EZPro and Powersoft install xi'an Olympic Center audio system

In this great enclosure of China, EZPro has deployed Eastern Acoustic Works speakers (EAW), digital mixers Allen & Heath, Processors Symetrix, powered by amplifiers Powersoft.

the Xi'an Olympic Center Stadium, the largest and versatile sports venue in the Chinese province of Shaanxi, will host in September the opening ceremony and the athletics competitions of the XIV National Games of China.

With a size of 866.667 m2, this sports complex has three main areas: the stadium, with the capacity to 60.000 seats; the gym, with 18.000, and the natatorium, with 4.000. With these dimensions, the stadium required an audio system in this line to respond to the needs of all competitions in these areas, that you have designed EZPro, Chinese distributor of Powersoft.

“The commission we were given was to create a world-class audio system., advanced, stable, cost-effective and flexible -explains Yongjun Jiang, technical manager of EZPro-. Since the audio system works for entertainment, messages and emergency, it was vital that we use technology that is as reliable and impactful as possible., with top-of-the-line brands”.

For the project, EZPro has deployed a total of 236 Eastern Acoustic Works speakers (EAW), nine digital mixers Allen & Heath, four digital processors Symetrix, powered by 43 Powersoft amplifiers Quattrocanali 4804 DSP+D and controlled by ArmoniaPlus.

Flexible configuration

After investigating the size and acoustic conditions of each venue, and test message intelligibility as fundamental aspects of audio installation, the EZPro team decided that the three venues of the sports center should have different system configurations.

“Speech comprehension was the most important aspect of audio requirements, since the next matches and competitions that are held in the enclosure depend to a large extent on the comments -underlines Jiang-. The stadium and natatorium adopt a distributed arrangement to ensure coverage of all seats, while we opted for a more centralized layout for the gym, as it is a smaller enclosure”.

Each EAW speaker has its own independent channel, simplifying audio coverage control and reducing interference from each area.

As this person in charge explains, “the stadium walkway has a weight limit for loudspeaker installations, as well as taking into account the durability of the products we installed and making sure the speakers were weather resistant, Light, accurate and powerful”.

In combination with these speakers are 34 Quattrocanali amplifiers 4804 Powersoft DSP+Ds enabled for dante. “With reliability as the most vital requirement, the choice of amplifiers that would be up to the immense task of driving this system was crucial”, says Jiang.

Powersoft amplifiers “have an incredible reputation, we knew they were highly efficient and extremely reliable," he adds., not to mention its great output power, and made them the perfect choice”.

EZPro wanted to avoid possible failures in the entire signal path of the audio system, which is where Powersoft's powerful Quattrocanali DSP processing becomes vital.

“Powersoft's built-in DSP modules are incredibly useful, as the advanced equalizer. With long cable travels like the ones we used for this installation, the active damping control function was also essential”, Says.

For the gym, designed in the shape of a diamond, the reverb of the sound was another challenge, along with the need for the space to be transformed into a basketball court or an ice hockey rink when necessary.

For this zone, EZPro opted for a total of seventy EAW speakers, a combination of RSX212L, RSX18F, RSX129 and VFM129is, which are accompanied by three Allen digital mixers & Heath and two Symetrix digital processors, with a single Powersoft Quattrocanali 4804 DSP+D.

“The way they are arranged provides a sharp direction of sound and reduces any diffusion in the stands next to the stage, which improves the understanding of the speech in the enclosure”, clarifies this expert.

At last, the natatorium has thirty EAW speakers powered by eight Powersoft Quattrocanali 4804 DSP+D, along with two Allen digital mixers & Heath and two Symetrix processors.

“Powersoft amplifiers play an important role throughout the venue -continues-. The main signals go directly to the amplifiers with Dante cards before powering the speaker systems, ensuring the best signal quality. Amplifiers are able to detect and switch channels automatically as needed, while managing all digital and analog signals seamlessly”.

System management

All this great audio system is managed with ArmoniaPlus, Powersoft's system design software, which has allowed EZPro to accelerate the initial phase for commissioning thanks to its pre-configured models of speakers, and that it is an essential part of system control.

With ArmoniaPlus, operators can quickly check if amplifiers are online, your signal and temperature ranges, as well as controlling the impedance of the speakers, when and where necessary.

“The user interface of ArmoniaPlus is a crucial asset of the installation for the daily operation of the system -says Jiang-. Offline editing functions, group control and out-of-the-air setup are extremely handy for installation”.

specifically, this software allowed EZPro to visually represent the amplifiers in their locations, thanks to its customization features. “Amplifiers, located in four different rooms, are played in the corresponding zones with the software, arranged in the actual order of installation, which makes q the control of this complex system very intuitive”, Concludes.

For Zhou Jun, chief technical engineer of the stadium, “the timetable was pressing, but the installation of the sound system and the commissioning were completed on time thanks to the efforts of EZPro. We invited experts to approve the installation, and all agreed on praise, as it is up to the highest Chinese standard in terms of technical performance the uniformity of the sound field and the fullness of sound”.

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