Built in 1911 and former home ground to local football teams 1860 Munich and
Bayern Munich, the multi-purpose Grunwald Stadium is a local landmark. Today, it
is home to the men’s 1860 Munich II and women’s Bayern Munich squads. To bring
the facility into compliance with the German Football Association (DFB) safety rules
for electroacoustic emergency warning systems, the city of Munich recently
invested in an upgraded sound system. The equipment chosen for the task included
Dynacord electronics and Electro-Voice loudspeakers.
In the planning phase, specialized retail partner ELA-Technik Karl Wagner worked
with the Electro-Voice and Electro-Voice support team in Straubing, Germany, on
system design using computer simulations to determine the optimum loudspeakers
and positioning to cover the 21,272-seat stadium.
The job presented numerous challenges. With only four feasible locations for central
electronics, long cabling distances would be required. In addition, only the existing
structure could be used for loudspeaker locations. The team quickly decided on a
100V loudspeaker system from Electro-Voice, with all control rooms networked
together via a Dynacord Promatrix 8000 system using a redundant fibre optic
topology to ensure failsafe operation.
The physical installation was performed by Munich-based MTG – Kommunikations-
Technik. Each of the four control centres houses a Dynacord DPM-8016 digital
matrix controller along with one unit acting as a master to the three sub-centres.
The control rooms also house the system’s Dynacord Promatrix DPA amplifiers,
which are outfitted with emergency power supplies to ensure total system
reliability.
The new security master control room houses police/fire department personnel
during stadium events. A Dynacord DPC 8015 paging console is located in the room,
allowing live announcement and also programmed with multiple pre-sets to handle
any public safety situations that might arise during an event.
All primary loudspeakers around the stadium are horn-loaded Electro-Voice EVH-
1152D models. For the main north and south grandstands, they are paired with EVF-
1122S front-loaded loudspeakers from Electro-Voice, mounted together beneath the
roof to cover the lower seats in accordance with the computer model. In the open
seating areas of the east and west stands, strategically spaced EVH-1152D
loudspeakers with weatherproof fiberglass enclosures provide full coverage.
To meet the technical requirements of the installation, all Electro-Voice speakers
throughout the facility are outfitted with Electro-Voice TK-150 transformers,
converting them to high impedance for use in the 100V environment of Grunwald
Stadium. This system design enables the long cable runs (up to 150 meters)
required to reach the control room locations, using a pair of 10 mm2 loudspeaker
cables.
With superb Electro-Voice sound quality and reliable emergency communications
electronics by Dynacord, Grunwald Stadium is an outstanding example of two
notable professional sound brands working together to bring the latest technologies
into a traditional public venue.
Dynacord equipment included a DPM-8016 Digital Matrix Manager, DPM-8016 Digital
Matrix Managers, DPA series multi-channel power amplifiers and a DPC 8015 paging
console.
Electro-Voice equipment included EVH-1152D/PI loudspeakers, EVH-
1152D/fiberglass loudspeakers, EVF-1122S/PI loudspeakers and TK-150 100V
transformers.
