Part of Iceland’s KSI Premiere Soccer League, Stjarnan FC’s home games have relied on various portable PA systems for announcements, giving inconsistent sound quality and frustrating both announcers and fans. Recognising the benefit of a permanent solution to the problem, the stadium management turned to Garðabær-based Northern Lights Audio.
A design/build firm specialising in audio, video, lighting, security and heating solutions,Northern Lights was contracted to design and install a new sound reinforcement system. ‘Most events of this nature attract crowds of about 2,500 people,’ says Þorsteinn Halldórsson, the firm’s owner. ‘We elected to install four DAS Audio DR-12 full-range loudspeakers along with two BiDriver Plus systems – two-way, mid-high units designed for long-throw applications. A DAS Audio DSP-26 stereo/mono processor handles loudspeaker management duties and DAS PS-1400 stereo power amplifiers drive the speakers.’
A new announcers’ area also accommodates the amps, processor and mixer, which takes its feeds inputs from a beyerdynamic wireless microphone and a local microphone. The four DR-12 loudspeakers are placed throughout the stadium’s rafters while the two BiDriver Plus systems provide coverage for the outside parking area and the staging/concessions area.
‘The current set-up was installed in May and already there are plans to expand the system,’ Halldórsson says. ‘Shortly, we will be adding two additional BiDriver Plus systems for the field and the back area. This was a pretty straightforward installation and DAS Audio representative Claus Behrens and his team was very supportive. Any questions we had were answered expediently.’
With the first round of the project up and running, the stadium management, announcers, and fans are all reporting a dramatic improvement in the ability to understand the announcements coming through the sound system. ‘Sound quality and, in particular, speech intelligibility are dramatically improved,’ says Halldórsson. ‘Both the announcers were very happy to have a permanent sound system installed that delivers solid performance and consistent sound quality. Similarly, Páll Grétarsson, cheif manager of the club and stadium was equally impressed with the expediency of the installation and was extremely pleased with the sound check. DAS Audio’s solid performance – both in terms of the equipment and the company’s support services – was exceptional. We couldn’t be happier.’
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