Danley speakers installed at Michigan football stadium

Michigan State University’s Spartan Stadium has received a multi-million dollar audiovisual upgrade, which includes a sound reinforcement system centered around Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers and subwoofers.

Apart from fills, six Danley Jericho J3s provide all of the new system’s full-range coverage.

Led by director of audio engineering Larry Lucas, Anthony James Partners conceived and designed the stadium’s new set-up. Pro Media/UltraSound installed it under the guidance of senior designer and engineer Demetrius Palavos, who managed the project from the beginning. “There is definitely a shift occurring at the collegiate level that follows the shift that has been underway at the professional level for some time,” said Palavos.

“Everyone is recognising that fans are routinely exposed to high-end home entertainment systems and car stereos. Even headphones and iPods offer a full-frequency experience. Such experiences have raised expectations for game day. School officials are now recognising the need to meet those expectations at the collegiate level.”

Whereas Spartan Stadium’s previous sound reinforcement system resided in the south end zone, Lucas designed the new system to fire only from the north end. “Previously, additional energy spilled out of the north side and into the community of East Lansing,” explained Lucas. “By placing all of the loudspeaker elements at the north side, we could be sure that any excess energy would spill out onto the campus instead.”

Lucas’ design used the two smaller scoreboards on the north side as rigging points for the Danley Jericho J3s and Danley TH-812 subwoofers that support them. The scoreboards are approximately 200 feet apart, and the coverage from each effectively splits the stadium in two. “Firing 500 to 600 feet to the south end zone seating was the most complicated and difficult throw,” said Palavos.

The system’s front end is straightforward. A Yamaha LS9 puts the user in control of input source selection and volume. Its output feeds a pair of Peavey MediaMatrix NION processors with Dante cards, and at each scoreboard, Lab.gruppen 7000- and 9000-series amplifiers power the Danley TH-812 subwoofers and SH-46 full-range loudspeakers.

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