Dignity Health Sports Park (DHSP), the home of the LA Galaxy, one of MLS’ most successful franchises, announced a partnership with 3G Productions to design and install a new loudspeaker system.
“The previous sound system, installed during the stadium’s construction, was no longer adequately meeting their needs,” describes 3G Productions, Inc. Chief Operating Officer Keith Conrad. “It was beyond its age and had reliability concerns. Plus, it did not extend enough sound coverage in the stands or to the concourse, which limited the fan experience throughout the venue.”
With all of the various stadium needs in mind, 3G Productions Director of AVL Integration David Myers collaborated on a Soundvision system design with L-Acoustics Sports Facilities Business Development Manager Dan Palmer. The final result that satisfied all criteria was a bowl sound system primarily comprised of 142 Kiva II line source enclosures—divided across 18 arrays in eight zones—paired with 14 hangs of 28 SB18i subs and collectively driven by 13 LA12X and four LA4X amplified controllers. Additionally, 10 ultra-compact, short-throw 5XT speakers would cover a press area in the West zone, while two co-linear Syva enclosures would be mounted to the left and right sides of a giant LED wall at the stadium’s main entrance.
“Using the same loudspeaker solution throughout the bowl, we created a system that is scalable to accommodate each of the unique listener areas while maintaining the same tonal voicing and acoustic characteristics. This also maximized horizontal dispersion control,” Myers shares, “Also, Kiva II is very visually unobtrusive, allowing clear views to the field and preserving the architectural look of the park. And we flew SB18i subs to reinforce the main system and extend the frequency bandwidth and low-end energy as needed for the more sonically demanding shows and games.
“The new system significantly enhances the energy inside the stadium, while also preserving the integrity and nuances of a soccer match by keeping the sound off the field,” Conrad says. “The audio system throughout the concourse enhances the fan experience by allowing people to continue to follow the action even if they have to leave their seats. Speech intelligibility is notably improved and the surrounding neighbors are delighted with the minimized noise emanating from the stadium during games.”
