Nanxun Ancient Town, one of China's six renowned ancient towns south of the Yangtze River, is a repository of cultural riches. A night tour project aims to elevate the visitor experience through a light and sound show and Kgear, part of the K-array group, was chosen to provide audio.
The project, led by audio and video integrator, Dafeng, was multifaceted, demanding a comprehensive sound system to cover an extensive tourist route extending approximately 2km through the town. The chosen audio system needed to deliver exceptional sound quality, withstand the rigours of outdoor conditions and be easy to access for maintenance. Moreover, it needed to be discreet enough to seamlessly integrate with the historic architecture that defines Nanxun Ancient Town.
A Kgear solution was chosen for its sound quality, compact design, and rugged durability, based on GH4 and GH12 loudspeakers. Sun, system designer at Dafeng, said: “For outdoor installations, we usually need to design a lot of waterproof enclosures to protect the equipment. With the IP certification of the GH series, we were able to save on this part of the cost.”
GH4s are discreetly mounted atop lamp poles lining the walking path. Their size and design allowed them to blend with the antique lamp poles.
On the other hand, Kgear’s GH12 full-frequency array modular loudspeakers form the backbone of the PA system for each themed zone within the town, such as the Mulberry area, the Republic of China area, and the Families of Nanxun area. The G12’s form factor offers flexibility in array configurations and, in turn, reduces equipment variations and overall costs.
To solve the challenge of providing uninterrupted audio along the length of the ancient Grand Canal, G12s are flown as arrays in groups of four per side along the outside of the gallery bridge. G4s further extend sound coverage at the bridge entrances on both sides of the waterway.
The system is driven by GA series power amplifiers.
Sun explained: “The simplicity of the system across a variety of zones is a testament to the quality and versatility of KGEAR products. Because the system only uses two full-frequency loudspeakers, everyone feels that the installation is remarkably simple and smooth, while a high level of protection means the owners do not need to worry about damage to the equipment. Overall, we were able to keep costs low whilst still delivering impressive sound quality.”
Alongside the comprehensive audio system, a visual installation including high-lumen projectors was deployed to illuminate the facades of Nanxun’s ancient buildings along the main tourist routes. The combination of light and sound creates an atmospheric experience for visitors on night tours of the town.