Cabra Vale Diggers is an ex-active servicemen’s club in Canley Vale, NSW, with a hardworking auditorium that typically runs seven shows over six nights a week. Weekends most often see a queue to get in, and the clientele have a reputation for demanding the best in audio quality. Audio engineer Jimmy Vergos has looked after the club’s audio requirements for the past 18 years, about the same length of time the old PA had been installed.

“We had a very good PA system, but it had definitely gone past its use-by date.” Jimmy said. “We started looking at replacing it with a comparable level of quality, but with contemporary product. We started talking to Jands, and they offered to bring in a demo system. The JBL VTX line array system was way ahead of everything else that we had heard. Jands also brought in a Soundcraft digital mixing system for us to evaluate to replace our old analogue desk.”

After a trail period and comparisons to leading competitors, Jimmy and the team opted for a JBL VTX PA powered by Crown amplifiers, JBL on-stage monitoring, top-of-the-line Shure UHF-R radio microphones, and a Soundcraft Vi5000 digital mixer connected to a remote Vi Local Rack. “We went for quality in every detail,” confirmed Jimmy. “Right down to each cable and connector. We’re one of the only places running the Soundcraft system at its highest sample rate – 96kHz. We recently had an act through from Las Vegas, and they said ‘I wish we had this system everywhere we tour’. And the word around town with the punters is that it doesn’t get better than this. It’s been a complete change in the vibe and the atmosphere. The volume coverage is now exactly the same in the front as in the back.”

And how did Jimmy find working with Jand’s Technical Resource Group through the design and commissioning process? “Jands were awesome and their staff were great. They’ve given us exactly what we wanted, and we think if you’re going to do something, do it properly.”

Installed:

• 10x JBL VTX V20 Three-Way High Directivity Line Array Elements
• 4x JBL VTX S25 Suspendable, Cardioid-Arrayable, Dual 15″ Subwoofers
• 4x JBL VTX G28 Dual 18″ Subwoofers
• 4x JBL VTX M20 Dual 10″ Professional Stage Monitors
• 6x JBL VTX F15 15″ Bi-Amplified 2-Way Loudspeakers
• Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD Four-channel, 4000W @ 4Ω Power Amplifier
• Crown ITech 12000HD Two-channel, 4500W @ 4Ω Power Amplifier
• 2x Jands PDS6RII power distribution
• 1x Soundcraft VI5000 didigtal mixing desk
• 1x Soundcraft Vi Local Rack
• 6x Shure UHF-R dual-channel wireless microphone systems

Jands