EAW MK Series Components A “Natural” For Northwest Arkansas Naturals’ New Arvest Ballpark

Springdale, in northwest Arkansas,
is a small town with a big vision. When in 2007 it decided to build a new
ballpark for the newly relocated Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the Texas
League/Double-A affiliate for the Kansas City Royals, it reached for the best,
including the award-winning sports architecture division of world-renowned
architects HOK. A key addition was sound system components from EAW, a world
leader in audio system and loudspeaker solutions.

The
6,500-seat Arvest Ballpark, which opened at the start of the 2008 season as
home to the Naturals, has a PA system consisting of EAW MK2300 and MK5300
Series loudspeakers, as well as the KF750 High Output Line Array with EAW’s
proprietary V4 Technology. The system was installed by Springdale-based
Commercial Audio Systems (www.comaudsys.com) and specified by Gary White of
Dallas-based AV systems consultant WJHW (www.wjhw.com).

With a
design by the same architectural firm that designed Camden Yards and
Progressive Field, Arvest Ballpark has already exceeded expectations: it was
named 2008 Ballpark of the Year by ballparks.com, despite being built in record
time (13 months from the ground-breaking ceremony, in what was then a pasture,
to opening day on April 10, 2008).

It was
January 2008 when Commercial Audio Systems of Springdale came in to install the
PA system: 21 MK2326WP Weather Protected 2-Way Full-Range Installation
Loudspeakers featuring 12-inch woofers, 23 MK5326WP Weather Protected 2-Way
Full-Range Installation Loudspeakers with 15-inch woofers and a pair of KF750
High Output Array Loudspeakers. These highly focusable components were
assembled into a large, distributed system, which evenly and consistently
covered all areas of spectator seating but without spilling over into the
neighboring houses.

The
“WP” designation indicates weather protection, and Jim Crews, co-owner
and president of Commercial Audio Systems, notes that this was tested as the
speakers were installed.

“Typical
of a baseball stadium to be hanging speakers at a height of over fifty feet in
20-degree weather, and with sleet and snow blowing at forty miles an
hour!” Crews recalls. “This installation required quality,
reliability and of course the delivery of great sound, and EAW was able to meet
all three criteria easily. We’ve used them in other sports venue installations,
and they’re definitely a pleasure to work with.”

For more
information on EAW’s entire product line, please visit www.eaw.com.