The Von Braun Center

The Von Braun Center chose an EAW ADAPTive system for their 10,000 seat arena, with Anya chosen for the main speakers to meet the venue’s specific aesthetic, as well as electro-acoustic requirements.

EAW Otto subwoofers are centrally located in the hub providing seamless horizontal coverage of the sub band and EAW QX 566 speakers for ice fills were also used in this comprehensive audio solution.

EAW ADAPTive arrays met the arena’s needs with flying colors by covering an expansive vertical geometry with short arrays. With the ability to precisely steer audio from a single rigging location, EAW’s Resolution software allowed for every seat in this multi-tiered space to have the same auditory experience with smooth SPL throughout.

This is in addition to EAW Anna and Anya systems as well as Otto Subwoofers being deployed in the Von Braun Center’s 1,300-capacity Mars Music Hall and 2,000-seat Mark C. Smith Concert Hall, highlighting the flexibility and range of the ADAPTive product line.

The Propst Arena required an audio system suitable for a wide range of events. It presented a unique “hub-and-spoke” ceiling structure, where the primary load bearing beams meet in the center compared to the typical rectangular grid structures in most arenas, requiring meticulous planning for the audio system installation.

There was also a height limitation of only 65 feet from ice to steel, which posed a significant challenge for traditional line array technologies. Achieving smooth Sound Pressure Level (SPL) throughout a space with a wide range of multi-tiered seats presented a challenge to ensuring every seat had the same audio experience. Finally, there was a tight project timeline with a looming hockey season, a rush project had to be executed.

The Von Braun Center chose an EAW ADAPTive system for the arena, with Anya chosen for the main speakers to meet the venue’s specific aesthetic, as well as electro-acoustic requirements. Considering the unique ceiling structure, the installation included a range of hangs, with the shortest being three-boxes all the way up to seven-boxes – for a total of 12 clusters around the bowl.

Each configuration leverages ADAPTive’s ability to easily expand horizontal coverage by simply adding another column to the array. Otto subs are centrally located in the hub providing seamless horizontal coverage of the sub band, EAW QX 566 speakers for ice fills, and a QSC Q-Sys backbone for DSP and control completed the comprehensive audio solution.

EAW ADAPTive arrays met the arena’s height limitation needs by covering an expansive vertical geometry with short arrays. With the ability to precisely steer audio from a single rigging location, Resolution software allowed for every seat in this multi-tiered space to have the same auditory experience with smooth SPL throughout.

With a tight project completion timeline, Verta Technologies received the purchase order in July and completed the installation with a week to spare before the first hockey game in mid-October.

EAW’s ability to deliver products in a very timely fashion and have a technical support member onsite to support the commissioning of the system was crucial to meet the pressing deadline.

This multipurpose venue is now one of the largest permanent installs of EAW ADAPTive in the world. The presence of ADAPTive in both smaller music halls and large-scale arenas demonstrates its impressively versatile technology across this one campus.

Christian Tuttle of Verta Technologies stated that: “Everyone from the tech savvy person to the novice is blown away by the results of clarity and the overall output of the system – it’s a win for everybody.”