Rugby is akin to a religion in Toulon, exemplified by the fact that the Stade Mayol, home to RC Toulonnais, is embedded in the heart of the southern French port city.
The tender for a recent upgrade of sound, screens and lights at the stadium included a requirement to improve the fan experience pregame and during half time shows which, in terms of sound, obviously called for plenty of SPL and full bandwidth.
But the stadium operators were also keen to preserve the unique atmosphere of the historic 17,500-capacity stadium, surrounded by high rise buildings and which includes a number of seating areas without roof cover and open to the elements.
System installers would obviously need a sound system capable of exceptional power, long throw and controllable directivity, yet compact and light enough to install unobtrusively within the stadium’s existing architecture. The local office of AV and event technology specialists Dushow was granted the contract and chose to design a NEXO P+ point series system.
With amplification and processing from a total of 9 x NEXO NXAMP4X2Mk2 Powered TD Controllers, a total of 26 x P+ Series cabinets cover the stadium: 15 x P15s under the roofs for the covered Bonnus and Lafontan stands, 7 x P18s in custom made metal cases on specially constructed masts to cover the open sections of the Finale, Quarter Corner, Delangre and Lafontan stands, and a further 4 x P18s under the roof covering the pitch.
“Only certain roof beams could be used, and a number of weight restrictions were applied, so the design was not an easy one” reports Nicolas Poitrenaud from NEXO Engineering Support who assisted the team at Dushow through the design and commissioning stages of the project, with system tuning by his colleague Melvin Frerot.
“A conventional configuration of evenly spaced speakers was not possible and required precision horizontal aiming of speakers mounted at a number of different elevations.
“Ultimately the results are very good and further testament to the power and versatility of the P+ Series in stadium sound installations.”
Commenting further, NEXO’s French Sales Manager Stéphane Brocard adds “Like the project consultant and stadium operators, I was particularly impressed by the P18’s coverage area and its performance in the lower frequencies on the uncovered stands.”
For further information on Dushow, visit: dushow.com
