LIVE - JBL A SERIES
13 May 2024
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Proud VTX A Series Owners
Rockstar Productions – Coomera, QLD
John Yost of Rockstar Productions boasts a stock of A6 and A8 line array elements, plus G28 and B18 subs. “We’re using them every chance we get because they’re so scalable,” says John. “The amount of output that we get out of them means we need less boxes. Four months ago, at a James Reyne concert at Alexander Hills Hotel, we used two B18 subs a side and three line array elements a side for 1,000 people, which is unheard of. 10 years ago, if you said you could use four 18 inch subs for 1,000 people they’d say you had rocks in your head. We did 15,000 people for New Year’s Eve at Broadwater Parklands with the A8s flown and A6s as front fill. We also used A6s on stands as delays, and that was pure magic.”
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“I can set up a ground stack by myself, which is incredible. With a four channel Crown amp, you can run 16 elements. All of the VTX A products are designed to work with each other and have the same voicing; they all play well with each other. I can’t speak highly enough of A Series. I’m probably going to be selling off some of my other systems so I can buy more of it.”
Centrestate Sound & Lighting – Orange, NSW
Allan Brown’s Centrestate runs 16 A8s and six B28 subs on Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD amps. “We’re typically flying the whole system on the big festivals we do,” explains Allan. “There’s the Elvis Festival in Parkes, which is huge and just added another day. There’s other themed festivals we supply too; there’s ABBA, Dolly Parton, and David Bowie festivals. There’s a big festival over in Forbes called Frost and Fire, right on the winter solstice. Dunedoo have a mini ‘Day on the Green’; they call it ‘Tunes on the Turf’.
“The A Series is a huge improvement on JBL’s previous products. It takes up less truck, it’s lighter, and more efficient. It goes up and down easy. In sound, it’s smoother than older JBL; it hasn’t got that bark at 2kHz that everybody used to talk about.
That’s definitely in the past.”
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“I can’t fault MadisonAV as a supplier. When they found out they couldn’t deliver the subs I ordered for quite a while, they loaned me six G28s to keep until my order came in. How many companies do that? I’ve really got to say thanks to them, they got me out of a tight spot when it really mattered.”
Stage & Audio – Rockhampton, QLD
Stage & Audio own 24 A8s and 18 B18 subwoofers. “In addition to running production and hire as Stage & Audio, we put on our own events under the brand Capricorn Events,” explains Head Technician Aaron Buchholz. “We put on our own festivals in Rockhampton, Bundaberg, and Emerald this year, with plans to expand that into other cities in coming years.”
“We often split this system into three, with four tops and three subs aside, ground stacked. It goes out all the time. Over the Easter weekend, we split it in two, with half at Gladstone Harbour Festival and half at Rockynats here in Rockhampton. Because we wanted six subs a side at each show, we borrowed six more from MadisonAV, and just had to pay the freight, which was awesome. It’s good to have that kind of support.”
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“We love how compact the A8s are, and how efficient it is with amp channels. We run a Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD and an-Tech 12000HD in a 7RU rack with a patch panel on the front. That can run three tops per side, plus subs.”
Richard ‘Al’ Weller-Boyes is a full-time sound technician at Stage & Audio, and is often in front of their A Series rig. “Most of our gigs are ground stacked, but three times a year or so we’ll fly the whole rig for big events like The Village Festival at Yeppoon and Carols by Candlelight at the Music Bowl in Rockhampton,” explains Al.
“I really enjoy the A8s, they’re very clean. If you’re in an outdoor venue, you really don’t need to EQ them. There are no obvious frequencies missing, and they’re very Hi-Fi sounding for a speaker capable of its outputs. The A8s are flawless, both in sound and durability. We’ve had no issues with any drivers needing replacement. Everything’s been rock solid.”
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