The AmericanAirlines Arena's new Apogee line array loudspeaker system features 24 Apogee ALA-9s in six clusters of four, plus six Apogee AE-12 subwoofers. The processor-based Apogee ALA-9 a tri-amped, electronically-coupled system with two 15" cone type drivers, two 10" cone type drivers, and three 2" throat compression drivers is the largest of the Apogee ALA Series. It has high power capability, making it ideally suited for applications requiring high SPLs, such as rock concerts, sporting events and outdoor pageantry.
Dave Vickery, director of broadcast services for The HEAT Group, teamed up with Jorge Arronte, manager of Arena Sound and Matrix for The HEAT Group, to seek a replacement for the non-line array system originally installed in the Arena. According to Vickery, the arena's original system "occupied a lot of real estate but the vocals were not intelligible; the music sounded boomy with the mids, highs, and vocal ranges missing; and the system lacked in low frequency response. It would jump from mids to subs and there was no 'meat' in either voice or music. We thought that a line array would be the best solution to focusing and controlling the sound and provide full-range octave across the board, with full delivery."
Vickery made the decision to test line array systems from six major manufacturers. The line array systems were auditioned by de-activating one of the four clusters in the arena's original system and replacing it with one of the six companies' line arrays. "We tested the six line array products over the course of several Miami HEAT basketball games during the 2000-2001 NBA season," said Arronte, The HEAT Group's in-house mixer, who has been mixing FOH for 18 years. "The Apogee ALA-9s were the cleanest-sounding and the coverage from the top to bottom of the arena was impeccable."
Vickery complemented the Apogee team and rep firm Mainline Marketing for their high level of customer service. "We were very impressed that Apogee stayed in touch before, during, and after the sales process," he said. Steven Walker, managing director of Apogee Sound, said that Apogee is honored to have an ALA-9 system installed in the AmericanAirlines Arena, "We were confident that The HEAT Group would be pleased with its performance."
(Lee Baldock)
