Bartons Sound Systems prepares Eden Park for Rugby World Cup

The install comes as part of a multi-million dollar transformation of Eden Park Stadium, including a new three-tier south stand and a new two-tier east stand to replace the terraces, thus increasing the crowd capacity from 42,000 to 60,000. The redeveloped stadium – which will host the opening ceremony and opening game in addition to the final – includes an internal concourse. Barton’s Sound Systems was sub-contracted onto the project by Fletcher Construction, having originally installed the stadium’s previous main PA system in 2003. That system comprised EV Xi-2153 cabinets hung in eight clusters plus a total of 118 SX300PIX cabinets for under balcony fills, all powered by EV P3000 and EV Q66 amplifiers.

‘Our company was at an advantage as we are located within walking distance of this stadium,’ admitted project manager Robert Waddell. ‘I knew that the there would be severe noise level restrictions as Eden Park is built in the middle of a residential area.’ The ‘noise at boundary’ restriction was critical in the original planning application of the venue and a noise pollution level of 55dB has been enforced at the residential boundary, which is on average only 40m from the loudspeakers.

For the current project BSS worked in tandem with Marshall Day Acoustics using EASE and SoundPlan simulation software to create a 3D model of the stadium, thereby simplifying the design. According to Mr Waddell, the most unique design element was the combination of the main sound reinforcement and fire evacuation systems. To achieve this he specified the Bosch Praesideo digital public address and evacuation sound system together with the Electro-Voice IRIS-Net, thereby staying within the digital domain.

‘It’s a simple turnkey solution,’ Mr Waddell explained. ‘All of the speakers inside of the building are also used for the pre-recorded fire alarm messages. The Praesideo digital PA and emergency sound system cover many defined zones, including the toilets, public and private areas, offices and stairwells and these can be activated independently or in groups. It’s a highly reliable system, with amplifier or battery back-up, so if the mains electricity fails, it will still work.’

According to BSS, the system’s optical network can be interfaced with other security systems and has provided Eden Park with interference-free audio and redundancy. Furthermore, a standard operator on an event day will be assured of the system’s ease of use. It can be remotely accessed and managed from a PC monitor, from the microphones going through the NetMax DSP processors to the amplifiers and speakers throughout the entire stadium. ‘On event day the operator can click on icons on the screen, which is running under the IRIS-Net software,’ explained Bosch Communications senior engineer Bryan Davidson. ‘If the icons are green, the operator knows everything’s OK, but should an icon turn red, the operator can click on it to identify the problem and fix it.’

Fifteen clusters of three Electro-Voice Innovation EVH-1152S/66PI horn loaded speakers have been suspended around the new stadium bowl. EVF-1181S subs provide lower frequencies, while the speaker system is powered by Dynacord DSA 8410 amplifiers fitted with RCM 810 remote control modules and three NetMax N8000 networkable digital matrix controllers. ‘The EVH-1152S/66PI sounds more like a front loaded box than a horn loaded box,’ furthered Mr Davidson. ‘I built an Ease model for the stadium and looked at various solutions. When I input the specifications for the EVH speakers, it looked great. It maintains pattern control down to 400Hz whereas other speakers tend to stop at 500Hz.’

www.edenpark.co.nz