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Designing Hockey Arena Audio

Hockey arenas tend to treat audio the same way hockey players treat each other—with extreme disregard. The new Complexe JC Perreault in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, Quebec, however, aims to change that tradition, and brought in Montreal-based Solotech to design and install an L-Acoustics Kara and ARCS Wide loudspeaker system at the new facility.

L-Acoustics Arcs Wide and 12XTi systems address the seats and rink at the new Complexe JC Perreault in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, Quebec. Quebec, Canada (January 26, 2016)—Hockey arenas tend to treat audio the same way hockey players treat each other—with extreme disregard. The new Complexe JC Perreault in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, Quebec, however, aims to change that tradition, and brought in Montreal-based Solotech to design and install an L-Acoustics Kara and ARCS Wide loudspeaker system at the new facility.

While the venue has a pair of NHL-sized rinks, the multipurpose facility was designed from the start more like a theatre than a sporting venue. “The room was acoustically treated to obtain an RT60 of about 2.6 seconds, which greatly contributed to increased intelligibility,” said Solotech’s Pierre-Paul Gignac.

Since shows and sports have different requirements when it comes to audio, Solotech designed and installed two separate sound systems: a fixed playback and PA setup comprised of four coaxial 12XTi enclosures covering the ice plus six hangs of two Arcs Wide addressing the bleachers; and a second main system that is lowered from the ceiling for shows. Designed to cover a packed house of 3,000 people for concerts and other productions, the second system features two arrays of five Kara enclosures for mains, two hangs of two Arcs Wide for out fill, two more ARCS Wide for front fill and four SB28 subwoofers, all powered by six LA8 amplified controllers plus one LA4X.

Complexe JC Perreault can actually be set up in a number of different seating arrangements depending on the nature of events. “When not lowered for non-hockey events, the concert system is mounted on chain engines and rigged as high as possible in order to avoid the arrays being struck by a puck during a game,” Gignac noted. “When switching over for a show, they lower the motorized equipment, install four subwoofers on the floor with front fills placed on top, connect the amps, and that’s it.”

Complexe JC Perreault
www.complexejcperreault.com

Solotech
www.solotech.com

L-Acoustics
www.l-acoustics.com

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