The new World Equestrian Center, occupying 380 acres in Ocala, FL and slated to open next month (January 2021), has several arenas equipped with sound reinforcement systems designed and installed by All Pro Integrated Systems that incorporate Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers and related components.
“The Roberts family [owners of the facility] and Vinnie Card, director of operations, made it clear at the beginning of our discussions that horses have very sensitive hearing and that the sound reinforcement system should not upset them or break their concentration,” says Mark Salamone, sales manager at All Pro Integrated Systems, which is based in Pensacola, FL. “Think of the stress the horses are potentially under – many will have flown in from across the Atlantic and will be housed in unfamiliar stalls with unfamiliar neighbors. The Roberts family and Vinnie Card didn’t want the sound to be shrill or overly loud. They didn’t want the horses riding into and out of coverage. It had to be perfect.
“In addition, the World Equestrian Center will be a high-class environment with people, who are accustomed to excellence, flying in from all around the world. When our design team hears these kinds of expectations, Danley is our go-to. We know from experience with churches, performing arts centers, sports stadiums, and more that Danley will reliably deliver the kind of high-end performance that the client expects.”
The 8,000-seat World Equestrian Center main arena is utilizing four Danley J3-94 Jericho Horns for coverage of the field, the main, east-side seating and a courtyard, with 60 Go2 8CX distributed loudspeakers covering the seating on the north and south sides of the arena from under its awning structure. Low end is provided by 24 Nano Sub subwoofers, and all loudspeakers are driven by a rack of DNA 10k4 Pro amplifiers with integrated DSP and Dante connectivity.
In addition, the 3,000-seat Derby Field receives coverage from a pair of J7-95 Jericho Horns for coverage of the field and the main seating area. Fifty-two distributed OS80 loudspeakers provided additional coverage, with 20 OS115 subs for the lows. Another rack of DNA 10k4 and 20k4 Pro amplifiers power the system. Also, more than thirty Danley OS80s on poles provide additional coverage for smaller arenas, training spaces, and warm-up arenas.
“They didn’t know to ask for it by name, but the client was really after Danley fidelity, coverage, and performance,” Salamone explains. “Danley’s low-end performance, from its dedicated subwoofers and full-frequency Jericho Horns, is exceptional. And the way Danley’s unique point-source technology throws sound is exactly what the World Equestrian Center needs: the frequency response stays intact such that the sound near the speaker is identical to the sound far away. And Danley coverage is remarkably even. The center will be a noisy environment, and the Danleys will push through all of it while maintaining balanced, natural sound. On top of those considerations, we know from experience that Danley’s weatherized loudspeakers and subwoofers can stand up to central Florida’s onslaught of 90˚-plus temperatures, high humidity, torrential rains, and tremendous winds. That’s a very important consideration.”
