Electro-Voice

For over 50 years, the National Stadium in Bucharest was the venue for all home matches of the Romanian national football team. In 2005, it was decided to tear the stadium down and construct a new one in its place. The new “Stadionul National,” which was three years (from 2008 to 2011) in the making, is an ultra-modern, multifunctional arena designed for both major sporting events and concerts.

 

Satisfying the very highest international standards, the stadium is capable of accommodating over 55,000 spectators, including 3,600 VIPs. If needed, the total capacity can be expanded to 62,000. The arena is the first in Romania to meet the highly exacting “elite stadium” standards for infrastructure laid down by UEFA, making it the first stadium in the country qualified to host the finals of international competitions. The first such event scheduled for the new stadium is the UEFA Europa League Final on May 9th, 2012.

 

Among the most important criteria prospective “elite stadiums”' need to satisfy relate to their sound systems. Here the responsibility for ensuring compliance was entrusted to UTI INSTAL CONSTRUCT SA of Bucharest. After conducting simulations and comparisons, those responsible for the installation opted for an extensive Electro-Voice system. Key influences on their choice were the evenness of the coverage, the high level of intelligibility, the ability to supervise and control each loudspeaker cabinet individually, and the numerous world-class references Electro-Voice was able to provide. The equipment featured here includes 141 EVH-1152S horn-loaded (models 64-PIB, 94-PIB and 66-PIB) and 32 EVID 6.2 T compact surface-mounted loudspeakers. The installation is powered and processed by 40 CPS 4.10 power amplifiers and ten N8000 NetMax controllers with MI-1, AO-1, DI-1 or DO-1 cards as well as CM-1 CobraNet network modules.

 

Thanks to the IRIS-Net software employed here, a multitude of possibilities exist for the configuration, operation and supervision of the system. It is possible, for example, to create an interface tailored exactly to the needs of each user, in which all the most important parameters -- such as the level, muting, or error conditions -- are clearly and intuitively laid out. Furthermore, if required, all the parameters of the installation can be accessed from a single central location, which considerably simplifies the commissioning, operation, and maintenance of the system. The powerful N8000 task engine – which supports even the most complex programming logistics – provides automatic redundancy switching between the main and ancillary control room matrices, which both exhibit dual redundancy.  As a result of the free configurability of the N8000's DSP, it is possible, for example, to selectively manage announcements to different areas of the grandstand via both the ELA system and the central operational computer. A ducking function is also available to ensure that music volume drops to an acceptable level to allow intelligibility during announcements; the music returns seamlessly to its previous level once the announcement is complete. The entire loudspeaker processing is also handled by the N8000. CPS multi-channel amplifiers are used to drive the EVH loudspeakers, and offer a comprehensive safety-switching package, the possibility of supervising the impedance of the connected loudspeaker enclosures, remote control via an optional RCM-810 module, and Variable Load Drive. All add up to make CPS multi-channel amplifiers the ideal solution for projects of this kind.

 

"The selected loudspeakers represent the best solution due to their high level of intelligibility and the ability to control and supervise every cabinet individually,” says Cristian Gheliuc of Prosound Solutions Romania. “I am also an absolute fan of the NetMax N8000 controller. It is simple to install and offers excellent user interfaces, with endless send, receive, and tuning possibilities." The installation has met with the complete satisfaction of the National Arena managers. "Our client is totally delighted and full of enthusiasm for the outstanding acoustic quality,” Gheliuc adds. “This is the first major project of its kind in Romania and this installation now represents the standard to which all future stadiums in the country will aspire."