Wigwam Acoustics has made a major investment in Meyer Sound’s Leo family of linear sound reinforcement systems – an initial order of 148 cabinets includes Leo, Lyon, and Leopard line array systems, 1100-LFC and 900-LFC low frequency control elements, and JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers as well as Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management systems.
The moves comes in response to a growing requirement for scalable options for any size of venue: ‘We’ve been impressed with the performance of Leo since its introduction, but we held off investing until now as we wanted a complete family of line arrays sharing the same technology,’ says Wigwam MD, Spencer Beard. ‘With the addition of Lyon and now Leopard, we can configure systems to scale for any application or venue, from stadiums to smaller theatres.’
Wigwam co-founder Chris Hill notes that most acts that do headline stadium concerts also do numerous promotional shows in a variety of venues: ‘These shows can be in small auditoria, TV studios or old warehouses, and with the Leo family – Leopard in particular – we can assure our clients of consistent results wherever they perform.’
Major touring acts supported by Wigwam Hire include One Direction (the top grossing tour of 2015), Coldplay and Björk. According to Hill, a strong recommendation from One Direction FOH Engineer Mark Littlewood was influential in their investment decision: ‘Mark had mixed on a Leo system in South America earlier this year and he was extremely impressed,’ Chris recalls. ‘He rang us up and told us he’d never heard any other system with that kind of headroom, vocal clarity and low frequency power.’
Beard is confident the new Meyer Sound Leo system will complement and reinforce Wigwam’s reputation as one of the world’s premier suppliers to touring systems: ‘Meyer Sound’s company profile is a good match to sit alongside our own, particularly regarding their reputation for quality and exceptional customer support.
‘The Meyer system sits well alongside our other systems. As a Group we are in an extremely strong position as we can offer the latest line array packages from four of the leading manufacturers. The knowledge and experience we can offer on these systems puts us right at the top as a rental house.’
‘Ultimately, from my point of view, our core decisions are made on the basis of audio quality,’ Hill adds. ‘We’re audio enthusiasts. That’s why we’re in this business, to provide the best quality sound to our clients and to their audiences. The Leo family will enable us to deliver this.’
Wigwam’s new Leo family lineup comprises 30 Leo-M line array loudspeakers, 32 Lyon-M main line array loudspeakers, eight Lyon-W wide-coverage line array loudspeakers, and 36 Leopard compact linear line array loudspeakers; 24 1100-LFC and 12 900-LFC low frequency control elements; six JM-1P arrayable loudspeakers; and seven Galileo Callisto 616 and three Galileo Callisto 616 AES array processors.
