Biamp

Audio companies are justifiably pleased with every new installation of their products, but US-based Community Professional Loudspeakers is especially proud when its products go beyond long-term anniversaries.

The Community installation at the Duke Point Ferry Terminal at Nanaimo on Vancouver Island has been facing the full force of coastal weather 365 days a year for 15 years. The cluster system, which utilizes Community's legendary M4 compression driver on five PC1542M and three PC1564M long-throw, pattern-control horns, was designed by Barry McKinnon of MC Squared System Design Group of Vancouver and installed by Don Crocker and the team at Victoria, BC-based Sound Source & Lightrix.

BC Ferries built the Duke Point Ferry Terminal in 1997. The Duke Point main audio system was designed to broadcast from a single point to avoid signal delays and echoes across its wide area of coverage. The tower mounted loudspeakers are also positioned so that the audio does not aim or spill towards residential areas on nearby Gabriola Island. A recent check determined the system is still performing perfectly today.

With the central cluster main system covering the vehicle waiting areas, two secondary smaller loudspeaker zones cover the passenger drop-off area and parking lots at the north end and the outdoor concession tables on the east side. Both of the secondary zones are delayed from the main speaker tower.

The systems coverage was well designed, as Barry McKinnon observed, "We did a review of all the BC Ferry terminal paging systems about 11 years ago as part of a review of their terminal wayfinding and signage, and Duke Point was the baseline for having uniform levels and intelligibility with zero multiple arrivals".

Don Crocker commented, "Longevity is essential in applications like this. We may not get frequent refit business, but as a reference it's invaluable. We've had some amps fail due to lightning strikes, but the loudspeakers have worked perfectly since they were installed. Our reputation relies on the products we install and we know we can always depend on Community to meet specification and deliver industry-leading weather resistance and long-term reliability".