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Electro-Voice provides sound system for Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, France

• „  Clermont-Ferrand's principal rugby stadium now boasts a sound reinforcement system from Electro-Voice

• „  Components include Sx600PIX and ZX1i-100T loudspeakers, P1200RT amplifiers, and a NetMax N8000 controller

• „  The installation was performed by the Clermont-Ferrand branch of Manganelli

After soccer, rugby is France's most popular sport, with massive interest among spectators both at club and international level. To offer fans first class entertainment both on the pitch and off it, more and more rugby clubs are investing heavily in stadium infrastructure. A case in point is the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin, home of ASM Clermont Auvergne, sitting second in the French TOP14 at the time of writing, which now features a brand-new sound reinforcement system from Electro-Voice.The installation in the 18,000-seater stadium was performed by the Clermont-Ferrand branch of Manganelli, supported by EVI Audio France. "Those responsible for the stadium wanted a sound reinforcement system with the highest intelligibility level possible," explains Jean Marandet, the French Electro-Voice distributor's Product & Service Manager. The greatest challenge was the need to obtain high sound pressure levels and at the same time even coverage with a 100-V system. The only solution worth considering, in the view of Manganelli's sound reinforcement specialists, was an Electro-Voice system. After all, EV components have been demonstrating their superlative qualities in stadium applications at almost all the major sporting events of the last decade, most notably the Olympics in 2004 and soccer's World Cup in 2006 and 2010.

In the case of the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin, simulations and calculations revealed the ideal set-up to consist of 44 Sx600PIX dual 12" two-way loudspeakers flown from the underside of the stadium roof, complemented by 29 ZX1i-100T 8" two-way full-range loudspeakers. "For this installation, three irrefutable arguments spoke in the Sx600's favour," states Marandet, "high SPL, a 100-V transformer, and weather resistance." The enclosures are powered by 15 P1200RT amplifiers, also from Electro-Voice, as is the NetMax N8000 digital matrix controller, which, through the medium of IRIS-Net software, adds remote control and supervision to the ensemble.

"100-V systems have come under fire in certain quarters from pro audio experts – unfairly, in my opinion." says Marandet. "You only have to listen to the installation here in the Parc des Sports, which fears no comparison, to realize that they've come on recently in leaps and bounds." The opinion that matters most, of course, is that of the customer, and the stadium management is completely satisfied with the new sound reinforcement system.

snapshot, lf/gm, April 2012