PRG AUDIO AND JBL VERTEC® LINE ARRAYS TAKE MANHATTAN AT 2007 TONY AWARDS

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, October 5, 2007 — In the largest Broadway theater event of the year, PRG Audio provided a JBL VERTEC® line array system for the 2007 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The nationally broadcast event featured performances and awards presentations by some of the biggest names on Broadway, past and present.

The American Theatre Wing’s 61st Annual Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards® announced the winners in 25 categories of distinguished achievement in theatrical productions. The prestigious event was held June 10 and aired live on CBS. Winners included The Coast of Utopia cast members Jennifer Ehle and Billy Crudup for Best Featured Actress and Actor in a play, respectively, while Spring Awakening won eight awards, including Best Musical.

Sound designer Dan Gerhard turned to PRG Audio for a system that would meet the necessary criteria for the dynamic production, specifically the ability to handle the combination of vocals (including speech) and elaborate musical ensembles. As in years past, VERTEC fit the bill.

The system at the Tony Awards included 16 VERTEC VT4888 mid-size line array elements and eight VT4880 arrayable subwoofers per side, with a center array of VT4887 small-format line array elements providing downfill. According to Gerhard, the consistent performance and light weight of the VERTEC loudspeakers are advantages over competitive products. “With JBL’s VERTEC Line Array Calculator software, I know how the system will sound before I have even turned it on,” Gerhard said. “The VERTEC speakers are also very easy to rig, and they keep a low enough profile to stay out of camera range for the TV broadcast.”

With years of experience engineering live sound productions at Radio City Music Hall, Gerhard knew the acoustic challenges of the space required a high-performance, highly controllable system. “Because the room is expansive for a performance hall, there is a consistent amount of ambient noise coming from the audience at all times,” Gerhard said. “So we have to maintain the audio system at a higher level than in more intimate venues. There are also certain characteristics of the room that can create some non-intelligibility if the output at certain frequencies is too high. The VERTEC system has proven to be very easy to manage and its behavior is highly predictable.”

“The continued deployment of VERTEC line arrays at the Tony Awards over the past several years demonstrates the reliable performance of VERTEC in one of the world’s most prestigious performance venues,” said David Scheirman, Vice President, Tour Sound, JBL Professional. “We are pleased that PRG Audio and Dan Gerhard—leaders in their respective fields—once again turned to VERTEC for this high-profile event.”

About JBL Professional:
Headquartered in Northridge, California, JBL Professional is the world’s leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of professional loudspeakers for recording and broadcast, musician, cinema, touring sound, commercial sound and contracting applications. Celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2006, JBL Professional is the proud recipient of the 2005 Technical GRAMMY® award. JBL Professional is part of the Harman International network of professional and consumer audio companies. For complete product and company information, go to the JBL Professional website at www.jblpro.com.

About the Harman Pro Group:
The Harman Pro Group (www.harmanpro.com) is the world’s largest provider of professional audio products and system solutions for commercial sound, contracting, tour sound, recording and broadcast, musician, portable PA and cinema applications. The Group is headquartered in Northridge, California and includes industry leaders AKG Acoustics, BSS Audio, Crown International, dbx, DigiTech, JBL Professional, Lexicon, Soundcraft, and Studer. The Group is part of Harman International Industries, Incorporated (NYSE: HAR), a leading supplier of high-quality, high fidelity audio products and infotainment systems for the automotive, home and professional markets.