EampE equips Shangri-La Hotel with EAW
Published: ASIA
SINGAPORE: Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd has designed and installed a discrete EAW loudspeaker system into the Island Ballroom at the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore. In conjunction with Hong Kong based consultant Ian Harris Design, E&E worked to a brief that required a powerful audio system with even coverage, to be comprised of three separately divisible units.
The 1,300-capacity ballroom’s audio system previously comprised a ceiling and portable loudspeaker solution, but hotel management recently decided that a complete sound reinforcement system was required. As E&E has fulfilled the A/V needs of the hotel for 25 years, it was an easy decision for the hotel management to opt to use the team again.
Eight EAW MK2396 12-inch two-way loudspeakers have been ceiling fixed along the entire length of the ballroom, in which each of three sections is served by stereo pairs of speakers, whilst a further two mono speakers are added to the mix when the entire ballroom is utilised. Providing 90-degrees x 60-degrees dispersion, the white finished trapezoidal cabinets blend with the ceiling, and have been channelled to pre-existing cables. Each cabinet comes with 13 mounting points, so that the enclosure can be mounted in virtually any configuration.
Powering the eight MK2396 speakers are four Powersoft M20D two-channel amplifiers, whilst Symnet processing has been added courtesy of a single Symetrix Jupiter 8 unit – which comes with eight inputs and eight outputs. Loaded with appropriate ‘apps’ optimised for the ballroom, the unit includes mixing and routing, public address and distribution, sound reinforcement, and customised signal processing. Meanwhile, the loudspeaker DSP functions can be managed via a wall mounted ARC-2e remote control unit, and presets have also been programmed for applying during certain functions.
E&E sales manager Gerald Chew affirmed that the project was straightforward given his company’s familiarity with the venue: ‘We have already installed speaker points throughout the Island Ballroom, and it is a very flexible system,’ he stated. ‘The main challenge was completing the job around the hotel’s extremely busy schedule, which ultimately meant completing the install in one weekend.’
‘I’ve been working with E&E since I started employment at the Shangri-La,’ commented Shangri-La A/V ‘veteran’ Wan Borhan. ‘E&E MD Ronald Goh has been suggesting we install a sound reinforcement system in here for years. Now that we have, we’re confident that we have the best ballroom audio system in Singapore. It has reaffirmed our position, and we can confidently market the sound system here as being first-class,’ he enthused.
The Shangri-La Hotel sits amidst 15 acres of luxuriant botanical gardens, and is within walking distance of the main entertainment and shopping district – Orchard Road. The 750-room hotel opened for business in 1973 and entices corporate events, weddings and lavish parties with its 6,000 sq-m of banqueting and ballroom space. Director of engineering Mr Chan, and Mr Borhan ensure that the A/V requirements for all events in the hotel run smoothly.