Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca was the first stadium to host two FIFA World Cup Final matches (1970/1986) and served as principal venue for the first Olympic Games held in Latin America (1966). With a capacity of 87,000, it also the largest stadium in Latin America, and its 2,195m elevation makes it the highest among of world’s elite association football stadia.
Earlier this year, Azteca Stadium completed installation of the largest Meyer Sound CAL digital beam steering column array loudspeakers to date, and is first to adopt the latest in AVB/TSN networking technology. ‘We approached Meyer Sound for this new system simply because they offered us the best solution,’ summarizes Azteca Stadium Audio Manager, Alejandro Aguirre. ‘We needed the latest in technology, and the CAL system with AVB fulfilled all our requirements.’
The distributed system of 69 loudspeakers projects intelligible, full-bandwidth voice announcements, incidental music and video soundtracks on Panasonic screens throughout the stadium. The beam steering technology used in CAL allowed Meyer Sound engineers to adjust the beam spread and tilt for uniform coverage, while the profile of loudspeakers keeps sight lines open.
For the lower ring, the system comprises 24 CAL 64 loudspeakers, along with ten 600-HP subwoofers. The upper ring is comprises 26 CAL 96 and eight CAL 64 loudspeakers, with an additional CAL 96 covering the playing surface. Two Galaxy 816 network processors handle systems optimisation, and two RMServers provide comprehensive status monitoring and troubleshooting.
The Galaxy 816 master processors are connected to the control room master switch via AVB/TSN, with bi-directional signals routed over a fibre-optic network from the control room switch to the 11 local switches distributed around the stadium. Each local switch connects to its assigned group of CAL loudspeakers via Cat5e. All switches are Extreme Networks X440-G2 series.
‘The stadium hosts a variety of events, not just association football,’ Aguirre says. ‘We also have concerts, religious events and the annual NFL games. It was essential that we have intelligible audio in every seat, and with the power and clarity needed to deliver a complete watching and listening experience alongside the HD screens. All of this has been fully accomplished with the new Meyer Sound system.’
Aguirre acknowledges that the complete solution depended on design and support as well as the latest in technology. ‘The Meyer Sound team studied every detail, and they made sure the right people were on the project. They advised us at every step. There is a level of commitment from Meyer Sound that sets the company apart from others in the industry.’
Designed Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and Rafael Mijares Alcérreca, the main structure of Estadio Azteca was completed in 1966, and had expanded to a capacity of 115,000 in 1986, but safety restrictions and eventual replacement of seating with VIP boxes have since reduced overall capacity. Mexican media company Grupo Televisa owns both the stadium and its principal user, the Club América association football team.
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