Jobing.com Arena upgrades sound system with dV-DOSC®, dV-SUB, and SB28 rig powered by new LA8 amplified controllers
GLENDALE, Arizona – July 2008 — When a coyote howls, the world listens! Now, the Phoenix Coyotes NHL franchise at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona, can make the same claim. The 17,500-seat arena recently upgraded its sound reinforcement system with a major commitment to L-ACOUSTICS line arrays, subwoofers and amplifier-processors.
“We needed a PA system with outstanding vocal intelligibility and lots of headroom,” considers Neil Rosenbaum, Jobing.com Arena’s production manager. “Our new dV-DOSC and dV-SUB arrays, augmented with the new SB28 subwoofers, provide all of that and more. The system delivers clear, perfect sound everywhere within the arena, with consistent, even coverage.”
The new array-based installation was conceived by Dan Palmer, L-ACOUSTICS US national sales manager, in cooperation with Phoenix-based AVDB (Audio Video Design Build) Group, and is based on a configuration Palmer innovated in 2006 for the St. Pete Times Forum of Tampa, Florida. Installation of the Jobing.com Arena system was completed in just one month by AVDB Group.
AVDB Group Director of Engineering Nathaniel Hall and Sales Engineer Jamie Gillespie took Palmer’s original concept and built a job-specific L-ACOUSTICS SOUNDVISION model, adding several enhancements to the original prototype system design, including additional dV-DOSC cabinets and SB28 subwoofers. “The new system comprises a total of six identical line arrays made up of 12 dV-DOSC cabinets topped with two dV-SUB subwoofers,” explains Gillespie, who also mixes sound for Coyotes home games at the Jobing.com Arena. “The six line arrays are suspended from high-steel rigging points: two each facing the seating areas along the long sides of the arena, and one each for the ends. In addition, the design called for two groups of SB28 dual-18-inch subwoofer cabinets.”
The new system comprises a total of 72 dV-DOSC active two-way, 12 dV-SUB and 16 SB28 enclosures, with complete rigging. All of the L-ACOUSTICS cabinets are powered by a total of 19 L-ACOUSTICS LA8 four-channel/1800W amplified controllers.
“We visited the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa to hear for ourselves what a state-of-the-art L-ACOUSTICS line array system sounds like,” Rosenbaum recalls, “and came away extremely impressed with the results. Our system is slightly larger — we added an extra dV-DOSC cabinet to each of the six line arrays. The first test was pretty simple — we put on a Nickelback CD that contained a powerful, distorted guitar track, and then plugged in a vocal mic. We were amazed at how intelligible the voice was over that heavily compressed, strident music. We had never been able to achieve results like that with our older [cluster-format] systems here at Jobing.com Arena. The new configuration provides just what we were looking for. The PA system runs loud and covers all of the seating areas–we measured over 115 dB in every seat beyond the glass way up to the rear seating areas, some 88 feet above the ice — but with high intelligibility in the vocal range. To borrow an analogy from another sport, we’ve really hit a home run!”
L-ACOUSTICS’ new LA Series of amplified controllers provides a unique combination of power amplifier, DSP, network control and comprehensive system protection in a single, ergonomic package. Using the familiar Microsoft Windows® operating system and GUIs, the LA Network Manager remote-control software provides command and monitoring of up to 253 LA4 and/or LA8 units within an L-ACOUSTICS L-NET network. The proprietary L-NET allows the configuration of multiple Ethernet network topologies across multiple zones, using CAT5e STP cables (or higher categories) and standard RJ45 connectors or IEEE 802.11 wireless; a universal Ethernet switcher is recommended for specific network configurations.
“The Jobing.com Arena’s sound system is completely turnkey,” Palmer says. “It was designed using our SOUNDVISION software directly from the venue’s CAD drawings. Through detailed system modeling of the arena we could verify coverage, acoustic accuracy and SPL levels deemed acceptable for the installation. Since the six dV-DOSC line-source arrays cover all audience levels — lower, middle/club and upper–no delay speakers are required; the two dV-SUBs per array provide mid-bass reinforcement while the SB28s were included for enhanced sub-bass LF coverage. All rigging parts and system components were included with the system, dramatically minimizing fabrication and labor costs.”
“Because of undesirable reflections, most ice-related events specifically requested that no direct audio hits the ice surface,” Palmer offers. “The DOSC waveguide used in dV-DOSC creates a precision cylindrical wavefront that can be focused above the glass to the seating areas, with only minor low-frequency spherical energy at ice level, which yields outstanding results. Also, since the focus of the system is above the boards, the glass will provide less interference for broadcast engineers and a greatly enhanced experience for the live spectator.” All line arrays are appropriately positioned so that the entire system can be raised into the upper steel structures using chain hoists and completely concealed above the lower steel.
Erected just over four years ago, Jobing.com Arena also serves as home to the Arizona Sting Professional Lacrosse team. For more information on the venue, visit www.jobingarena.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 KUDOâ„¢, KIVAâ„¢, 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.” L-ACOUSTICS products for the North American market are manufactured and distributed by L-ACOUSTICS US of Oxnard, California.
Photography provided by Arden Ash
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Contact:
L-ACOUSTICS US
2201 Celsius Avenue, Unit E, Oxnard, CA 93030
Tel: 805.604.0577 / Fax: 805.604.0858
Email: [email protected] / Web: www.l-acoustics.com
