Protec buys Kara and Kudo systems
Published: MEA
UAE: Dubai-based rental company Production Technology (Protec) has made a substantial investment in L-Acoustics speakers over the summer with the purchase of two complete new systems. The company has bought Kara and Kudo systems adding up to 82 cabinets from the manufacturer.
‘We’re extremely excited and it is quite a bold statement,’ said senior audio technician John Parkhouse. ‘We believe we’re going to be the region’s first with Kara, which is great. A lot of people have talked about the K1 being the V-Dosc replacement and Kara being the dV replacement,’ he continued. ‘The Kara seems to be an extremely versatile box, it gives you your high-end corporate coverage as well as bolstering the rock ‘n’ roll market,’ he explained. ‘I’ve noticed that the Kara and the K1 are starting to come through on all the riders, so it puts us in a great position.’
The purchase includes 28 Kudo, 18 SB28s, 24 Kara, eight SB18s, eight LA8 touring racks all with AES/EBU capability, four 8XT speakers and flying brackets, an LA8 amp and an LA4 amp plus all the associated rigging and infrastructure. Further to this is six days of the manufacturer’s K-Standard training which will put the company into the K standard recognised format.
‘I am delighted to welcome a company with Protec’s reputation and standing in this important market,’ said L-Acoustics sales manager Peter Owen. ‘Their purchase of Kudo and Kara and with it the adoption of L-Acoustics, K standard shows their belief in the global rental network standard.
‘Protec are the first company in the Gulf to purchase Kara, and we have a number of other orders throughout the Arabian Gulf,’ continued Mr Owen. ‘I look forward to seeing Kara becoming the new standard through its quality and flexibility for multiple applications.’
This latest addition means the rental firm has invested in 166 of the manufacturers speakers over the last two years. ‘When these arrive, we will be able to send out three L-Acoustics rock ‘n’ roll rigs at once, and still have enough kit in the warehouse to do quite a few other things as well,’ stated the senior audio technician.
‘From my perspective this is a huge move forward in terms of the versatility and size of our inventory and having most of your inventory (particularly multiple different systems) from one manufacturer really enables us to deliver so much more,’ added Protec head of sound Ed Ross. ‘The comprehensive range and flexibility of L-Acoustics product range and the pure sound quality makes it a very easy choice when wanting to expand a company’s stock. Our CEO Steve Lakin has really led the way on this purchase and decided this was the time to make a large step forward with a very large purchase.’
The systems are due to arrive with Protec in mid-October and Mr Parkhouse is confident they will be put to use immediately. ‘Looking at our schedule, we’re sending it all out the door hopefully straight away. If things confirm they’ll literally deliver in the warehouse and go straight back out the door on gigs.
‘None of the crew can wait to get our hands on it and take it out, it’s putting us in quite a privileged position,’ he continued. ‘We now have a tremendous inventory, we have the tools to go out and deliver with the best equipment, you can’t really ask for more.’