DAS Event Array Sound System 24 + 10

Hire DAS Audio EVENT Line Array with 24 Tops + 10 EVENT-218A Subwoofers

Festival and Major Event Package

The EVENT28-9 is the largest line array configuration in the Edwards NZ hire fleet — twenty-four DAS Audio EVENT-28A active mid-high cabinets and ten DAS Audio EVENT-218A dual-18" powered subwoofers, twelve tops and five subs per side. This is a festival-scale production system for major outdoor concerts, large public events, significant civic productions, and any event where the audience size, site dimensions, or production values demand the full capability of the DAS Audio EVENT series.

Twelve EVENT-28A tops per side form a deep line array with exceptional throw, vertical dispersion control, and coverage consistency across a large outdoor audience area. Five EVENT-218A subwoofers per side deliver 18,000W of peak subwoofer output across ten dual-18" cabinets — 32Hz bass extension and physical low-frequency impact at a scale that fills large outdoor sites and is felt as much as heard. This is not a system that is sized for the average Auckland event. It is the right specification when the event is genuinely large and the production values match.

Twelve tops per side significantly exceeds the safe ground-stack limit of six tops per side for the EVENT-28A. This configuration must always be flown — Too heavy for the AT04B speaker lifting towers, venue motor points or truss are required, and for twelve tops per side the structural requirements of the flying points need to be confirmed well in advance. The full flying rigging hardware is included in the package price. Flying points, motors, rigging engineers, and production crew must all be arranged and confirmed at booking — this is not a detail to leave until close to the event date.

No mixer is included. Productions at this scale require a full front-of-house and monitor console configuration. The Allen and Heath SQ7 with GX4816 stagebox is the standard Edwards recommendation — 80 physical inputs, dLive-grade preamps, and 96kHz end-to-end audio for broadcast and recording. For productions with separate monitor world requirements a second console and stagebox configuration is typically needed alongside the FOH system.

Edwards works with clients on full production consultation for this package. Contact us early — major events need production planning that starts well before the event date.

What is included:

• 24x DAS Audio EVENT-28A active line array cabinets
• 10x DAS Audio EVENT-218A dual 18" powered subwoofers
• Full flying rigging hardware
• All power and audio cables

Coverage guide: Music — 8,000 to 15,000 people. These are starting points rather than hard limits — actual coverage in good outdoor conditions with correct array aim and system tuning can exceed these figures for speech and moderate-SPL music. For maximum output music events the limiting factor becomes the audience absorption and site boundaries rather than the system capability.

Ideal for: Major outdoor music festivals, large-scale public concerts, significant civic and cultural events at major scale, productions where the audience size, site dimensions, and production values require the full capability of the Edwards line array fleet.

Venue motor points required or large Lifting Towers (not included in package price). Mixer not included. Full production crew required. Contact Edwards to discuss.

Frequently Asked Questions — EVENT28-9 Line Array Hire

What events is this package designed for?

The EVENT28-9 is designed for major outdoor productions — festivals, large public concerts, significant civic events, and cultural productions where the audience is measured in the thousands and the site dimensions require serious throw distance and coverage width. It is the largest configuration Edwards can supply from the EVENT series hire fleet. If you are asking whether your event is large enough to warrant this package, the answer is probably the EVENT28-7 or EVENT28-8 — the EVENT28-9 is specified when the event genuinely needs it.

Does this system always need to be flown?

Yes — always. Twelve tops per side is double the maximum safe ground-stack limit for the EVENT-28A. There is no ground-stack option for this configuration. Flying requires either AT04B speaker lifting towers — available separately at hire code LIFTINGT — or verified venue motor points with confirmed load capacity for twelve tops per side. The structural requirements for flying twelve cabinets per side are significant and must be assessed and confirmed by a qualified rigger well in advance of the event. This conversation needs to happen at the time of booking, not on the day of load-in.

How much does the sub configuration weigh and what does that mean for logistics?

Each EVENT-218A subwoofer weighs 68.5kg. Ten units total 685kg of subwoofer weight alone, before tops, rigging hardware, and cabling. This is a serious logistics exercise requiring adequate crew, wheel dollies or pallet jacks, vehicle access close to the deployment position, and a site that can support the ground load of ten large subwoofer cabinets. Edwards production planning covers all of this — it is one of the reasons early consultation is essential for a package at this scale.

What mixer is required?

Productions at this scale require a full professional mixing configuration. The Allen and Heath SQ7 with GX4816 stagebox is the standard Edwards recommendation for FOH — 80 physical input sockets, dLive-grade preamps, 96kHz end-to-end audio for broadcast and recording, and 32 output sockets for main PA, fills, and recording feeds. Most productions at this scale also require a separate monitor console alongside the FOH system. Contact Edwards when planning the production and we can quote the full console configuration based on your input requirements, monitor strategy, and broadcast needs.

What DAScontrol preset is required?

12U- matched to twelve tops per side.  Setting DAScontrol to the wrong preset on any cabinet in the array applies incorrect DSP and will produce audibly incorrect system performance. With twenty-four tops in this configuration the pre-show DAScontrol verification is a systematic check across every cabinet — this is part of the Edwards deployment procedure and is not a step that gets skipped under time pressure.

How far in advance should we contact Edwards for this package?

For a production at this scale, contact us as early as possible — ideally several months before the event date. Flying point assessment and confirmation, rigging engineering, production crew planning, generator and power distribution requirements, site surveys, and full production logistics all need to be worked through before the event. Edwards provides full production consultation for the EVENT28-9 — we work with the event organiser, the venue, and any other production suppliers to ensure the system is correctly specified, safely rigged, and performing correctly on the day.

Is this suitable for a speech or ceremony event?

No. The EVENT-218A subwoofers are optimised for music impact and bass extension at concert levels. For large outdoor speech events, ceremonies, and civic gatherings where the audience is large but SPL requirements are modest, the EVENT28-4 tops-only package or the EVENT28-6 with four EVENT-218A subs are significantly more appropriate choices. Deploying the EVENT28-9 for a speech event would be like arriving with a festival rig for a graduation - over-specified, harder to control at low levels, and not the right tool for the job.

Can Edwards supply production crew alongside this hire?

Yes. Edwards can supply full production crew for deployment, rigging, system tuning, and operation alongside this package. For an event of this scale having Edwards engineers on site from load-in through pack-down is the recommended approach. Contact our hire team at (09) 571 0551 or hire@edwardsnz.co.nz to discuss your event, production requirements, and crew needs. The earlier we are involved in the planning the better the outcome for the event.