If you are of a ‘certain age,’ you no doubt remember the classic ad featuring a young man, seated in a living room chair, wearing a leather jacket and way-cool sunglasses. A scarf hangs around his neck. He presses ‘play’ on a stereo system and braces for the blast of sound. And when it arrives, the rush of ‘wind’ sends his scarf flapping behind him in the breeze.
What made for a great commercial in the 80’s is now considered standard procedure today; people expect to have their hair blown back by their sound experience. And that’s especially true when that experience takes place in a professional sports arena or stadium.
At EAW we make it our business to blow your hair back, no matter what size the venue – or whether you’re indoors or outside. Just ask the folks with the Tennessee Titans organization, who contracted with consultants WJHW of Dallas, and contractor AVI-SPL to help them upgrade their fans’ sound experience at LP Field.
“We took out a single end zone cluster and replaced it with a distributed audio system. We have almost 800 EAW QX5 and MK series speakers throughout the bowl,” said Brian Seeliger, TitanVision special events producer. “The impact has been HUGE! Our fans have been very positive with the upgrade – and so have our sponsors.”
No longer relying on a giant stack of speakers in one end of the stadium allows entertainment programmers to push and place sound throughout the facility.
“We now can put sound where we want sound as opposed to the whole stadium,” Seeliger said. “The system allows for tweaking at specific levels and sections within LP Field and throughout the concourse and gate entrances.”
In all, there are approximately 800 EAW weather protected loudspeakers installed at LP Field: QX5, MK23, and MK81 series loudspeakers provide great fidelity, consistent coverage and high impact to the fans. Additionally, custom weather resistant TT112 and TT212 loudspeakers were designed in conjunction with WJHW to provide coverage in difficult areas and address acoustical issues in certain seating sections, so that all patrons have the same amazing experience.
The new system has gotten rave reviews. And while it’s not quite the same as leaning back in your easy chair at home, the customizable delivery system does allow fans to enjoy the game experience no matter where they are in the stadium – or what they’re doing.
“Fans can now enjoy the game without the extreme fluctuations in sound and sound quality,” Seeliger said. “And you can actually feel the game day experience and music while enjoying a conversation with your buddy!”
