ProSound & Video, Inc. And PlanNet Bring Music To Shoppers’ Ears With JBL Loudspeakers

In a high-profile yet visually discreet testament to the sonic fidelity of JBL Control® Contractor series loudspeakers, ProSound & Video, Inc. recently installed a comprehensive audio system at The Americana at Brand, a new outdoor shopping community in Glendale, California. The system features 105 JBL Control 25AV surface-mount loudspeakers, 126 JBL Control 26CT ceiling speakers, and numerous JBL SB210 subwoofers.

The Americana at Brand has 75 retail shops, a variety of dining options, a children’s playground, as well as 100 condominiums and 238 apartments. Caruso Affiliated, the owner of The Americana at Brand, wanted background music throughout the outdoor property, yet the speakers needed to be visually unobtrusive. To accomplish this goal, consultant firm PlanNet Consulting designed an audio system that draws visitors into an enjoyable atmosphere the minute they set foot on the property. Speakers line the perimeters, synchronized with the parking lot systems, as visitors approach the shopping area.

According to Tim Waters, CTS, Principal Consultant and Manager of Audiovisual Practice at PlanNet, JBL’s commitment to customer and quality care played a huge part in the decision to use JBL for the project. “JBL was able to mock-up, in both their outdoor and indoor facilities, various demonstrations for key Caruso stakeholders,” Waters said. This allowed the Caruso team to make key decisions to listen for the best quality of a combination of speakers, visualize their sizes and be able to design them unobtrusively into the architecture and landscaping. They even custom designed light pole bases to house the Control 25AV speakers along the streets.

The audio systems at The Americana at Brand include a background music distribution system throughout the facility, which includes the integration of loudspeakers into decorative poles and trees on the property, as well as a fountain area system for the “Waters of Americana.” Wet Designs was in charge of the fountain design and took part in the auditioning of the speaker system to ensure that it provided high impact and clarity to properly complement the fountain show. The background music distribution system includes Control 26CT ceiling speakers and Control 25AV surface-mount loudspeakers. The entire system is controlled via a BSS Soundweb London platform.

According to Joe Byrne of ProSound & Video, Inc., the Control 25AV loudspeakers met a variety of criteria for use in the outdoor areas. “The durability and weatherproofing of the Control 25AV’s is excellent,” he said. “They’re compact and they have good fidelity for such a small speaker. We use them all the time so we know that they will perform reliably.”

To keep the system as discreet as possible, Byrne drew on his own creativity as well as the wide coverage pattern of the Control 29AV speakers for the fountain system, where the audio is synchronized with a periodic “fountain show” that draws shoppers to the fountain area at the front of the shopping space. “We built a system fountain featuring seven JBL Control 29AV loudspeakers that provide sound in a 360-degree pattern,” Byrne said. “We also placed three of the SB210 subwoofers in flowerbeds. We have complete coverage with no gaps, but all the speakers are very well hidden.”

For more information on ProSound & Video, Inc. , please visit www.ProSound.net

For more information on PlanNet Consulting, please visit www.plannet.net

For more information on The Americana at Brand, please visit www.americanaatbrand.com/