Hillsborough NC – July 2014… All across our great nation, Friday night high school football is a generations-old ritual that brings a school’s student body together like few other activities are capable of. As the home and opposing team try to best one another on the field, friendships are reinforced and the students are generally unified with a sense of school spirit that brings everyone together. But without being able to clearly hear the score and other pertinent announcements, much of the excitement turns to frustration. Such was the case at Orange and Cedar Ridge High Schools—until the deployment of new loudspeaker systems drawn from the TrueLine catalog of Greensboro, NC-based WorxAudio Technologies were deployed.
Burlington, NC-based Boone Audio, Inc., a design/build firm that provides AV systems to the commercial and worship markets, was contracted to install new sound reinforcement systems at both schools. As both schools had essentially identical requirements on the football field, Boone and his team deployed two identical systems consisting of a TrueLine S-XL3-15 two-way, high efficiency, ultra compact, line array loudspeaker system mated with the company’s S-118S subwoofer. Power amplification is provided by WorxAudio’s PXD-2580 and PSD-700 digital amplifiers. Boone discussed the nature of the two projects.
“Both schools had identical challenges on the field,” states Boone. “The problems revolved around outdated sound reinforcement technology that simply wasn’t adequate for the size of the area. Both schools had horn-driven systems of the megaphone variety, so sound quality and speech intelligibility was poor to begin with—and the problem was compounded by the size of the area that required coverage. After meeting with school officials to determine what they hoped to achieve while staying within a limited budget, we ultimately decided that line array technology and a robust subwoofer would make a good choice.”
The WorxAudio S-XL3-15 is a 15-degree vertical dispersion, fiberglass reinforced, weatherized loudspeaker system that incorporates three modules, each with a large format compression driver with a 3-inch diaphragm and 1.4-inch exit coupled to a stabilized proprietary FlatWaveâ„¢ Former (wave shaping device) that delivers clear, penetrating high frequencies over a predictable and controlled coverage area. The S-118S subwoofer is a weatherized system incorporating a single 18-inch low frequency transducer designed to satisfy the need for an extreme high SPL sub bass loudspeaker system. The equipment—as deployed at both schools—is essentially a ground stacked loudspeaker setup that resides on the roof of the press box located on each field.
“At each school, the press box resides in the center of the home team grandstands,” Boone reports. “For each installation, we mounted a 3 foot by 3 foot metal deck with adjustable legs onto the roof of the press box. This enabled us to compensate for the roof’s slope—effectively creating a level platform for the loudspeakers. The S-118S subwoofer sits on the platform and the S-XL3-15 is positioned atop the subwoofer.”
“The two power amplifiers—the WorxAudio PXD-2580 for the S-XL3-15 and the PSD-700 for the subwoofer—are rack mounted and reside inside each press box,” Boone continued. “A weather shielded cable connects the amps to the loudspeakers on the roof. The PXD-2580 power amp also contains DSP functionality, so everything needed for the sound system is contained within this compact and highly efficient system.”
The new WorxAudio loudspeaker systems were deployed several months back. Since that time, Boone reports he’s received countless compliments on the new systems’ performance. “Both systems have been really well received,” says Boone. “I remember when we were finalizing the sound at Orange High School, the principal was so impressed with what he heard that he actually came out onto the field, spent several minutes complimenting the members of my crew, and then proceeded to provide beverages to each of the guys! That doesn’t happen very often. Further, the athletic director, coaches, as well as students and parents alike, report that the football games are so much more enjoyable now that they can hear what’s taking place. I’m really proud of these two projects, and the tireless technical support of the WorxAudio crew that helped make it all happen.”
To learn more about Boone Audio, Inc., visit the company’s website at
.
About WorxAudio Technologies
Headquartered in Greensboro, NC, WorxAudio Technologies is a division of PreSonus Audio Electronics (
). WorxAudio has been at the forefront of loudspeaker development for the pro touring and contractor markets for the over 30 years. With a comprehensive lineup of more than twenty loudspeaker models that feature integrated rigging hardware for streamlined installation and pack out, WorxAudio products can be found in prestigious facilities worldwide. For additional information, visit the company online at
.
###
