EAW delivers NFL loudspeakers in record time

This season a completely renovated stadium will be found by fans of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans at LP Field in Nashville, featuring a brand new distributed sound system using all EAW components.

The entire system was specified, manufactured and delivered in record time, months before scheduled completion of the renovation in mid-July, just in time for pre-season games. Basing the design by Dallas, Texas’ Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams (WJHW), a leading consulting firm offering state-of-the-art design services in sound systems, audio visual, scoreboard and video displays and more, EAW worked closely with the WJHW team to provide the customised system for LP Field, meeting the extremely tight deadline. The system replaces the stadium’s former point-source PA.

EAW was able to schedule manufacturing and delivery of the components, including 96 TT12Si-T64-PL-WP custom-engineered enclosures; over 360 pieces from the MK Series, including the MK2399-WP, MK8196iPL-WP, MK2366-WP and MK2364-WP and 84 unites from the QX Series, including the QX564-WP and QX544-WP.

To meet the deadlines, EAW used resources at its Whitinsville, Massachusetts R&D/manufacturing facility to supply the complete loudspeaker inventory requested for the installation. In addition to manufacturing a record number of WP weatherproof systems in a single month, EAW engineers also developed two, new custom-engineered systems. The TT12Si-T64-PL-WP systems were engineered to fit beneath a shallow overhand along the back few rows of the lower deck and read handicap platforms. Similarly, custom-engineered TT212 Steering Woofer systems were designed to work with QX Series modules along the upper-deck fascia to create end-fired arrays that direct more of the TT212’s low-frequency energy towards these seats in front of them and away from the hard-surface walls they are mounted near, eliminating reflections.

Mark Graham is the associate at WJHW and in charge of the audio systems aspect of the project, including two new high-definition LED video screens that are approximately four times the size of the current screens, as well as high-definition ribbon board video screens along the east and west sides of the stadium, and a new video reply system. The upgrades will be completed in time for the start of the 2012 season at an estimated cost of over $26.8 million. Graham said: “When we say EAW delivered, we mean that literally. We didn’t even come on board until last October, when the design process began, so the window for manufacturing, customisation and delivery was even tighter. After careful evaluation and our experience of working with EAW in the past, we realised that they would be our choice to provide exactly what we needed.”

Graham also stated that EAW worked closely with AVI-SPL, the AV systems integrator on the project, to coordinate its delivery to meet AVI-SPL’s installation schedule, getting each set of the components to the job site exactly when needed.

He continued: “It’s fantastic that EAW was able to accomplish this on this kind of aggressive time frame. Thanks for them, when it’s time for football at LP Field, everything will be ready.”

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