Nexo's pedigree in sports stadia is well-established, with venues such as the Stade de France in Paris and the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, using different Nexo loudspeaker products. Drawing on the success of a stand-alone GEO S system in the commercial village outside the Stade de France, the 35,000-capacity Geneva Stadium has become the first to use Nexo's flagship GEO technology as the main SR system.
The original specification followed very conventional lines, calling for 120 x 15 degree loudspeakers spread under the roof, with 60 amps located in one position. Cabling runs were enormous, and the project called for two people to spend three weeks, just hanging the loudspeakers. There was no monitoring of amps and SPL consistency was unpredictable, due to strong interferences between conventional speakers.
Zap Audio tendered for the project with the newly-launched GEO S, amplified by Camco's digital Vortex 6. Not only did the price of the GEO S system come in at 20% less than the original specification, but its technology offered better dispersion, important for the asymmetrical stadium, and better directivity control, a critical factor given that the stadium is situated near a residential neighbourhood.
Performance specifications were superior, with even coverage available throughout the stadium +/- 2dB, and, with the NX241 digital loudspeaker management systems, it was possible to set up gain, delay and EQ very precisely. The GEO S also required a smaller number of amplifiers than the original specification, which could be controlled and monitored remotely using the Wincai system. The spec required just 56 GEO S830 compact, high-output full-range loudspeakers to provide coverage throughout the stadium. Not only did this require far less cabling, but it drastically reduced installation time; two people finished the job in just three days. In total, Skynight installed 56 GEO S830 cabinets, with 6 NX241 digital controllers. The system is amplified by two CAMCO Vortex 4 and eight Vortex 6 amplifiers, and mixed from Yamaha digital mixers.
Geneva Stadium is home to FC Servette, but plays host to more than football matches, staging a variety of sporting events from boxing matches to American football, as well as concerts: French superstar Johnny Hallyday will play two nights there at the end of June.
(Ruth Rossington)
