DORTMUND, Germany — Westfalenstadion, also known as Signal-Iduna-Park, is the 65,718-seat home of Germany’s top soccer team in 2011 and 2012, Borussia Dortmund. RCF worked with ATEIS Germany and Fulfil engineering GmbH on a sound system upgrade that includes 14 RCF TTL 33A custom line array units..
More details from (http://www.rcf.it/homepage):
Parts of the legacy technology at the Signal-Iduna-Park in Dortmund will be innovatively combined with state-of-the-art new concepts. To service the tiers in the home of the 2011 and 2012 German champions, Borussia Dortmund, 14 line array units (14 x RCF TTL 33A special design + sub) will be integrated into a special BGV-C1 compliant mechanism and combined to form a complex unity.
The unit as such may be accessed at any time via a cable for examination purposes. As all the speaker modules in the unit have a built-in amplifier, only one power supply, two signal lines (A/B) and two control buses (A/B) are required, making each unit redundant.
What is special about RCF’s new amplifier modules is the impedance monitoring option on all chassis that are integrated in the speaker, with reporting carried out via bus systems. 18 of the units in use for the sound system will experience a renaissance of sorts for this new concept: when rotated 180° they can now be used to evacuate the stadiums inside areas (the pitch).
As regards security, closed signal distribution is implemented via eight ATEIS IDA8 units (EN54-16 compliant) in an optic fiber ring, which communicate directly with the line array units with regards to signal monitoring.
This has become possible thanks to the direct cooperation of RCF Group German subsidiary, RCF Engineering Support Group (ESG) department and RCF R&D in Italy, ATEIS Germany, and Fulfil engineering GmbH from Gelsenkirchen. The joint venture was initiated, coordinated and supervised by the planning department of the Fulfil engineering.
Key Facts
– Speakers configured as a line array system provides significant acoustic advantages over distribution via individual speakers. When a distributed solution is used, the sound waves from several speakers reach listeners at different times, resulting in phase cancellations and reduced sound quality. This is largely eliminated by using this preferred line array solution.
– Monitoring of the Prosound speaker is fully integrated into the voice alarm system concept. Speaker failures or outages in the amplifier components are immediately reported to and recorded in the voice alarm system, and transmitted to the central building control system. Using PC software, a technician can carry out an accurate error analysis whereby even the failure of a single speaker chassis can be accurately located.
– All audio signal routing is conducted via the voice alarm systems manufactured by ATEIS. Additional, unmonitored audio routers can be omitted, ensuring the highest levels of reliability and the immediate detection of faults.
– All system components are constantly monitored. Errors will be reported immediately.
– The network technology between the stands’ alarm systems is fully redundant with its fiber optic ring feature.
– The system can very easily be extended at any time. Additional audio inputs and outputs can easily be integrated by installing additional components.
– Operating the system and visualizing its operating status is carried out sophisticatedly and intuitively via a media control that uses graphically appealing user interfaces. The increased demands placed on a stadium sound system can be met in a way that takes into consideration the use of the system outside of game days.
