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Media Contact: Robert Clyne
Clyne Media, Inc.
Robert@clynemedia.com
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEEAW MK Series Components Were a “Natural” for the PA System at the Northwest Arkansas Naturals’ New Arvest Ballpark
For a baseball venue named 2008 Ballpark of the Year by ballparks.com, only the best would do for its sound, and the EAW MK Series made sure that the audio hit a home run
Whitinsville, MA, USA – March 2, 2009 – Springdale, in northwest Arkansas, is a small town with a big vision. When it decided to build a new ballpark for the newly relocated Northwest Arkansas Naturals, the Texas League/Double-A affiliate for the Kansas City Royals, in 2007, it reached for the best, including the award-winning sports architecture division of world-renowned architects HOK. A key addition was sound system components from EAW, a world leader in audio system and loudspeaker solutions. The 6,500-seat Arvest Ballpark, which opened at the start of the 2008 season as home to the Naturals, has a great-sounding PA system consisting of EAW MK2300 and MK5300 Series loudspeakers, as well as the KF750 High Output Line Array with EAW’s proprietary V4 Technology. The system was installed by Springdale-based Commercial Audio Systems (www.comaudsys.com) and specified by Gary White of Dallas-based AV systems consultant WJHW (www.wjhw.com).
With a design by the same architectural firm that designed Camden Yards and Progressive Field, Arvest Ballpark has already exceeded expectations: it was named 2008 Ballpark of the Year by ballparks.com, despite being built in record time (13 months from the ground-breaking ceremony, in what was then a pasture, to opening day on April 10, 2008). It was January 2008 when Commercial Audio Systems of Springdale came in to install the PA system: 21 MK2326WP Weather Protected 2-Way Full-Range Installation Loudspeakers featuring 12-inch woofers, 23 MK5326WP Weather Protected 2-Way Full-Range Installation Loudspeakers with 15-inch woofers and a pair of KF750 High Output Array Loudspeakers. These highly focusable components were assembled into a large, distributed system, which evenly and consistently covered all areas of spectator seating but without spilling over into the neighboring houses.
The “WP” designation indicates weather protection, and Jim Crews, Co-Owner and President of Commercial Audio Systems, notes that this was tested as the speakers were installed. “Typical of a baseball stadium to be hanging speakers at a height of over fifty feet in 20-degree weather, and with sleet and snow blowing at forty miles an hour!” Crews recalled. “This installation required quality, reliability and of course the delivery of great sound, and EAW was able to meet all three criteria easily,” says Crews, who has enjoyed excellent experiences on other projects with EAW components. “We’ve used them in other sports venue installations, and they’re definitely a pleasure to work with.”
For more information on EAW’s entire product line, please visit www.eaw.com.
About the EAW MK Series:
EAW’s MK Series are high output, trapezoidal loudspeakers that continue to set the standard for compact 2-way installation loudspeakers. A variety of rotatable HF horns with patterns from 60° x 45° to 120° x 60° are available. Low frequencies are reproduced by a choice of 8, 12, or 15 inch cone LF drivers. All MK models are carefully voiced to sound similar, permitting them to be mixed throughout an installation while maintaining the same sonic quality. The result is cleaner, usable, high-fidelity output at significantly higher levels than is normally expected from loudspeakers of this size and price.
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Photo File – EAW_NWArkNaturals_Arvest.JPG
Photo Caption – The scoreboard at Springdale, Arkansas’ Arvest Ballpark and an adjacent cluster of flown EAW MK Series Loudspeakers.About EAW
Founded in 1978 and celebrating its 30th Anniversary, Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) is a global leader in producing high-performance professional audio equipment trusted by the most discerning professionals for every possible sound reinforcement application.EAW is a registered trademark of LOUD Technologies Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
EAW • One Main Street • Whitinsville, MA 01588 • USA
Phone: (508) 234-6158 • Fax: (508) 234-8251 • Internet: www.eaw.com
All Rights Reserved.