Target Field
Opening its doors this season, Target Field in downtown Minneapolis is the latest gem to join the major league stadium register, replacing the aesthetically cold, cavernous Metrodome as the home of the Minnesota Twins.
TSI-Global of St. Charles, MO recently completed the system installation, which has weatherized JBL Professional AM Series loudspeakers providing the vast majority of coverage to the grandstand.
For architectural reasons, it was necessary to cover the field level seating (out toward the dugouts) from the canopy at the top of the grandstand using powerful JBL PD743 loudspeakers, while more JBL PD Series mounted to the scoreboard reaching outfield seating regions.
Numerous JBL Contractor Control Series loudspeakers are deployed in concourses, clubs, lounges, and team areas, etc.
A Yamaha M7CL digital mixing console in the system control room in the suites region drives a BSS Soundweb London Blu signal processing system. Within each distributed equipment room, BSS BluLink is used to pass signals between boxes, while CobraNet over fiber is the audio transport between rooms.
Power amplification is Crown CTs Series (more than 220 unites) outfitted with PIP-Lite input cards. Both the London and the Crown amplifiers controlled with Harman System Architect Software, which also provides the main user interface to the system.
Rangers Ballpark
It would be difficult to argue that Rangers Ballpark in Ft. Worth, home of the Texas Rangers, doesn’t look just as it good as it did on the day it opened in 1994. And now it sounds even better.
A couple of years ago, original contractor Electro Acoustics of Fort Worth returned to install a new system headed by 176 customized Electro-Voice FRi+122 loudspeakers.
The original system had incorporated more than 60 custom weatherized wood enclosures, each containing three 12-inch woofers, with each unit weighing around 350 pounds. These were joined by 27 large EV MH4020 stadium horns and two clusters comprised of HP940 horns, DH-1A drivers, and TL606 low-frequency boxes.
“Loudspeaker technology has changed significantly in the last 14 years,” notes Electro Acoustics Owner Chris Jordan. “The latest generation of FRi loudspeakers offers a lighter weight, higher fidelity, more rigging-friendly solution than the previous system, but with that same inherent build quality and reliability.
It was far easier to install three 60-pound loudspeakers than a single heavy unit, which also means they will be simpler to remove, if that’s ever necessary. This system design saved us a considerable amount of labor during installation, while adding superior sound quality and serviceability for the future.”
The new loudspeakers were custom designed with a 120-degree dispersion pattern, which adds significantly to their coverage. Also note that many of the original EV loudspeakers are still in use for the lower deck seating area, as well as the MH6040 horns that were outfitted with new components during the upgrade.