If you have rented a sound system from us, or you just looked at our packages, you have seen the words Turbosound Floodlight a lot. It is the top cabinet in every one of our rigs. So what is it, and why did we build our whole company around it?
A note before we start: Mo’Pro Crew is an independent Austin rental company. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by Turbosound. “Turbosound” and “Floodlight” are trademarks of their owners and are used here to describe the equipment we rent.
The short version
A Floodlight is a professional concert-sound system from Turbosound, a British loudspeaker brand with a long history in touring sound. It is a three-way, horn-loaded design: separate drivers handle the lows, the mids and the highs, and horns help them project. The result is a sound that is punchy, clear, and carries a long way without turning harsh.
If that sentence made your eyes glaze, keep reading. It is easier than it sounds.
What “three-way” means
A speaker cannot do everything well with a single driver. Low notes need big, slow cones. High notes need small, fast diaphragms. Middle frequencies, where voices and most of the music live, need something in between.
- A one-way or two-way speaker asks fewer drivers to cover more, and it has to compromise.
- A three-way speaker gives lows, mids and highs their own driver, each doing the job it is good at.
You hear the difference in vocals. On a good three-way, a singer’s voice sits in the middle of the mix, clear and full, even when the system is loud.
What “horn-loaded” means
Sound is air moving. A bare speaker cone moving in open air is not very good at pushing that air, because the cone and the air are badly matched. A horn is a shaped flare in front of the driver that acts like an acoustic transformer. It couples the driver to the air more efficiently.
In practice, that means:
- More output from the same amplifier power. Horn-loaded designs are more efficient.
- Less distortion. A driver that is not being pushed to its limit stays clean.
- Better control of where the sound goes. The horn shapes coverage, so the sound reaches the back of the crowd without blasting the front.
We go deeper on the low end in horn-loaded subwoofers explained.
Where Floodlight came from
Turbosound’s early story is tied to a designer named Tony Andrews, who helped found the company in 1978 and later co-founded Funktion-One. The Floodlight is part of that lineage of horn-loaded, high-efficiency designs. Funktion-One credits Andrews and John Newsham with designing several generations of Turbosound systems, including the TMS-3, Flashlight and Floodlight. Sources differ on the exact release years for individual products, so we will not put dates on them. For the whole story, read Tony Andrews and the road from Turbosound to Funktion-One.
What it sounds like at a party
Our own words: it is a big, warm, clear sound. You can talk at normal volume near the speakers and the dance floor still feels the kick. That combination is what people notice.
- For DJs: vocals cut through without hurting, and the low end from the subs feels solid, not muddy.
- For live bands: the tops are clear enough for a full band mix without needing to be pushed to their limits.
- For speeches and ceremonies: speech is intelligible, even at the back.
How we use it
We pair 3-way Floodlight tops with horn-loaded subs in four packages:
| Package | Price | Setup |
|---|---|---|
| Getting Bumping | $600 | 2 horn-loaded dual 18” subs, 2 Floodlight tops (up to about 150) |
| Bit More Bass | $800 | 4 subs, 4 tops (about 300 to 400) |
| Let’s Rumble | $1,000 | 6 subs, 4 tops (about 1,000) |
| Earthquake | $1,600 | Let’s Rumble plus 4 dual 21” subs (up to about 2,000) |
All include delivery within 15 minutes of downtown Austin, setup and breakdown. For heavier low end, Earthquake adds four dual-21-inch subs on top of the Rumble rig.
Why not just line arrays?
Line arrays are the standard for arenas, and they are excellent. They are also more dependent on processing and are built to cover very large venues. For the rooms, lawns and stages we work in (backyards, weddings, bars, festival side stages), horn-loaded three-way systems give a big, direct, punchy sound with less complexity. Different tools for different jobs.
Renting one
Rent the Floodlight rig for your party, wedding, corporate event or festival stage, and we will deliver it, set it up and tune it to your space. Check open dates or read how to choose a PA system if you are still sizing your event.
Clean, loud and far-reaching.
Quick
answers.
What is a Turbosound Floodlight?
Floodlight is a line of professional concert sound systems from the British brand Turbosound, built around three-way, horn-loaded cabinets designed for clear, powerful sound over large audiences.
Is the Floodlight system loud?
Yes, and the important part is that it stays clean when it is loud. Horn-loaded designs are efficient, so they turn more amplifier power into sound and less into heat and distortion.
Can I rent a Turbosound Floodlight rig in Austin?
Yes. Every Mo'Pro Crew package uses 3-way Turbosound Floodlight tops paired with horn-loaded subwoofers, starting at $600.
