Electro-Voice

An extensive Electro-Voice sound system at the new BB King’s Blues Club & Grill in West Palm Beach, Florida does justice to the legendary guitarist’s reputation for excellent tone. The West Palm Beach location joins a growing list of BB King’s around the U.S., including Memphis, Nashville, Orlando and Las Vegas.

The venue’s main performance room features two main loudspeaker arrays comprising two EVA2082S/126 (120 x 60 coverage) over one EVA2082S/1220 (120 x 20 coverage), with two Phoenix series PX2181 (2x 18”) subwoofers under the stage for low-end support. Just one CP4000S is required to power the main arrays, and one more to power the mighty PX subs. An EV DC-One processor controls the system. The system is also supplemented by five EV Xi-1082 low-profile zone speakers covering the entryway and areas behind the EVA arrays, all powered by a single CPS 4.5 four channel amplifier.

 

The stage monitor spread features four TX1152FM (15”) and six TX1122FM (12”) from EV’s innovative Tour X family – ten boxes on six mixes. A single TX1181 subwoofer supplies drum fill, topped-off with another TX1122FM wedge. As with the EVA boxes, a sophisticated passive crossover network means only four Q1212 amps are required to power the whole TX monitor system! This adds up to a total of eight amplifiers for the entire main room system, including a spare CP4000S on standby.

 

Jeff Dunn is in charge of production at the new West Palm Beach location, and played a key role in specifying the EV sound system:

 

“EV was at the top of my list. I’ve been around a lot of EV gear over the course of my career and I knew that they would have something just right for our needs. What is most surprising about the EV equipment in this system is how efficient it all is, both in terms of power consumption and in terms of the bang-for-the-buck. It’s amazing what this system can do with so few amps in the rack. And the fact that it sounds so good running almost flat also tells us that this is a quality system. You can’t go wrong with EV components.”

 

The 18’ high performance space at the new venue is conjoined with the restaurant/lounge area, so management wanted to ensure the sound was kept contained in the appropriate areas, all while maintaining the ambience of a blues club. The venue is home to an 11-piece house band, complete with horn section and multiple vocalists, that performs a set including, of course, a slew of blues standards. The club’s new EV system also makes it rider-ready for the touring acts that will roll through, along with leading regional acts. “The EVA arrays keep the sound precisely focused,” says Dunn, “so the main room stays rocking while other guests can have a conversation in back of the space without shouting. Though the EVA boxes can go down surprisingly low in terms of frequency response, we have them crossed over into the PX subs at 95Hz, just to take some of the weight off. These are serious subs! I’ve only seen see the yellow 0dB light come on occasionally on the CP4000S amp, even when we’re really pumping a DJ set.”
 

The EV spec doesn’t end there; Dunn wanted to try EV’s new PL Series microphones on stage, and they also impressed: “They’re very well made and they sound great. We’re using the DK7 drum pack, which includes the PL33 kick mic and the PL35, which is awesome on toms. The PL35’s clip on easily and the bend for the XLR jack is wonderfully designed – it keeps them out of the way. I’m using all EV mics on all the drums and I’m very happy with that.”

 

The system was flown by Gary Parker of Advanced Products Enterprises. “Gary did an excellent job of connecting the EVA flying grid to the ceiling, which can be adjusted if there was ever the desire to do so,” Dunn says.

 

The West Palm Beach location opened on the first weekend of December, 2010. “We’ve heard nothing but positive reviews from both guests and our management,” Dunn adds. “EV has proven an excellent choice for BB King’s, and I hope the partnership continues to grow.”