Funktion-One’s distributor for Russia, Edelweiss Audio, has
completed the sound installation at Krasnodar Stadium. The project led to the
loudspeaker manufacturer breaking new ground with a specially designed Evo
enclosure.
Edelweiss Audio was initially invited to take part in a
listening test alongside companies representing most of the pro audio
manufacturers active in arena and stadium sound. This was the beginning of a
detailed specification process. Having impressed the owners, Edelweiss and
Funktion-One were shortlisted and invited back for a second round of listening
tests.
“A number of factors, not least the geometry of the stands,
meant that a horn-loaded solution would work best,” explains Edelweiss Audio’s
technical director Andrei Kremenchugskiy. “We were looking at up to 90-degree
coverage, which is very hard to achieve effectively using line-array.”
The owners were sold on the Funktion-One sound, which at the
time was demonstrated using Resolution 5s, and appointed Edelweiss as the audio
contractor for the project.
Krasnodar Stadium’s roof has two layers, which are split by a
cavernous space. The architect originally wanted the loudspeakers to be
positioned between these layers. Unsurprisingly, Edelweiss and Funktion-One had
other ideas.
Kremenchugskiy worked closely with John Newsham and others at
Funktion-One in the UK to come up with a solution. This resulted in the
development of new customised product – the Evo 6EHQ. These specially designed
enclosures house four Evo 6 waveguides, arrayed two wide and two deep.
Newsham recalls: “We spoke to Andrei and he explained that if we
could get 90-degree vertical and 45-degree horizontal dispersion, then he could
deliver a really good solution for the stadium. On paper, it looked like
combining four Evo 6EHs would work the way we wanted but we needed to do some
tests in order to find out exactly how to combine them. We didn\’t have the
height available to just do a vertical hang.”
Newsham led some field tests at Funktion-One HQ in the UK. He
continues: “For the horizontal coverage of 45 degrees, we wanted to figure out
whether coupling the mids or the high-frequencies would produce the smoothest
result. In the end the best solution was to couple the mids and let the high
frequencies separate. We then developed a special cabinet to house the four Evo
6 waveguides fixed at the correct angles.”
A
total of 18 Evo 6EHQ enclosures have been deployed around the stadium,
approximately 20m apart. Funktion-One F215 Mk2 bass enclosures were paired with
the new F124 24in bass enclosures and installed between the Evo 6EHQs. Six
standard Evo 6EH loudspeakers were supplied for pitch coverage.
