dBTechnologies kits out University of Wisconsin basketball arena

The University of Wisconsin has seen 20 dBTechnologies Arena 15 loudspeakers installed in its Quandt Fieldhouse, Stevens Point basketball arena, with Soundworks Systems taking care of the installation.

The arena, which also caters for a number of non-sporting events, including concerts and assemblies, required a sound system that could handle such a multitude of applications.

Brian Baumann and Kent Laabs of Soundworks Systems presided over the design and installation. They explained: “The audio system needed to be capable of high SPL’s for UWSP Pointer basketball games and other athletic events. It needed to be capable of clear music reproduction whilst maintaining high speech intelligibility for both low and high SPL events. On top of all that, budget was a factor.

“The room itself presented acoustic challenges which included its mezzanine type area with tiered seating and a plexi-glass-faced guard rail system,” the pair continued. “We needed to mitigate unwanted reflections from the maple floor, painted block walls and especially the plexi-glass. We divided the room into 8 zones in order to accommodate the permanent seating, temporary bleachers and floor seating with delay and zone presets.

“We researched various loudspeakers from multiple manufacturers before deciding on the Arena 15. We had used other db Arena series products on previous installations and were familiar with their performance. We designed and bid the system utilising the Arena 15 based on the available horn pattern, sensitivity, power handling and price point.”

The two-way passive Arena 15 is designed to offer optimum low frequency reproduction and comes with a compression driver with a 1.4" voice coil, aimed at providing flexibility across a range of applications. With a high SPL of 129dB and weighing in at 23.7kg, it is intended to allow for simple installation.

“Rotatable horns, M10 rigging points and their lightweight design made them very easy to install from the structure steel,” commented Baumann. “When it came time to tune the system, we were again amazed at their smooth and articulate response without processing. Final tuning of the system was a breeze. Now that the system is in and has been used for many athletic events and winter commencement ceremonies, it only confirms that our choice in loudspeakers was spot on and consistent with the high level of quality that our reputation is built upon.”

“Soundworks Systems provided us with an excellent solution for our space,” said Mitch Capelle, assistant athletic director for Media Relations at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. “The space, with its wide variety of uses, needed a system that could provide us with this kind of versatility. Soundworks Systems Inc. perfectly tailored this system to the multiple uses of this showcase facility on our campus to improve the spectator experience, no matter the event in the space.”