If there’s one thing that education centres need from their sound systems, it’s simply this: everything.
High-quality sound, robust construction and a variety of input options are all required from set-ups that are easy to configure and control. It’s a long wish list, but one that was quickly ticked off in late 2022 for Big Creative Academy in London, and The Broxbourne School in Hertfordshire on the outskirts of England’s capital, when they both invested in Pioneer PRO AUDIO XPRS systems.
Over at Big Creative Academy, the music department is packed with industry-standard equipment that students use in developing their writing, composing, arranging and performance skills under the guidance of experienced industry professionals. “It’s important that the equipment that the students use is of a high standard in order that their work can be represented in the best possible way,” explains AV Technician James Doran, who recently added a pair of XPRS-12 active loudspeakers to the college’s inventory. “Future industry professionals need the proper tools for the job, and our XPRS speakers definitely fit the bill,” he says. “They’re a real asset to the students. We use them primarily as a PA for rehearsing live performances in one of our music rooms, but their rotatable horns mean we can use them as floor wedges in our theatre if required. The power output is really impressive, so we’ve also been able to deploy them for performances in our outdoor areas, theatre foyer and café space.”
The Broxbourne School is renowned for technical excellence and decided to invest in a Pioneer PRO AUDIO system not only for the use of students in its highly regarded music department, but also for assemblies, speeches, presentations and drama performances. The kit needed to be modular, portable, user-friendly and – as is always the case in an education setting – rugged and robust. They opted for two XPRS-12 compact active loudspeakers supplemented by two XPRS-115S reflex-loaded active subwoofers.
Keith Parris, Deputy Head at the school was impressed with the speakers from the start: “Used as a full PA for music and drama performances, the XPRS system delivers real power and clarity with plenty of headroom, and more than meets the needs of our larger productions. What’s also great is that it can be broken down into its component parts for a wide range of uses. We might use just one or both of the XPRS-12 units for spoken word presentations in a classroom setting or as floor monitors for music rehearsals. The presets on the back of the speakers work well, so it’s a simple matter of plugging and playing.”
Driven by Powersoft Class D amplifiers, the XPRS Series speakers are built with enclosures made from hard-wearing birch plywood, making them the ideal choice for settings where high-quality audio needs to be matched by durability. In fact, the speakers come with a seven-year warranty, a true indication of the confidence Pioneer PRO AUDIO has in its kit. Parris is also a fan of their ruggedness, as he explains: “Given the fact that the speakers allow us such flexibility, they’re in great demand throughout the school and are in pretty much constant use. Toughness and reliability are essential in an environment like ours and the XPRS build quality is exactly what we need.”
With 4 EQ preset modes, the XPRS loudspeakers can adapt to different applications with a simple turn of a rotary switch on the back of each unit. Their flexible connectivity, comprising two balanced XLR/TRS combo sockets and an unbalanced RCA connection, means a microphone can be connected simultaneously with other devices such as line-level mixers or portable audio players. Add to these benefits advanced features to protect the drivers and amplifiers, and it’s easy to see why XPRS systems are perfect for those who are looking for versatility and reliability, as Big Creative Academy’s Doran explains:
“The plug and play element is important in saving valuable time without any compromise on audio quality, while the input options allow different source sounds to be combined quickly and easily,” he says, while also noting the speakers’ durability: “…our gear is used day in, day out, for long periods of time, so it has to be rugged and reliable. The units are incredibly robust, which gives us full confidence in their ability to withstand what is a pretty relentless workload.”
