EDEN PARK STADIUM
CLIENT
EVENT AUDIO NETWORK UPGRADE
PROJECT
MT EDEN, AUCKLAND
LOCATION
CLIENT HISTORY
In 1992 Bartons Sound Systems installed the first site-wide PA system in Eden Park for the inaugural Cricket World Cup. NZ did not win the CWC this time but Bartons certainly did, and since then we have built new PA systems as old grandstands have been demolished. Eden Park has been entirely rebuilt with the largest development, The South Stand, completed in 2010 in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Along with this building redevelopment, new PA systems have been designed and built to match the architectural features and to keep Eden Park equipped with the latest audio technology.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Fast forward to 2021 and the hardware Bartons Sound Systems installed in 2010 was approaching end of its useful life, and relied on proprietary fibre interconnects. This presented an opportunity to bring improvements to the sound quality and resilience of the event audio sound system hardware. An opportunity was also identified to offer immersive multichannel sound, a novel feature for events, opening ceremonies, and concerts. Over 80 channels (or ‘surround’ zones) of audio would be available to clients to place sounds almost anywhere in the stadium.
PROJECT CHALLENGES
Fitting in new hardware around existing hardware (we wanted to ensure the new system was fully operational before decommissioning old hardware). A few tricky cable runs feeding conduit alongside existing cable runs from other contractors
RESOLUTION
The new hardware is based on the QSYS ecosystem supported by Netgear AV Line Switches. Redundant QSYS Core 510i for control and audio processing. Junger AES67 Limiter with web page for monitoring levels from mobile devices. Touch OSC for 2d sound panning from mobile device. Network interconnectivity is based on off the shelf fibre connectors. The new hardware improves the signal to noise ratio and fidelity by providing a digital audio path all the way from the sound source to the amplifiers. Reporting has been improved with the system actively monitored and sending notifications on specified alerts.
