Colloquially known as the Metro Stadium, the The Roberto Meléndez Metropolitan Stadium opened in 1986 to host regional and international sporting events in Barranquilla, the third-largest city in Colombia and remains the country’s largest venue. Its popularity has demanded rental of audio equipment for important events for many years – costly in both time and money. To remedy this, the management recently collaborated with local A/V systems integrator Schaller Tech and audio manufacturer Renkus-Heinz to upgrade its installed system.
Greg Schaller, owner and Systems Engineer at Schaller Tech, worked closely with Metro Stadium to design and install a sound system that met its requirements: ‘The stadium worked to update and refurbish with the goal of hosting South American Cup events,’ he says. ‘To do so, a good, well-designed, installed sound system is a big necessity. As the South American distributor of Renkus-Heinz, we knew if we showcased the technology to the stadium team, they would be blown away by the quality and intelligibility of the sound.’
In early 2020, the Schaller Tech team used Ease Acoustic Simulation software to model the 47,000-seat venue and begin the design process; however, the Covid-19 pandemic put the project on standby. Upon returning to the project, Schaller and his team installed more than 80 TX151, TX82 and TX62 weatherised loudspeakers from Renkus-Heinz.
The Renkus-Heinz T Series loudspeakers are a two-way speaker system using advanced driver technology and innovations like the Complex Conic horn to deliver natural-sounding music and intelligible speech. Versatile enclosure designs, combined with a wide range of mounting options and associated hardware, provide unrestricted flexibility for portable and installed applications.
‘We are very passionate about sound and Renkus-Heinz offers excellent sound quality and coverage,’ Schaller says. ‘The TX Series helps us achieve a balanced sound for the entire stadium. There are speakers installed throughout both the top and bottom rings of the stadium, and we can deliver consistent coverage to every seat – and they sound great.’
Schaller says the Metro Stadium opted for passive, non-powered versions of the TX Series loudspeakers to reduce weight as some speakers mount as high as 20m. A set of four amplifier racks with Linea Research high-power amplifiers are fixed on the stadium’s roof and connect via fibre and a Dante audio network.
‘The stadium hosted their first game in September 2021 with the Renkus-Heinz audio system,’ Schaller says. ‘A few of our team members were there, and we received great feedback from stadium management, spectators, event sponsors and other vendors. Everyone was very happy with the sound.’
More: www.renkus-heinz.com
