Opened in 2002, city-owned Chesapeake Energy Arena is an 18,000-seat multi-purpose venue in downtown Oklahoma City and is best known as the home to the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. But when the Thunder are rolling on the road, the arena plays host to ice hockey, wrestling, rodeo, and live concert events.
CEA features retractable seating on the main floor to accommodate a variety of seating configurations, as well as drapes to close off upper deck seating for smaller events. Arena acoustics are usually tricky, and introducing variable seating made things even tougher. To stay competitive, CEA completed a video modernization in 2012 but the audio system was getting long in the tooth.
Consultants Marsh/PMK sought a sound system that could readily accommodate a spectrum of event types without burdening the operators. Fitted above the scoreboard, the system had to provide stellar performance and consistent coverage for any of the seating configurations.
Working with hometown system integrator Ford AV, Marsh/PMK specified 40 Anya modules, deployed in four arrays of two columns each. Anya is a high-powered device with a flexible dispersion pattern, which Stevens leveraged to get coverage of the whole venue with little need for fill or delay speakers.
The system’s self-powered design was invaluable in speeding installation to meet the very aggressive schedule, as well as reducing space and cabling needs. Anya’s high output capability meant that the columns never needed to be longer than six modules to cover the entire venue. Anya’s 35 Hz to 18 kHz operating range is sufficient to meet the original specification, and the modules are run full-range at CEA, but the arena chose to add subwoofers for even deeper low-frequency extension.
The ability to recall presets for different configurations is crucial to supporting CEA’s variable seating operation, as it allows resources to be reallocated for different configurations, rather than simply shutting down equipment for sections that do not need coverage. This means the system’s full complement is always being used. Dual Dante™ networks on each module provide complete system redundancy.
Ford AV’s excellent installation meant that everything was configured and ready when EAW arrived to support Marsh/PMK in commissioning the system. After a shakedown cruise during a preseason Thunder game, venue and team staff declared themselves pleased with the result. Marsh/PMK felt that coverage levels were remarkably consistent all the way up the seating area.
CEA’s sound system upgrade is one of a number of successful investments the arena and the citizens of Oklahoma City have made to keep the Chesapeake Energy Arena current as a top venue in the region and the country.
