The Queen Mary 2, the largest and most expensive cruise ship ever built, set sail from her homeport of Southampton, England on her maiden voyage a Trans-Atlantic trek to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with a full complement of Technomad loudspeakers distributed throughout her exterior entertainment decks. Nautilus Entertainment Design, a La Jolla, CA, based design and engineering firm, was commissioned to write the specification for the QM2, and given the responsibility to design the local entertainment systems. The result of this effort was to outfit the new luxury liners pool and entertainment decks with state-of-the-art, high-fidelity Technomad loudspeakers.
The QM2 measures 1,132 feet from stern to bow, some 113 feet longer than the original, venerable Queen Mary, and holds 2,620 passengers and 1,253 crewmembers when fully loaded. The vessel, larger and more populous than some land-based cities, is the new flagship ocean liner for the prestigious Cunard Line, which also sails the luxurious Queen Elizabeth 2 and Caronia cruise ships.
The distributed, exterior sound system called for high-fidelity audio to match the ship’s lofty standard of excellence. In addition, any outdoor/exterior deck loudspeakers would have to withstand year-round exposure from the sun, sky and seven seas. For nearly a decade, Technomad’s weatherproof line of loudspeakers remains the first choice for high-fidelity outdoor sound by nearly all cruise ship lines. Technomad’s mil-spec construction is able to withstand salt spray, humidity, fog, rain, penetrating tropical sun, unrelenting constant year-round use, and fast transitions between hot and cold temperatures.
Harbour Marine Systems delivered and installed a wide array of Technomad models to provide coverage across different outdoor multi-zone listening areas on the Queen Mary 2. 38, ultra-compact, 2-way Technomad Vernal-15T loudspeakers, 13 of the larger, 2-way Technomad Vienna 16-T loudspeakers and eight, 2-way Technomad Noho-C Install loudspeakers are installed throughout QM2, including the palatial Pavilion Pool and bar area, located on the upper-most deck of the vessel.
Additional foreground sound in the QM2÷s exterior entertainment areas is handled by a combination of four bi-amped, three-way Technomad Cairo loudspeakers, supported by 2-way Technomad Noho loudspeakers. Low-end sound reinforcement comes from four powerful Technomad Chicago sub-woofers, each of which features a 12-inch and 15-inch low-frequency driver.
Harbour Marine Systems and Cunard chose Technomad loudspeakers because of their unique combination of incredible durability, wide dispersion and high-fidelity sonic reproduction.
All Technomad loudspeakers feature a four layer, acoustically transparent grill system that breaks up wind driven rain, sprayed water and liquids. Any water that does get onto the chemically treated drivers (speaker cones) simply rolls off without penetrating the drivers. For extreme weather conditions, Technomad loudspeakers also feature a watertight lid. With the lid attached, Technomad loudspeakers are the only off-the-shelf speaker system that meets Military-Specification 810F. Technomad loudspeakers have an ATA III rating, are splinter-proof and resistant to impact, chemical cleaners and even fire.
Also attractive to both Harbour Marine Systems and Cunard was Technomad’s willingness to stand by their craftsmanship, as evidenced by the most comprehensive warranty in the industry: 10 years cabinet, 5 years external cabinet hardware and 2 years electronic component warranty.
The Pavilion Pool deck on the QM 2. Technomad loudspeakers are installed around the perimeter.
The Majestic Queen Mary 2