A networked public address and voice evacuation system powered by Powersoft multichannel DSP amplifiers and EAW loudspeakers has been installed at Stadion Arnošta Košťála in Pardubice, Czechia.
Commonly known as CFIG Arena, the 4,620-capacity home of top-flight football club FK Pardubice underwent a complete reconstruction between 2021 and 2023. The venue required a certified audio system to deliver clear match-day announcements and high speech transmission index (STI) performance for emergency voice alarm operation without installing new signal cable conduits.
Czech integrator FORSOUND designed the distribution around a Dante digital audio network routed over the stadium’s existing fibre-optic backbone. Power amplification and onboard signal processing are delivered by five Powersoft Quattrocanali units located in distributed equipment positions, comprising three Quattrocanali 2404 DSP+D and two Quattrocanali 4804 DSP+D four-channel units.
The loudspeaker setup combines two EAW MQ Series point-source enclosures with a distributed ring of weatherproof coaxial loudspeaker units suspended around the perimeter, engineered to deliver uniform sound pressure levels and tonal intelligibility across all grandstand tiers.
Day-to-day operation is controlled through a Powersoft WM Touch 4.3-inch PoE touchscreen integrated with custom PLC automation logic. The interface allows non-technical stadium staff to select sources and adjust operational zones, while an automated fail-safe priority override mutes entertainment audio and assigns evacuation broadcasts across all channels during an emergency.
Lukáš Sekera, system designer at FORSOUND, said: “The existing fibre backbone was the key to this project. Once we designed around Dante, we could deliver a completely new audio system without opening up a stadium that had only just been rebuilt. The Powersoft platform gave us the processing and network connectivity in the same units, so the distributed amplifier positions did not add complexity.”
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