The company responsible for the sound systems in the underground stations is Audio Zeman of Prague. Commissioned by the project management, Metroprojekt, the company's engineers conducted exhaustive simulations, with the result that they were given the go-ahead to install the first 100 DL-94 ceiling loudspeakers from Dynacord. The results were so impressive that in 2001, Audio Zeman was asked to do the same in other stations, in some of which the intelligibility of the existing systems, despite the multitude of ceiling speakers installed, was, according to Michal Zeman, the head of Audio Zeman, "highly unsatisfactory". The solution in these difficult of acoustic environments turned out to be EVI-28 Vari-Intense speakers from Electro-Voice.
When the Czech capital was hit by the worst flooding in 1,000 years, the city saw its new underground network inundated (18 stations were flooded overnight) and Audio Zeman was summoned to the rescue. The 15 stations worst affected had to be totally renovated, and this time they were treated to Dynacord ProMatrix systems, not only for their sound but also for their versatility and convenience. The work had to be carried out very quickly, and the company completed their role in record time. As Michal Zeman remembers: "The time constraints were appalling, but everyone pulled together and we got the job done. We were particularly grateful for the extraordinary assistance we received from the Sales and Support department of EVI Audio."
And the work goes on. EVI Audio is steadily making intelligibility the hallmark of the Prague Metro. The latest batch of stations was equipped with Dynacord systems, conforming to the EN 60849 safety standard, and everything points to the likelihood that in the medium- to long-term, the Prague Metro will be able to boast an underground sound system second to none.
(Lee Baldock)
