manager for loudspeakers. “Our low- voltage, DC-powered loudspeaker line gives integrators the self-powered advantage and enables them to place high-quality loudspeakers in locations where it’s not possible to run AC lines,” he points out. “This situation applies to a large number of sports building structures in Europe. The expectation for intelligibility and quality sound has risen not just in concert halls but in a variety of other spaces with public address where the typical 70V solutions can’t meet these demands. Having properly installed high-quality audio products is the only path to achieve the performance standards desired today. Our low-voltage products give customers an install-friendly option that they’re going to appreciate.” US manufacturer Community has
recently pointed out how large venues of every kind need intelligible VA but typically suffer inadequate fire-alarm systems for very large numbers of
141 “EN54-24 specifies the minimum
requirements for voice alarm loudspeaker as a component of a voice alarm system to provide intelligible
warning when a fire emergency has occurred and provides a common method of testing their operational performance. It also specifies the common requirements for construction and robustness under climatic or mechanical conditions that might occur in a service environment. Community is ahead of the compliance curve in this project, having considered the EN54-24 requirements over a year ago and immediately initiating design plans, ahead of many other large-scale manufacturers selling into Europe.” But those large-scale manufacturers
have their own prerogatives. For Harman Professional, commonality of brands is the big advantage: for example, Sound Technology – Harman Pro’s distributor in the UK and Ireland – is rightly proud of the new networked audio system at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. It is able to synergise JBL loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers and BSS Soundweb network processing in
ElectroVoice EVH-1152S
Installed in the National Stadium, Bucharest
people. But for EU territories, something can now be done about it. “Throughout Europe,” Community’s
statement says, “venues such as stadia, sports and convention centres already have high intelligibility, high-level sound systems for entertainment and voice paging which can communicate effectively. For such systems installers could comply with the BS EN 60849 Standard for the installation, but there was no common laboratory test for the loudspeaker equipment. This remained subject to different requirements in every country. The introduction of the EN54-24 standard dramatically changed this, providing a harmonised EU standard to test to.
more ways than one. The open space is served by the JBL and Crown products, while a combination of BSS Soundweb London digital architecture and a BLU-Link fibre backbone takes care of signal routing and audio processing throughout the rest of the building. Crucially, though, the integration is not merely technical. For the first time, Sound Technology has been able to fuse its own Projects Team with the installer on one hand and its own corporate backup on the other. “At Sound Technology we have a
Projects Team who provide technical advice to our major clients at the design stage and post-installation,” explains Sound Technology’s Ian Cullen. “This will frequently involve site visits alongside consultants or integrators. If required, we’re able to help with the system design itself, particularly in
Meyer Sound’s Ultra series was chosen for The Stade Rennais in Rennes, France