BAG END
HELPS WELCOME VISTORS TO EPCOT

Always working to improve and update its theme parks and attractions, the Disney Company recently renovated the main entrance to EPCOT in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

As part of the renovation project, Disney Imagineering, the creative team behind the design of Disney theme parks and attractions throughout the world, upgraded the sound system at the main entrance. Among many changes, Disney installed six weather-resistant BAG END D18E-I double-18 subwoofer enclosures to help improve the quality and clarity of the sound, according to Ken Petersen, principal audio/video engineer for Disney Imagineering.

BAG END’s weather-resistant speaker systems differ in a number of ways from standard models. The weather-resistant enclosures are coated both inside and out with a special high-tech material that seals the cabinets against moisture, the speaker cones are specially treated, electrical connections are weather-proofed and all the hardware is either stainless steel or aluminum to assure further resistance to corrosion. In addition, BAG END uses special mounting brackets that pitch enclosures at a 10 percent angle to shed moisture.

“We upgraded the entrance background music system using and four of our 12-foot line arrays and six D18 boxes from BAG END,” said Ken Petersen, principal AV engineer at Disney Imagineering. “They sound great. The six D18s fill the entire area at the main entrance. They were really a fantastic find for us. We have received many e-mails of praise since we turned the system on.”

EPCOT, an acronym for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow,” is as popular today as it was when it opened Oct. 1, 1982, just a few miles from Disney World. By far the most adult of Disney’s theme parks, here education is as important as entertainment and basic theme park rides have been replaced by more complex and informative attractions. The emphasis is on such issues as our dwindling energy supply, how to feed a growing world population and where baby’s come from.

That’s not to say there isn’t a lot that interests the younger visitor as well. The fish in the Living Seas, the dinosaurs in The Universe of Energy and the live entertainment in the World Showcase are all popular with youngsters.

Bag End Loudspeakers, USA 847 382 4550     www.bagend.com