ARLINGTON, TX — The University of Texas Arlington and its architecture firm, HKS, hired BAi, LLC to design a distributed audio system for the 218,000-square-foot College Park Center Arena. ABLe Communications implemented the system, which features more than 30 Meyer Sound loudspeakers.
BAi, LLC, based in Austin, TX, also worked on the College Park Center Arena’s distributed TV and scoreboard systems. The venue, which hosts sports, concerts, speakers, commencement ceremonies, and more, anchors the 20-acre College Park District and is credited for stimulating a revitalization of downtown Arlington.
“What the project comes down to is a very well-designed system that was in turn installed per specifications. It ended up being a fantastic system,” says James Wicker, senior project manager at ABLe Communications (Grand Prairie, TX), which was was contracted by Hunt Construction to implement the system. Wicker had extensive experience with Meyer Sound at his previous company, Chicago-based dB Integrated Systems.
“Having used Meyer products a lot in the past,” adds Bill Hammon, BAi senior associate, “we were confident in the performance, and this didn’t disappoint.”
The system is comprised of 22 CQ-2 loudspeakers; four CQ-1 loudspeakers; four UPA-1P loudspeakers; and two 500-HP subwoofers. “A lot of time was spent on the front end with the engineering,” Wicker adds, “and making sure that the locations were right, having to work with the lighting and rigging and everything that’s up in the ceiling. When BAi came out for commissioning, we didn’t have to re-aim one speaker: the coverage was phenomenal. This is one of the best-sounding arenas I’ve ever been in.”
The inaugural event at the College Park Center was a concert by hip-hop superstar Drake. “We got a letter from the owner after their first event,” says Hammon. “Apparently it was very loud, and they were very impressed that it remained so clear at high levels.”
