Technomad Speakers Crank It Up for Cricket

Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, used eight Technomad loudspeakers to provide live coverage of the Fortune Cup professional cricket matches to 20,000 spectators.

The Fortune Cup took place in late 2008, comprising three cricket matches between the West Indies and Pakistan over the course of one day. Bint Al Jazeera Electronics, a professional AV and lighting company based in the United Arab Emirates, installed six Technomad Berlin and two Noho C loudspeakers to ensure even audio coverage throughout the large open-air stadium, allowing announcers to clearly reach every spectator in the stadium.

According to Shrini N Iyer of Bint Al Jazeera Electronics, engineers from the stadium and the Abu Dhabi Cricket Club were most concerned with eliminating echo associated with previous sound systems used in the stadium. Even-audio coverage and durability were also significant considerations in choosing a sound system for the event.

“The chief engineer of the Abu Dhabi Cricket Club was determined to eliminate all echo from the venue during the matches, an issue that had an adverse effect on the sound quality and audio coverage during previous events,” says Iyer. “The wide, even audio patterns of the Technomad loudspeakers across a wide frequency band helped eliminate hot spots. With careful loudspeaker placement, unwanted reverberation in the venue was minimized — a significant improvement over prior years.”

The Technomad Berlin loudspeakers, known for their projection, fidelity, and power, covered the main seating areas and field surface. The Noho C loudspeakers served two purposes: acting as performance monitors and also providing a direct audio source to the VIP section. All eight loudspeakers were positioned atop tripods 7 ft. above ground level to ensure an even audio pattern, allowing every spectator to clearly comprehend the announcers’ speech. In addition to voice, the Technomad loudspeakers powered instruments for a live band performing between events, providing a robust musical output for the crowd to enjoy.

“Clear audio with minimal echo is essential to ensure that the audience hears all public broadcasts during the game, including information on appropriate public conduct and warnings against abusive behavior that required for all international games,” says Dilawar Mani, chief engineer for Abu Dhabi Cricket Club. “The loudspeakers also worked to our satisfaction for the ‘end-of-match awards’ while announcing the winners and special awards, as well as for conducting interviews with players.”

Iyer adds that the durability of the Technomad loudspeakers were on display between the second and third matches, when extremely heavy winds dislodged many of the loudspeakers from their tripods. “Our team found all of the loudspeakers on the ground after the high wind speeds earlier in the day, a common weather occurrence in this region,” he says. “The rugged design protected the loudspeakers, and they all worked flawlessly once remounted. When we first evaluated the stadium, its audio requirements and potential climate challenges, it became clear quickly that Technomad was the only choice for the job.”