Dynacord

Straubing, July, 2009 On the June 20, the latest product of the Meyer Werft shipyard, the Celebrity Equinox, squeezed down the river Ems and into the open sea. It was a feat of navigation calling for millimetre precision, because the cruise liner, which cost more than €500 million, is 317 metres long, 36 metres wide, and boasts 13 comfortably furnished decks.

The vessel, the property of American shipping company Celebrity Cruises, boasts a casino, library, theatre, golf course, and several swimming pools. Equally lavish are the sound systems on board. Like its sister ship the Celebrity Solstice, which launched in the fall of 2008, the Equinox relies on DYNACORD PROMATRIX 4000 systems. FUNA Nachrichtentechnik of Emden installed and networked no fewer than four of these reference electro-acoustic systems on board the cruise ship. With good reason, says FUNA Nachrichtentechnik’s Authorized Signatory and Senior Manager Andreas Köhler:

“The DYNACORD PROMATRIX 4000 has already proved itself to us one hundred percent, which is why we are installing it in all the liners in the Celebrity series.”

The fact that the DYNACORD PROMATRIX 4000 system has been thoroughly tested by the classification society DNV, which specializes in shipping and was founded with the objective of “safeguarding life, property and the environment,” only further plus in Köhler’s view. DNV found no shortcomings in the ship’s new system.

“What the DNV certificate represents to the customer is a guarantee that the installed system meets the highest possible standards in terms of both quality and reliability,” says Köhler.

The installation in the new cruise liner disposes over a staggering 53,000 W of amplification. More than 350 loudspeaker lines linking more than 8,000 loudspeakers are employed on the luxury liner, including 350 Electro-Voice 309-8A coaxial systems, 520 EV EVID C 4.2 ceiling speakers, 30 EVID C 8.2s, and 70 EV Sx80PIX units. The EV system is supported by 16 DYNACORD PROMATRIX DPC keypanels and various other Electro-Voice loudspeaker systems that function in rooms and entertainment areas.

About the Celebrity Equinox
The Celebrity Equinox is the second of five cruise liners ordered from the German shipyard Meyer Werft by Celebrity Cruises. On June 6, the Celebrity Equinox emerged from Baudock II at Meyer shipyards, before anchoring in the harbor for finishing touches to be applied and final tests conducted. The ship finally sailed down the Ems to Eemshaven, The Netherlands on the June 20 – a spectacle that drew crowds of onlookers and was broadcast live via webcam. The feat called for precise navigation, but as Captain Teitge, a pilot with the Lotsenbrüderschaft Emden, explained to the German magazine Der Spiegel:

“Although a real colossus, the Celebrity Equinox is manoeuvrable to the nearest four centimetres, though naturally this requires total concentration.” Bernhard Meyer, CEO of Meyer Werft, adds, “This class of chip is remarkable for its exceptional energy efficiency and environmental friendliness.” In the case of vessels built by Meyer Werft, these invariably include equipment from Bosch Communications Systems. Since 1985, more than 25 cruise liners built by the North German shipbuilders have boasted sound reinforcement systems from Electro-Voice and DYNACORD– often in combination with intercom systems from Telex and RTS.

The Celebrity Equinox by numbers
Length: 317 metres
Width: 36.8 metres
Cruising speed: 24 knots
Accommodation: 1,426 cabins
Capacity: 2,852 passengers