Home of Gloucester Rugby kitted out with Electro-Voice gear

Gloucester Rugby’s Kingsholm Stadium has received a multi-million pound revamp, including the installation of an Electro-Voice sound reinforcement system.

As well as being the place where the Aviva Premiership side plays its home matches, the 16,500-seat stadium also serves as a venue for rock concerts, conferences and major hospitality functions. One of the requirements of the project was for the stadium to be a venue for more entertainment events, which is where EV came in.

Converge Networks – the club’s IT partner and an experienced provider of fixed installations – was responsible for the design and installation of the system, having established a reputation for its work in other sports arenas.

“There was fierce competition in which a large variety of different systems – some less expensive, others more – were considered,” said Converge Networks’ operations manager, Kevin Slater, “but at the end of the day, the club’s management opted for the system that represented the best option in terms not only of sound quality and reliability, but also value for money – an Electro-Voice system.”

The biggest challenge was the physical installation of the loudspeakers in the 20-metre-high roof above the grandstands. In the South Stand, 14 weatherproof Sx300PIX speakers were fitted, while 16 ZX1i loudspeakers directed towards the playing field were mounted on the vertical beams that support the roof. The North Stand, also known as ‘The Shed’, is covered by 14 EVID 6.2T loudspeakers, and eight ZX1i loudspeakers serve the West Terrace – these are also directed towards the pitch.

The system is driven by just one PA2400T and one CPS4.10 power amplifiers. Control and supervision of the loudspeakers, as well as equalisation, are provided by a Dx46 system processor controlled using IRIS-Net software. Announcements and commentary from the touchline are captured and transmitted by an RE-2 wireless system, also from Electro-Voice.

“The feedback from spectators has been great. A few, admittedly, complained that it was almost too clear – nostalgic no doubt for the slush of yesteryear – but the overwhelming majority are full of praise for the new sound reinforcement system and have not been slow to voice their approval via social networks.”

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