SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Originally built in 1949, San Antonio’s Freeman Coliseum has hosted everything from rodeos, boxing and hockey to expositions, circuses and concerts over the years. Now, Bexar County and the facility’s management team are in the middle of a multi-year initiative to update the venue, the most recent phase of which included the addition of a new ARCS Focus arena loudspeaker system installed by L-ACOUSTICS Certified Provider LD Systems.
According to Garth Hemphill, sales engineer for LD Systems’ Houston office, Nelson Wilcox served as the project manager with project engineering handled by Tom Smith and Whit Whitworth. Following a careful evaluation of the 11,700-capacity arena’s needs, the LD Systems team worked closely with Andrew Nagel, L-ACOUSTICS’ head of application, install, to ultimately specify a system comprised of 40 ARCS Focus enclosures paired with 16 SB18i subs.
“We initially put together three potential system packages for the venue: one built on L-ACOUSTICS’ high-performance KARA system, a second system from a competitive manufacturer, and a third comprised of the new ARCS Focus arrays,” says Hemphill. “KARA was really more than they needed, so it was eliminated. The second system actually provided a similar performance spec to the ARCS Focus but was considerably more expensive and required 64 rack spaces for amps, as opposed to only 16. Plus, the L-ACOUSTICS product simply sounded better, so it was a much better choice.”
Following the system’s installation, Hemphill admitted that even he was overwhelmingly impressed with the new ARCS Focus arrays. “This system is amazing,” he enthuses. “I’ve been designing and installing systems for 30 years and have never had a system straight out of the box sound this good in any room, let alone a big echoic arena! We walked the entire venue and measured an incredibly consistent 108dB of coverage throughout the seating with almost no fluctuation. And the sound is so naturally clean and present. It reminded me of the sound that our K1 system delivered at RodeoHouston earlier this year, but on a smaller scale.”
Freeman Coliseum Executive Director Derrick Howard agrees. “Before even listening to our previous sound system, Garth told me that an L-ACOUSTICS solution would sound at least ten times better than what we had been using,” he recalls. “Once the LD team had performed the installation, I brought in one of my favorite CDs, which Garth played as we walked the building, and I had to admit that he was right. The sound is absolutely spectacular.”
Although the new system will frequently be called upon to provide speech reinforcement for graduation ceremonies, corporate functions and other similar events, Howard adds that the L-ACOUSTICS name and reputation for exemplary sound will certainly appeal to musical acts coming into the venue. “We feel that this system really helps gives us an advantage in attracting top musical artists passing through San Antonio to perform here.”
For more information on Freeman Coliseum and its latest updates, visit www.freemancoliseum.com. LD Systems can be found at www.ldsystems.com.
L-ACOUSTICS is a leading innovator and manufacturer of high-performance loudspeakers, amplifiers and signal processing devices for touring and installed sound markets. Known around the globe for pioneering and championing the modern line array loudspeaker concept with V-DOSC, the company has received numerous accolades for its K1, KUDO, KARA, KIVA, ARCS, XT coaxial loudspeaker systems and SB line of subwoofer enclosures, all powered and processed with the LA4 and LA8 amplified controllers in fulfillment of a “total system approach.” Product distribution and customer service for the USA is handled by L-ACOUSTICS’ subsidiary in Oxnard, California.
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2201 Celsius Avenue, Unit E, Oxnard, CA 93030
Tel: 805.604.0577 / Fax: 805.604.0858
Email: [email protected] / Web: www.l-acoustics.com
