudspeaker EQ, delay and crossover in the Crown amplifiers. The great thing is that this system can grow with them. It’s a very flexible and user-friendly solution.”

RG Jones created multiple custom user interfaces via HiQnet Audio Architect software, which provide varying levels of control for different users. Security staff have access to basic functions like turning the system on and off and adjusting the volume, while event operators can manipulate the routing and settings of individual speakers. Administrators can schedule changes for different times of day and even control specific speakers located near individual shops.

“The moment we switched it on, it just lifted the space,” said David Tod, Events and Enlivenment Manager, King’s Cross. “We wanted to create a natural, welcoming feeling in Coal Drops Yard, no matter the weather. A little background sound is very important to creating the sense of relaxation which we strive to achieve here. We also trialed some outdoor fitness classes in Coal Drops Yard over the summer, and the system worked brilliantly. It was able to target relatively loud music to a very specific area, so as not to disturb others in the space.”

“The moment we switched it on, it just lifted the space, creating a natural, welcoming feeling, no matter the weather. It was able to target relatively loud music to a very specific area, so as not to disturb others in the space.”

David Tod, Events and Enlivenment Manager, King’s Cross

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Category: Install Projects, Projects & Case Studies

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