GENOA, Italy — The 3,780-passenger Costa Fascinosa, launched in May by Costa Cruises, features an onboard audio system that includes Powersoft gear. The amplifier gear list includes M14D (two channels, driving 700W on 4 ohms), M50Q HDSP+ETH (four channels, each generating 1,250W on 4 ohms), and Duecanali 3904 and Ottocanali 1204 (eight channels, 150W on 4 ohms or 125W on 70V using BatFormers, the optional plug-in output transformers).
The Costa Fascinosa offers guests restaurants, a chapel, a library, a casino, a theater, a pool, a fitness center and a spa, along with a dance lounge and disco, bars and meeting and multifunction rooms. It set sail on its maiden voyage from Venice, Italy in early May. The 114,500-ton ship’s interior was designed by cruise ship architect Joe Farcus to evoke the opulence of bygone eras. One of the main entertainment venues on the ship is the Bel Ami theater, with a purple and silver décor and antique mirrors.
“We designed a system with flexible amplifiers that can seamlessly drive 100V or low impedance lines,” said Andrea Macchia, technical sales engineer at HMS, the company that supplied the Powersoft amplifiers.
Two racks equipped with 26 Powersoft amplifiers, including four-channel M series and two-channel Duecanali 3904 models power 143 EAW speakers (including KF695zT, SB850zP, KF650zP, JF80z and SB150zP cabinets) in the theater. All of the amps are fitted with optional DSP cards with Ethernet connectivity and offer system monitoring and control via Armonía Pro Audio Suite software.
Powersoft amplifiers were the ideal solution in terms of the strict safety and power consumption requirements imposed by the huge complexity of the distribution of spaces presented by a cruise ship. The thermal loss of installed amplifiers is around 50 percent that of other products available on the market within the same category. “This means a decrease in air-conditioning power consumption and generally lower energy consumption,” continues Macchia. “Powersoft amplifiers allow placement of the audio racks in smaller lockers and saving space is paramount on a ship.”
