Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
The home of the 2011 NFL Champion Green Bay Packers, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI, is famous, not only for Cheesehead fervor (the average wait time for the 81,000 on the waiting list for season tickets within the 73,000-seat venue is 30 years) but also for brutal winter weather conditions.
Anthony James Partners (AJP) was looking for an alternative to the old setup with a cluster of loudspeakers positioned at the north end of the bowl. However, one of the project’s major challenges was a restriction against positioning any weather-protected enclosures above spectators’ heads, due to safety concerns about wind-blown accumulations of ice and snow (although a cheese-wedge hat might minimize the risk of injury).
The solution began with placing outdoor enclosures — each measuring about six by seven feet, custom-designed by Pro Media Ultrasound — on top of the enclosed sky box suites positioned along the bowl’s perimeter. The weatherproof enclosures house 16 Danley GH-60 Genesis Horns and 14 TH-118 subwoofers.
“Even though we were using a distributed approach, we were left with the task of covering large seating areas using a long-throw from loudspeaker positions that were much less than ideal,” noted Larry Lucas, director of audio engineering at AJP. Lucas credited Danley’s Shaded Amplitude technology for being able to “provide that coverage without blasting the fans that were close, or whispering to the fans who were far.”
Around the stadium, 19 Danley SH-100 loudspeakers are spaced in-between the outdoor speaker enclosures, providing near-fill for seats below the suites that fall outside the Genesis Horn’s beam. Two additional Genesis Horns cover the south end zone. And 56 Danley SH-Mini’s provide coverage for club seating and the Legends Lounge.
A new Yamaha M7 digital console gives stadium engineers the ability to recall mixes, and a BSS London-series DSP system provides all system equalization, dynamics, routing and loudspeaker management.
Although a unique crossover design means that each Genesis Horn contains 18 drivers, the number of Crown amplifiers required to cover all the seats at Lambeau is quite low — five IP-5000s, nine IP-9000s and eight IP-12000s.
The Packers’ fans, administration and even players praised the new sound system. “The improvement is not at all subtle,” said Lucas. “Fans have gone out of their way to let the administration know that Lambeau’s sound reinforcement system is a significant improvement. That very positive feedback has made them feel comfortable with the investment they made.”
Danley systems have also been chosen for stadiums at a number of university stadiums in recent years, including the University of Arizona, Brigham Young, Florida Atlantic University, Grand Valley State University, Montana State University, Northwestern, Troy State University and Washington State University.
Brøndby Hall Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
The Brøndby Hall Arena, just outside Copenhagen, is home to Danish capital’s European handball team, AG København. The indoor venue is also used for concerts, skating competitions and other events, and has a total seating capacity near 5,000.
Tasked with upgrading the venue’s sound system, ProShop Europe project manager Thomas Duch consulted with D.A.S. Audio sound projects engineer Eva Argandoña on both pre-configuration tasks and the final adjustment and setup.
The arena’s seating plan is asymmetric, with more than twice as many seats on one side than the other. This allows for the arena to be used more effectively for concerts, but it posed a challenge that needed to be addressed with the sound system design.
Other issues included six roof support columns on each side and the “sound shadows” they introduce.
Argandoña provided Duch and others at ProShop Europe with studies and simulations that took the unique acoustic characteristics of the arena into consideration, and they worked on a solution incorporating D.A.S. Audio’s Aero, Variant and BiDriver series speakers.
Two line arrays, each with six self-powered D.A.S. Aero 12A enclosures, are aimed from the ceiling toward the side of the arena with the greater number of seats. Two more arrays with four Aero 12A units aim toward the smaller seating section on the opposite side. Two hangs of five Aero 12As cover the ends of the arena, past the handball goals.
Although this setup proved sufficient for covering most of the seats in the arena, the acoustic shadows introduced by the ceiling columns still had to be dealt with. The solution came in the form of one D.A.S. Variant 112A per column to provide the necessary coverage.
To provide coverage for the players and officials on the hardwood playing surface, ProShop Europe installed four D.A.S. BiDriver long-throw systems on the ceiling; they are powered a D.A.S. SLA-3400 amplifier.
The finishing touch on the installation was a D.A.S. DSP-4080 processor. It manages the six hangs of Aero systems that cover all the seating areas along with the BiDriver systems covering the playing surface.
The Variant systems positioned on the roof support columns are managed using a D.A.S. DSP-2060A processor.
Jeld-Wen Field, Portland, OR
Home of Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers and Portland State University Vikings football, a $40 million renovation to Jeld-Wen Field added 5,000 seats for a total capacity of 22,000.
The upgrade also included 800 square feet of LED video screens and a new sound system with Community Professional loudspeakers. Designed by Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams, Inc. (WJHW), the audio system was installed by Denver, CO-based Empowercom.
Prior to the upgrade, the stadium had functioned as a triple-A ballpark using 36 R2 all-weather loudspeakers. The change to Major League Soccer called for additional Community WET-Series 15-inch two-way and 15-inch three-way systems and R-Series R.5 weather-resistant loudspeakers.
The venue first opened as Multnomah Stadium in 1926. It has hosted a number of landmark events and scored a milestone of sorts in rock ‘n’ roll history. One of the first outdoor rock concerts took place at the venue when Elvis Presley performed there in 1957.
Marlins Park, Miami, FL
When the Miami Marlins welcomed the St. Louis Cardinals onto their new home turf this spring, it wasn’t just the beginning of a new baseball season, it marked the debut of $515 million Marlins Park in downtown Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.
The visual points of interest within the asymmetric stadium bowl are numerous, impressive and totally South Florida — there are palm trees, pink flamingos, sea gulls and smiling marlin avatars that get activated when a Marlin player belts a home run.
But along with the visual delights, the opening day crowd of 36,601 was also treated to one of the more sophisticated sound systems ever installed at a baseball venue, with a noticeable difference that could be heard from the moment Jose Feliciano started singing the national anthem that first day.
Working with a distributed system design from Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams (WJHW), systems integrator Parsons Electric installed a total of 517 EAW MK, QX and MQX series loudspeakers around the bowl.
The unique and challenging architectural issues that WJHW faced started with Marlins Park’s retractable roof and extended to its natural-grass field. Marlins Park is designed so that the grass can get as much exposure to the sun as possible between games.
However, rather than the usual half-dozen or so section templates in the seating areas for which a basic configuration of speakers would make up a repeatable pattern, the design required more than 30 individual section drawings, with nearly every one of the upper-deck sections being unique. That meant, of course, that speaker placement and aiming was different for virtually every location on the upper deck.
The 517 speakers were grouped into a total of 23 categories, in some cases with multiple EAW speakers used to cover a single area. In addition, the stadium’s asymmetrical design meant that focal points often needed different throw-length speakers set at different distances and patterns.
For example, the area around home plate uses the EAW MQX8343-MS-WP long-throw enclosure from one side, but is matched on the baseline sides and outfield porch by a shorter-throw QX564-WP unit.
“The system design was very complex, but the EAW speakers were exactly what we needed to make it work,” said Tim Habedank, systems specialist at Parsons Electric. “On opening day, the sound was clear and highly intelligible, even over the noise of a capacity crowd.”
Habedank added that while the roof is likely to be closed for most events at the stadium, yielding a long reverb time, particularly in the lower frequencies, with EAW speakers’ precise aiming pattern, “we were able to achieve very tight pattern control across the spectrum.
“At the same time,” Habedank added, “the longest-throw speakers maintain the coherence of the sound for distances of between 200 and 300 feet. It’s really remarkable performance and the sound of the stadium shows it.”
Park & Suites Arena, Montpellier, France
The Park & Suites Arena in Montpellier, France is a versatile indoor space that features a distinctive exterior design, and events inside that can range from opera (including a recent production of Carmen) to horse jumping exhibitions and concerts featuring touring artists such as Lenny Kravitz.
Designed by A+ Architects and Enjoy Group, the arena opened in late 2010 in Montpellier, France. Its capacity ranges from 9,000 for sporting events to 14,000 for concerts, and it offers 13,500 square meters (145,312 square feet) for exhibitions.
SLS, a sound and lighting rental company with a dedicated installations department based at its 36,000-square-foot facility in Ales, France, was tasked with providing the new venue with sound reinforcement and a digital networking and intercom system. Along with its full-time crew of 15, SLS works with close to 140 industry professionals on a freelance basis.
After a shootout with gear from three other manufacturers, the SLS team opted for a Metrix ultra compact 2-way line source array from Adamson Systems.
Along with sufficient coverage and SPL, the overriding need at the arena was for a system that could adapt to an wide variety of uses. The basic setup for sporting events is a centrally-flown configuration, but that often changes to standard L-R for concerts, for example.
Guy Vignet, managing director of DV2, Adamson’s distributor for France, noted, along with clarity and coverage, Adamson’s Metrix was the only system in the shootout to achieve “100 dB A-weighted at 45 meters (145 feet).”
Because the audio system’s configuration changes so often in the space, the installation team opted for touring gear, with advantages including minimal aesthetic impact and size while still yielding sound quality for a full range of music and spoken-word intelligibility.
The three Metrix models used in the line arrays include the Metrix 5 degree (vertical coverage), Metrix W (15 degree vertical coverage) and Metrix Sub. Eight additional Adamson contractor series Point 12 cabinets can also be distributed strategically on the ground. All feature advanced Kevlar driver technology.
The PA system is powered by Lab.gruppen C88:4 amplifiers and processed with XTA 424 products. Distributing the mix signal to the amplifier positions is a Digigram EtherSound ES200.
For tours not carrying their own PA systems, SLS can step in with Adamson inventory including new project Energia E15s, Y-Axis Series Y18 and Y10s, Metrix, SpekTrix, SX 18, Point Series and M series monitors.
Quandt Fieldhouse, Stevens Point, WI
Brian Baumann and Kent Laabs of Soundworks Systems Inc. handled the design and installation for an upgrade for the basketball arena at the University of Wisconsin’s Stevens Point campus.
Along with sporting events, Quandt Fieldhouse serves as the venue for commencement ceremonies, concerts and other assemblies.
With its multiple uses, the sound system at Quandt Fieldhouse had multiple requirements: speech intelligibility at low and high SPL levels and the ability to function well for musical performances.
“We researched various loudspeakers from multiple manufacturers before deciding on the Arena 15,” Baumann said, crediting the speakers from dB Technologies as the best fit with the venue’s needs in terms of horn pattern, sensitivity, power handling and overall price.
Along with SPLs of up to 129dB, the Arena 15 offers ample low frequency reproduction and a compression driver with a 1.4-inch voice coil, well-suited for a wide range of applications.
Baumann also credited the speakers for helping to minimize the unwanted reflections from the maple floor, the painted block walls and especially the Plexiglas-lined guard rail system.
The Arena 15s also helped overcome the challenge posed by the tiered seating in the arena’s mezzanine.
“Rotatable horns, M10 rigging points and their lightweight design made them very easy to install from the structure steel,” Baumann added. Another advantage: each of the two-way passive Arena 15 units weigh only 52 pounds.
“We divided the room into eight zones in order to accommodate the permanent seating, temporary bleachers and floor seating with delay and zone presets,” Baumann said. When it came to final tuning, “we were amazed at their smooth and articulate response without processing.
“Now that the system is in and has been used for many athletic events and winter commencement ceremonies, it only confirms that our choice in loudspeakers was spot on,” Baumann added.
BC Place, Vancouver BC
BC Place reopened last fall, replacing its trouble-prone inflatable dome roof that many will recall from the 2010 Winter Olympics with a new cable-supported retractable roof design — the largest of its kind in the world, along with center-hung HD video scoreboard that that ranks second in size (the one at Cowboys Stadium is the biggest).
Home of the Canadian Football League (CFL) BC Lions and the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer (MLS), the stadium’s owners, B.C. Pavilion Corporation (PavCo) turned to Clair Brothers Audio Systems for what would end up being the largest installation of JBL VLA line array gear to date — there are 160 JBL VLA601-WRC 3-way line array loudspeakers providing coverage within the 54,000 seat venue.
“We needed loudspeakers that could provide a lot of output and could cover that large space,” noted Jim Devenney, senior engineer, Clair Brothers. “The problem with the older sound system was that the stadium sounded like a cave, which would have become a much bigger problem after adding millions of cubic feet to the building.”
Clair Brothers chose the VLA601-WRC loudspeakers, which employ three 2431H 3-inch diaphragm high-frequency horn-loaded compression drivers with a 60-degree horizontal coverage pattern, two CMCD-82H 8-inch-cone midrange compression drivers and two 2226H 15-inch woofers loaded into JBL’s WRC weatherized enclosures.
Derived from JBL’s VerTec Series line array systems, VLA Series loudspeakers are designed to provide high-SPL sound at throw distances beyond the reach of traditional loudspeaker designs and offer a choice of 30, 60 and 90-degree horizontal horn coverage patterns.
“We use the VLA Series line arrays in a lot of stadium and arena projects because of the defined coverage they provide — and good articulation is important in spaces like this,” Devenney said.
Installing the speakers was a challenge, according to Devenney. “We deployed 12 clusters of 11 speakers each, arranged in an oval ring to cover the seating areas, along with 28 VLA601-WRC’s under the scoreboard to cover the field,” he said. “In addition, we placed two JBL PD Series loudspeakers to fill the area underneath the scoreboard.”
BC Place’s new retractable roof has an open space in the middle, and all of the JBL VLA601-WRC clusters hang off winches.
“We had to work closely with all the other parties involved in the renovation to coordinate the installation,” Devenney said. “We had very little time to hang the clusters, because they were putting down the artificial turf at the same time. We actually built the clusters outside of the stadium and brought them in on a truck to set them up quickly.”
Despite the challenges involved, the project was completed on time and the system provides the requisite combination of power and smooth coverage. “In the end, we came up with an elegant and effective solution to match the expectations of audiences that visit this impressive facility,” Devenney concluded.
Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
“The Big House,” a.k.a. Michigan Stadium, has a seating capacity of 109,901, and the total tally of people on the premises for a game last fall between the University of Michigan Wolverines and Notre Dame Fighting Irish — including players, band members and staff — topped 114,000, roughly matching the residential population of Ann Arbor, MI.
To ensure adequate coverage within the Big House, University of Michigan upgraded its sound system last year, using Meyer Sound gear.
The PA system now features 28 Meyer Sound MILO 60 line array loudspeakers, eight SB-3F sound field synthesis loudspeakers, four MSL-4 loudspeakers, a Galileo loudspeaker management system with two Galileo 408 processors and an RMS remote monitoring system.
Ann Arbor, MI-based TeL Systems and Dallas-based consulting firm WJHW played key roles in the upgrade, and Peter O’Neil, who had worked as TeL Systems’ systems designer, credited the Meyer gear for standing out, particularly “when it’s pushed hard.”
“We had to install a point-source system in one of the end zones and throw sound upwards of 800 feet — in the open-air environment, and with the weather changing all the time,” O’Neil noted, citing the size and scope of the eight weather-protected SB-3F sound field synthesis loudspeakers.
“The Meyer [SB-3F] is the only product of its sort that’s designed to throw specifically high-frequency sound at that distance. It’s a level beyond what we had before with horn-based technology. We were fortunate to work with a consultant who knew the product and how to design with it.”
Karl Couyoumjian, TeL Systems president, also credited Meyer Sound’s commitment to service — “how strongly they worked with us as an integrator, and in making sure that the system performed to the design.”
O’Neil agreed. “I was amazed at the resources Meyer Sound put into this to make it successful. They really take pride in making sure there are people onsite to help on the design side, on the installation side and on the commissioning side.”
GelreDome, Arnhem, The Netherlands
TM Audio has completed a major audio upgrade at the GelreDome arena, replacing the original amplification and control network. Nearly 70 Powersoft 3904 two-channel 1U amplifiers now drive the GelreDome’s main audio system, with a new MediaMatrix NION system in control.
Since it opened 13 years ago, GelreDome has hosted the Euro 2000 tournament, the annual Symphonica in Rosso and other major events. Seating up to 35,000 for concerts, the arena also serves as the 26,000-capacity home of Dutch soccer team Vitesse.
Event specialists The Production Factory has served as technical consultants for shows playing in the GelreDome since the venue’s original design phase.
Prior to the most recent upgrade, the amplifiers at the venue had shown signs of age. The models had also been discontinued and spare parts were unavailable. TM Audio was called back to recommend both new amplifiers and a major upgrade to the audio network.
As in 1998, the requirement was for a multipurpose system to deliver VA/PA, a flexible concert system for both end-on and in-the-round events and a plug and play delay system for visiting shows.
Mark van Acker, head of the GelreDome technical division, noted that the project included “upgrading the network from analog and copper to a fiber optic based system, allowing any diagnostics to be done by them remotely in real time over a VPN.”
The original loudspeaker system of 36 Renkus-Heinz CE-3 MH cabinets and 36 CE-3 Low cabinets is flown in a ring of 18 clusters from the roof, while 14 more CE-3 MH cabinets can be deployed for speech and paging at pitch level.
“We decided to use a NION MediaMatrix system for the control, matrix and DSP power for routing,” said TM Audio project manager Olaf Landzaat. “We were also looking for a reliable amplifier to deliver a lot of power in a small space, with integral DSP and networking, so that it could handle any future loudspeaker system.
“The end of that thought process was to use the special abilities of the Powersoft Class D Duecanali amplifier — it can deliver two times 1950W at 4 ohms, so you can basically connect any speaker you want to it, in just 1U of rack space, and with their switch mode power supply and Powersoft’s other technologies it sounds superb.
“It’s also very ‘green,’” Landzaat continued. “Its design makes it highly efficient and consumes much less power per watt of output — which is increasingly important to end users these days, especially when they’re running a system on an almost daily basis.”
The Italian manufacturer also provided a custom solution to allow its network-ready amplifiers to interface with the NION system.
“We talked to Powersoft,” says Landzaat, “and they were very happy to help by creating a dedicated software plug-in for the MediaMatrix system so that we can control and monitor the amplifiers. That was important because it also meant the system met the regulations for a voice evacuation system, which is one of its key roles.”
In all, 68 Powersoft Duecanali 3904 2x1950W two-channel amplifiers with integral loudspeaker DSP and AES I/O now drive the system from one large double rack in a back of house space, and two single racks mounted on a narrow catwalk that spans the width of the stadium’s roof.
“We wanted the racks close to the loudspeakers to minimize cable runs,” Landzaat noted. “With so much power and so many channels from just two racks, they could be fitted on the catwalk without extensive building works.”
In the control room, TM Audio added the Peavey MediaMatrix NION control system along with a 15.6-inch touchscreen in the NION rack, which provides I/O selection, routing/zoning and overall EQ, as well as monitoring.
“The solution really works,” Landzaat concluded, crediting the Powersoft for its lack of coloration and high damping factor, which makes “a big difference to the bass end of the speaker system — it sounds tighter in the low to mid frequencies despite the reverberation in a stadium and more open and clear in the high frequencies. And speech intelligence is better — all good things for the client.”
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Ford Field, home of the NFL Detroit Lions, got a long-needed upgrade to its sound system with a new Q-Sys integrated system platform from QSC, provided by Durrell Sports Audio Systems.
“The former system was a mixture of analog and networked digital audio using a variety of processors and technology,” noted Durrell audio consultant/integrator John W. Horrell.
“A main DSP was used for overall system EQ and then fed 26 other DSP devices, which provided the voicings for the main stadium clusters. A back of house system used still another DSP structure to feed the concourses, the locker rooms, the media areas and ticketing.
“With so many potential points of failure, servicing the system was a big problem — especially if a failure happened just before a game, as it did on one terrible occasion when the audio for the entire bowl area was lost,” Horrell added.
That incident was the impetus for a total audio system remake. Durrell redesigning the entire control system, removing the old components, checking the existing amplifiers and speakers and commissioning the entire audio system – all just three weeks prior to the 2010 National College Hockey League Playoffs.
Durrell opted for a Q-Sys system comprised of two Q-Sys Core 3000 main frames and 27 Q-Sys I/O frames and they met the deadline with a few days to spare.
“The Q-Sys installation was a delight, and we actually had it connected and talking to all 125 amplifiers within three days,” Horrell said. “Operation and Installation are far more efficient,” he added, noting that Q-Sys is a single point-to-point type of technology that allows the routing of audio inputs to any specific point.
That, Horrell said, “offered us a huge improvement over the series connected DSP boxes in the old system. Instead of three separate computer programs plus more than 27 DSP processors, we operate within one program. Combine that with less signal latency, better output quality and constant assurance of equipment status, and Q-Sys was an excellent choice in this situation.”
Another Q-Sys advantage is the system’s ability to be controlled and monitored via a networked computer system.
“Durrell Sports Audio Systems provides our national clients with links to their computerized audio systems from our offices here in Nashville,” Horrell said. “During the NFL season, we have engineers monitoring all the games being played each Sunday. With Q-Sys, we were able to set up management parameters, which alert us if there is something that should be looked at. Problems like over-heated amplifiers or unusual impedances can be singled out and actually addressed from 500 miles away.”
As it turns out, Ford Field had been equipped with a number of legacy QSC amplifiers, including PowerLight 4.0 and 6.0 models that were still serving reliably. Since Q-Sys is backwards-compatible with these DataPort equipped amplifiers, they could be fully integrated into the Q-Sys design and are controlled and monitored just like the newer PL3 and CX models that were added to the amplifier inventory.
Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy
Juventus Stadium, the new 41,000-capacity home for one of Italy’s most successful city soccer teams, has been credited for a design that brings seated fans close to the playing field.
Inaugurated at the start of the 2011/2012 Serie A season last year, the venue has also been praised for neighboring developments that include a 366,000 square foot shopping mall, an expanded parking complex and the first Juventus Museum.
Within the stadium, there are now 120 executive boxes and a sound system using audio gear from Italy-based RCF.
RCF’s commercial audio department was closely involved with the new stadium project, carefully measuring its dimensions and providing acoustic simulations. The company’s design and install team also came up with solutions in the form of standard and customized gear options.
At Juventus Stadium, the RCF team developed custom clusters that were installed in various locations around the stadium.
The clusters include two of RCF’s Acustica H1315WP units, each of which is a three-way full range loudspeaker system that incorporates a 15-inch LF transducer, a 10-inch cone MF transducer and a 1.4-inch exit titanium compression driver. (The “WP” designation refers to weatherproof.)
RCF market manager Antonio Ferrari, who also served as audio contractor, noted that the company’s experience with Juventus Stadium will also enhance the company’s capabilities for future stadium projects.
The Rinks, Greater Los Angeles, CA
As any die-hard fan will tell you, hockey is the Rodney Dangerfield of American sports. “It’s gotten a bad rap as a rough game, and in the past, many of the available places to play have been rather run-down and neglected,” noted Jason Voorhees of Costa Mesa-based Cantara Design, the company behind the audio systems at The Rinks, a chain affliated with the Anaheim Ducks.
The Ducks’ owners have been turning older rinks into clean, modern, family-friendly environments. The recently-opened location in Irvine, CA, is a good example of what they’ve been up to. There are three inline rinks, a family-style lounge and state-of-the-art Renkus-Heinz sound systems.
“Our primary objective was to design a great-sounding system that was high-output, self-powered, and capable of standing up to the elements,” Vorhees said. “These venues are all essentially outdoors. They do have a metal roof, but no walls. So even though you don’t get rain, per se, you get exposure to all the elements — Santa Ana winds and humid, moist days, all sorts of extremes.
“Also, because the roofs are metal, the air mass that hovers above the rinks can stay cool, and when the sun hits the roof, that cool, moist air hits the hot roof and starts to condense and rain back down,” Vorheees continued.
Each of the three rinks is outfitted with four CF81-2 powered two-way 8-inch systems and two CF121-5 powered 12-inch two-way systems.
“Since the systems are all outdoors, they designed a mobile control station on a rolling cart,” says Voorhees. “Every morning they roll out the three control stations, and every evening they roll them back into the Pro Shop.”
Each individual station is equipped with its own MP3 input, sound effects machine and microphone. All three systems are tied to a CobraNet network, enabling a central music source or announcement mic to cover the entire venue at one time.
“They can control all this from a touch screen at the office or the front desk,” Vorhees noted.
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
North Carolina State University’s athletic administration chose Davidson AV of Winston-Salem, NC recently to outfit the new Dail Outdoor Tennis Stadium and renovated Paul Derr Track and Soccer Field with audio gear.
Davidson AV president Joe Davidson, in turn, chose speakers from One Systems. The installations included One Systems’ CrossField Array (CFA) speakers — a high output vertical array system — along with 212IM two-way double 12-inch lightweight copolymer-based all-weather loudspeakers.
Davidson credited the One Systems gear for its audio quality, made possible through the company’s patented Equivalent Throat horn/driver technology and high-output Inside/Only woofers.
The recently-built Dail Outdoor Tennis Stadium offers close to 1,000 spectators chairback seating overlooking six lighted tennis courts, a new electronic scoreboard and modern restroom facilities.
Given the height of the risers in the tennis stadium, Davidson AV needed loudspeakers with a narrow vertical coverage angle and well-controlled dispersion. Three CrossField Array systems fit the bill, Davidson noted.
Installed on the columns of the new scoreboard for the courts, they are positioned for optimal coverage for both fans and players. Each speaker is suspended using One Systems Pole Mount System EX-2s with Band-It stainless steel strapping.
The Paul Derr Track and Soccer Field’s recent upgrades include new seats, a new press box, enhanced concourses, a state-of-the-art rubberized running surface and a new brick façade.
In addition, two 212IM speakers and four CFA speakers were installed on existing light poles on the grandstand of the facility using One Systems Pole Mount System EX-2s, again secured with Bandit stainless steel banding.
Overall, the installation went smoothly, but there were obstacles to overcome during the design of the track and soccer field’s system. “The challenge with the Paul Derr Track and Soccer Field installation was achieving good speech intelligibility and musical clarity without noise spilling over into nearby campus buildings, including two theatre spaces,” Davidson noted.
“The use of the One Systems CrossField Arrays allowed us to keep all the loudspeakers on the grandstand side of the field and to direct the audio away from the theatres,” Davidson added. “We are extremely happy with the result, as is the client.”
