German trainer Jürgen Klinsmann wasn't the only one to draw important conclusions from the matches between Germany and the artists of South American football, Brazil and Argentina. The organizers of the World Cup 2006 were also on hand to assess the state of readiness of the venue, Nuremberg's Franken Stadium, and the conclusions they drew were highly positive: the stadium is more than qualified to play its part in the world's greatest sporting event - certainly in respect of its electro-acoustic systems.
As was the case with most of the venues selected for next year's tournament those responsible for equipping the 50,000-seater Franken Stadium opted for sound systems from EVI Audio. In addition to a pro sound system (including 128 Electro-Voice FRX+ PI enclosures, 68 EV SX80 PI enclosures and 82 Electro-Voice P1200 RL amps), the stadium now boasts a DYNACORD Pro Matrix (alarm and evacuation) system and a CobraNet network. Built in 1928, when it was named the Municipal Stadium (Städtische Stadion in German), the giant oval on Max Morlock Square has undergone successive transformations including massive rebuilding between 1987 and 1991 and a further overhaul at the end of the 2004/2005 season - this alone cost 27 million euros.
According to Oliver Sahm (EVI Audio's project and sales manager, permanent installations, Europe), "In the Franken Stadium, Nuremberg, the classic public address and pro sound systems have been fused to create an integrated sound reinforcement solution that satisfies the highest standards in terms of safety, acoustic quality and ease-of-use. Multiple redundancy is built into the system at every level, including multiple fibre optic networks with a ring topology. Acoustically, the horn-loaded EV FRX+ series speaker systems combine with the other loudspeakers to deliver optimal results in terms of SPL, frequency response and intelligibility; whilst the EV IRIS software offers user-specific control interfaces via a multi-level password access system and the unique ability to perform a detailed system check on all the loudspeaker components in use throughout the stadium."
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
