Memorial Stadium | Clemson, USA

MEMORIAL STADIUM

Clemson, USA

Images: Adamson Systems Engineering

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ith a capacity of 82,500, Clemson’s Memorial Stadium required a weatherproof audio system that delivered high performance and intelligibility throughout the venue. That was at the top of the mind when it came to the choice of Adamson Systems Engineering’s E-Series and Point Series loudspeakers for the project by Anthony James Partners (AJP), who designed the sound system and a new centrehung scoreboard into which the very first custom, weatherproof Adamson E15s loudspeakers are incorporated. With a broad range of loudspeakers, including a dedicated install line, and a track record for creating products that stand up to the rigors of touring, Adamson were the perfect choice, according to Jack Covert, Director, Audio & AV Design Engineering for AJP: “I think Adamson is coming on very strong on the install market.” Home to the Clemson Tigers football team, Memorial Stadium, popularly known as ‘Death Valley’, has undergone numerous expansions since it was constructed in the early 1940s. The most recent of which - Phase 1 of the EastZone project - began in 2020. “They’re a football dynasty,” explained Stephen Morris, President of C.V. Lloyde Audiovisual, the integrators on the project, adding that the system had to be capable of not only reaching the expected SPL, “but also having the headroom to get over crowd noise.” “We knew coming in we had to throw over 750 feet to the other end of the stadium and that it was going to take big audio to do that,” Covert noted. “Knowing Adamson has a history of

touring behind them and is well known for covering large venues and stadiums, I started looking at them for this project.” In all, the system consists of 32 Adamson E15s, 16 E219 subs, and 4 Point 15s as fill speakers, all driven by Lab.gruppen amplifiers (24 D200s and 2 D80s). Given the placement of the Adamson rig, weatherproofing was critical. “The loudspeakers are flanking the scoreboard on the left and right,” Morris explained. “There’s speaker mesh and cladding, but they’re out in the elements. It’s South Carolina, so they’re not going to see too terrible a winter, but they will get rained on.” “We had to put environmental equipment racks in the scoreboard to house the amp racks, but we also had to make sure the loudspeaker devices were capable of withstanding the weather,” Covert added. Beyond Adamson’s ability to provide a custom solution to ensure that was the case, the degree of care they took in doing so was impressive. Covert continued: “One of the things Adamson does that’s a bit unique is weatherproofing inside and out. They don’t just put a coating on the outside like some manufacturers do. They actually get inside and make sure the cones and the hardware are treated appropriately to withstand weather. Adamson did a great job with that. They understand the importance of it, and I think that comes from their touring experience; from getting out and seeing how well their products take a beating.” C.V. Lloyde has done a variety of projects with AJP in recent years. When it came to the installation, they partnered with local AV integration company South Carolina-based Musicraft Systems who had a pre-existing relationship with Clemson. It was a challenging proposition, Morris furthered: “We had to rig, test, and aim each array of E15s and the E219 subs in stages. So you’ve got one shot, and you’re working on a tight timeframe. I’m very proud of the whole team for staying on the clock and getting the work done while meeting the performance needs of the system.” “I’ve known some people at Adamson for a long time,” said Covert. “People I’ve worked with on other projects with other products. I chatted to them early on about this, and that’s where I arrived at using Adamson’s E15s for Clemson. They were able to produce the amount of power we needed to get the audio the length of the stadium as well as the highquality audio that you get from Adamson. I’m extremely happy with the performance of Adamson and will use it without question as long as the product suits the project.” Morris and C.V. Lloyde also have a lengthy history with Adamson and a high degree of respect for the company and its products. While it was AJP’s choice to use Adamson, he maintains that the suite of loudspeakers deployed was an excellent choice for Clemson. “Again, we’re throwing over 700 feet. At the end of that throw and at different distances within that throw, you can really hear the musicality as well as the intelligibility of the system. There were no compromises. The Adamson loudspeakers didn’t break down in any of the bands at the levels required to reach the end of the bowl. The uniformity of SPL and sonic performance in every band was very impressive. I can say, when you talk about this size of the room, Clemson is the best sounding NCAA stadium in Division 1, bar none.”