When the time came for the Paul Brown Tiger Stadium to upgrade the sound system, the stakes were high.
Located in Northern Ohio, where Brown began his football career and founded the NFL’s Cleveland Browns franchise, the 16,884-seat Massillon Washington High School, where Brown played and later coached is used for Ohio’s high school playoffs and other major events. The school invited multiple firms to participate in a loudspeaker shootout. Cleveland’s NPi Audio Visual Solutions won the job with its demo of the new Electro-Voice MTS point-source loudspeaker system.
Driven by Dynacord IPX10:4 amplifiers, the very high output (up to 155dB peak) and long throw of the MTS loudspeakers, combined with their tight and even dispersion, enabled NPi’s three-zone design to deliver both the control and the intelligibility the venue was seeking.
‘This was a three-way challenge for us,’ notes Dave Goff, the stadium’s Press Box & Media Manager, who was project manager for the school. ‘The home stands feature an extended roof line that creates intelligibility issues, while the visitor stands require only direct sound. In addition, the team wants the sound on the field to be loud pregame and halftime to pump them up, but we want levels in the stands to be conversational. NPi addressed all these issues effectively with the EV MTS system.’
Designed specifically for large-scale applications, the MTS series provides a true point-source option for stadia. By combining four 15-inch woofers with dual coaxial mid/high compression drivers via a single waveguide, MTS boasts cohesive output with strong bass response. The cardioid version used at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium adds two further woofers for directional control, creating a tight 40° x 30° dispersion that reduces unwanted spill.
Three MTS-6154-43 boxes are secured by custom-designed platforms above the video scoreboard, with the outside units angled toward the grandstands. This creates separate, controlled audio zones for on-field sound as well as the home and visitor grandstands.
NPi Director of Sales Sam Avellone designed the system and Jason Brown managed the project, noting that this is the first major installation of MTS in the US.
‘We worked with Ease models and our EV rep, Jason Jacquemain, to finalise the design. Jason was also instrumental in scheduling the MTS demo at the stadium,’ Avellone says. ‘What I love about MTS is getting both an effective point-source system and the ability to direct and control the sound. When we did the demo, using just one MTS speaker, it was stunning. We walked the whole stadium, top to bottom, and were blown away by the coverage and clarity. And of course, the final installation is even better. We’re very proud of it.’
The MTS loudspeakers at the stadium are fully weatherised and IP55-certified for protection against dust and water ingress. Each of the three boxes is powered by one Dynacord IPX10:4 amplifier. Equipped with Omneo IP networking architecture enabling Dante and OCA/AES70, IPX models feature 96kHz high-resolution DSP with ultra-low latency and a superior signal-to-noise ratio, along with unique technologies for energy efficiency and system protection. The amplifier rack is neatly housed in a converted ticket booth, allowing the system to work with the Q-Sys front end in the press box as part of the stadium’s Dante network.
To simplify operation of the system, NPi provided a tablet interface that allows the stadium A/V team to ensure clear audio at an appropriate volume level to all three audio zones.
‘It’s a night-and-day difference from our old system,’ says Scoreboard Operations Manager, David Wagner. ‘What amazed me was the system’s ability to control levels while actually improving clarity in our home stands, especially under the roof. This new EV system really makes the fan experience more enjoyable, which was really the whole point.’