Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, TN, has selected Technomad outdoor weatherproof loudspeakers to provide sound reinforcement for its new 2500-seat track and soccer stadium. Only two Technomad Berlin speakers were required to cover the entire stadium with a smooth, intelligible audio pattern.
The stadium, home to the MTSU Blue Raiders of the NCAA Sun Belt Conference, is the newest venue within the university’s Murphy Center Complex, which comprises all the athletic venues on campus. According to Josh Hoevelmann, electronic equipment engineer for the Murphy Center, the Technomad Berlin loudspeakers rival the larger PA systems used for the football and baseball stadiums on campus.
“Everyone I talk to on campus is surprised at the audio quality and power output we’re achieving from just two loudspeakers,” Hoevelmann said. “The output is extremely clear even at midfield, and it’s not overbearing in the stands. The Berlins provide a full-range sound with mids and lower levels as opposed to some of our other systems that produce mostly highs in the output.”
Hoevelmann and his team built the PA rack and installed the loudspeakers, which were custom-ordered from Technomad in blue to match the team colors visible throughout the stadium. The loudspeakers were installed atop the press box on the opposite corners, where they withstand the elements year-round. The speakers are also unconventionally mounted; instead of using the supplied mounting brackets, the installation team took advantage of fly points on the Berlins and chained them to a fence on the press box.
In addition to providing even coverage throughout the stadium, the audio pattern eliminates bleeding into a nearby residential area — an ongoing challenge for the university. “There is residential housing across the street from the complex,” Hoevelmann said. “The Technomads have maintained a good balance of being intelligible to everyone inside the stadium and not killing nearby residents with bleed-over. There have been zero complaints from neighbors, unlike in past years.”
For more information, visit www.technomad.com.