As well as exhibiting many of the cars that have appeared on the show, the museum was able to turn an existing exhibition dome into the Top Gear Enormadrome, creating much the same atmosphere as is experienced by the show's live audiences in the Top Gear hangar from which the show is transmitted.
Both sound and visuals are important in creating the experience, and it was fortunate that Bose Pro Partner, DJW (D J Willrich), a company with strong local ties to Beaulieu, was able to bring a wealth of experience to the project. David Willrich has been involved in many visitor attraction projects over the years, and managed the project alongside Beaulieu's Stephen Munn.
Walking into the pre-show area, visitors are entertained with sound from Bose loudspeakers along the queue line - essential on busy days. Once inside, with the doors shut, the presentation starts with a microphone introduction from a member of the Beaulieu team and moves into a specially created screen programme featuring the three Top Gear presenters. All of the usual comedy, catastrophe, drama and excitement are recreated, and the Bose sound system brings it all to life with quality audio which is tightly focussed towards the audience, which can number up to 145.
According to David Willrich, the dome presented an acoustic challenge because of its rotund shape and raised roof, but he was able to specify a system that met all of the requirements of the project. Full range Bose Panaray LT 9403s at high level, with additional bass from Bose Panaray 502Bs and localised sound from Bose FreeSpace DS100s close to the three low level screens, give a high quality punch to the audio tracks, with no audible bounce, allowing visitors to hear every spoken word and sound effect. Audio management is via a Bose ControlSpace ESP-88 Digital Sound Processor linked to a Crestron control platform.
Stephen Munn comments, "What began as a potential acoustics nightmare has been turned into a great visitor experience, and we know that no matter how many guests are in the space, they will all get the same fabulous atmosphere. The loudspeaker specification and positioning was crucial, to provide a surround sound effect throughout the Enormadome, and we were extremely fortunate to be able to call on the expertise of David Willrich and Bose."
(JimEvans)
