TG Baker has installed a new JBL public address and voice alarm system at Chesterfield FC’s 10,600-capacity SMH Group Stadium in Derbyshire, UK.
The system replaces the stadium’s original audio infrastructure, which had been in place since the venue opened in 2010. It is designed to handle emergency public address communications alongside matchday entertainment, foreground music, paging and zoned audio.
Following a site survey, TG Baker designed and installed a system based around 26 JBL AWC159 all-weather loudspeakers, distributed in the UK by Live Technology.
Eight AWC159 cabinets have been installed in each of the East and West
stands, with five serving each of the North and South stands.
The IP56-rated AWC159 is a two-way coaxial loudspeaker incorporating a 15-in driver. TG Baker selected the 100V configuration to support the cable runs and system monitoring required
across the stadium while allowing the loudspeakers to operate from battery-backed PAVA amplification.
Barry Paterson, managing director at TG Baker, said: “We’ve completed numerous highly successful stadium installations with the JBL AWC159. It has excellent clarity for speech
and music, and we’ve found that using 100V loudspeakers has advantages including cable length, monitoring and reliability.”
He added: “In addition to this, the loudspeakers can be powered from the battery backed PAVA system amplifiers, negating the requirement for
high voltage power amplifiers which would require a separate UPS.”
The brief called for a system capable of combining life safety requirements with improved audio for the matchday experience. Individual areas can be addressed for paging, while flexible
routing supports different audio requirements throughout the venue.
Chesterfield FC commissioned the replacement after receiving feedback about the performance of the previous PA system.
Ashley Kirk, Director at Chesterfield FC, said: “It had been an issue for some
time that the PA system we had wasn’t up to scratch. It was something close to my heart and something that fans had repeatedly raised.
“We want to create a great atmosphere in the build-up and during games,
and the PA and music is a big part of that. TG Baker have done a great job of the installation and the new system has made a huge improvement to the match-day experience at the SMH Group Stadium.”