DES MOINES (CelebrityAccess) — The Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines has successfully completed upgrades to its audio system with help from Daktronics and Electro-Voice on a design-build basis.
The Spectra-managed venue upgraded the sound system in the arena, as well as several customer-facing areas, including the concourses, restaurant/bars, and interview rooms.
David Sturzenbecher, applications engineer in the Audio Systems division of Daktronics led the upgrade project, while Daktronics field engineer Thijs Hammink oversaw the physical installation.
Upgrades include flying a series of new line array elements, the XLD291 from Electro-Voice, which provides audio coverage for the arena without interfering with sightlines. In total, 94 new elements were deployed in eight separate arrays that include between nine to 13 speakers each.
Coverage for the main floor was provided by four new four Electro-Voice EVH-1152 horn-loaded loudspeakers mounted in the scoreboard structure, as well as a new EVH-1152 located behind the baskets to act as a fill speaker for the lower level seats.
Amplification throughout the arena is provided by Dynacord IPX series multi-channel DSP amplifiers for fixed installation, allowing for signal processing and audio networking for the entire sound system.
For areas outside of the arena, 181 EVID-S5.2XB were added to provide coverage for the concourses, concession areas, and restaurants, while the dedicated interview room received nine EVID C8.2 ceiling speakers. Various bar areas were also upgraded with ceiling-mounted C10.1 and EVID-S10.1DB subwoofers, as well as 20 new C4.2 ceiling speakers.
“Wells Fargo Arena needed improved sound quality and clarity to ensure the best experience for our guests. We also needed a timely installation that stayed on budget,” said Spectra’s production manager A.J. Johnson.
“The Sound quality of our arena is very important to the fans. We had NCAA basketball last year and the quality of sound was not very good in certain sections due to the old system we had,” added Wells Fargo Director of Operations Jason Smith.
