When it opened its doors in 1981, the Dedmon Center was among the first venues in the United States to boast a then-futuristic air-supported roof. The Centre recently underwent a major renovation that included a new steel-reinforced roof, new basketball court, new LED video scoreboards and broadcast capabilities, and an audio system utilising Community Professional Loudspeakers' Solutions Series loudspeakers.
"It's a great place to see a game, but the sound system was always something of an afterthought," says Tom Gallaher, President of Alcoa, Tennessee-based Gallaher and Associates. As Gallaher observes, the cavernous space is large enough to easily hold triple its current seating capacity, and has long suffered from challenging acoustics.
The new sound system utilises 22 Community SLS920 three-way full-range loudspeakers to cover the entire main seating area and the adjacent volleyball courts. Eight i215LVS dual 15-inch subwoofers deliver 36,000 Watts of low-frequency punch, and six i2W8 two-way boxes provide additional front-fill coverage.
"Our goal was to design a system that could create an NBA-level environment," says Gallaher of the new system. "That means serious sound, with powerful bass and great intelligibility everywhere. We've used the Community SLS boxes on other projects and knew they could deliver that level of performance. We also knew we could count on Community for great support in ensuring the benchmark of our system designs."
(Jim Evans)
