KV2 Audio powers the EC Red Bull Salzburg experience

This Austrian ice hockey team has chosen point source loudspeakers from KV2 Audio to deliver clear, intelligible sound during matches at your stadium, with capacity for 3.400 spectators.

The ice hockey team EC Red Bull, based in the Austrian city of Salzburg, ha renovated the sound system of its stadium, already obsolete by not meeting the festival-level high performance expectations of professional sports venues.

Specifically, The old sound system was installed in groups of three rooms, oriented in different directions, which caused having more than a dozen conflicting coverage angles in each section and that the ivoice intelligibility was practically impossible. Besides, the glass, The metal and perfectly smooth ice surface of the enclosure caused intense reflections that further reduced the clarity of the word..

The EC Red Bull operations team turned to Key-Wi Music, a leading music establishment in Salzburg. “As a supplier and installation partner in this city, We always seek to support local projects - explains its founder and CEO, Gerhard Bernegger-. We evaluate solutions from the main manufacturers, but we trust that only KV2 “could provide an audio experience that meets all the technical requirements of this venue”.

To get a reliable first impression of these systems, audiovisual engineering OF Matr, responsible for technical management and system integration of the project, carried out an on-site test. “When they consulted me, “It became clear that the only viable solution was a coherent, high-quality point source system.”, assures Tim Niedermeier, CEO of this company.

With the main objective of achieving a even coverage, minimizing reflections and without modifying the acoustics of the stadium, Tim Niedermeier collaborated with Stefano Trevisan, de KV2 Audio Germany, to develop a precise system that Optimize voice intelligibility, musical impact and operational reliability in the stadium.

“The system is made up of ten SL412 speakers wide dispersion, that act as the main sound system -Trevisan points out-. Next, we install two of the model ESD10 and four ESD12 in short and long range perimeter zones, fed by SL3000D and ESP2000D amplifiers.

A key challenge in this type of enclosures “is the tearing of the wave front, a common problem on ice rinks -adds this expert-. To reduce this destructive filtering, all speakers were oriented in the same direction towards the audience, with a central delay line instead of a single point. This method allowed us ensure a coherent wave front with a stable location throughout the spectator area”.

Another common problem in an enclosure of this type is a strong resonance around 160-180 Hz. As Trevisan explains, “instead of increasing the overall levels of the system, we deactivate the full range mode of the main speakers and attenuate problematic frequencies directly using the equalizer. Even with these limitations, The system offers a focused power of +3 dB a 70 Hz, ensuring musical cues and high-pitched touches maintain their impact, at the same time as vocal clarity”.

Signal distribution is done by redundant Dante (primary/secondary) through switches Netgear AV-Line with analog backup, managed by processors Research Line ASC48. For room operation and monitoring, Yamaha QL1 with a custom control interface.

The combination of KV2's point source technology and linear delay design has significantly elevated the stadium sound system to new heights.. “We have shown once again that, even in difficult environments, and Coherent point source approach and clean signal chain deliver consistent results and high quality. Where speech intelligibility was previously non-existent in large sections of the venue, Now spoken announcements are broadcast with clarity and uniform coverage in all audience areas.”, concludes Niedermeier.

New sound system has significantly improved the match day experience for fans and visitors, who can follow what's happening on the ice while listening to announcements and other messages, creating a more cohesive audio experience.