RAMSA Stadium Audio System, Large Screen Display System, and Camera System Installed at the Ariake Tennis Park

Background: Complete upgrade of the audio visual system in the 10,000 capacity all-weather stadium

Known as the "Mecca of Japanese tennis" the Ariake Coliseum has organized countless international competitions and tennis tournaments since being constructed in 1987. It recently welcomed a new addition, the "Show Court" built adjacent to the Coliseum, and has been reborn as a facility that will serve as the springboard for tennis in Japan to make further progress by leaps and bounds.

Renovations to the Ariake Coliseum finished in August 2019. The audio system in the Ariake Coliseum equipped with a retractable roof used to be a center cluster comprised of multi point source speakers hanging from the middle of the ceiling. But the stadium is now furnished with RAMSA line-array speakers. Thirty-six WS-LA500AWP speakers - 8 speakers per column x 2, 4 speakers per column x 5 - have been attached to the existent structure. The venue is also equipped with new video equipment. Two Large Screen Display Systems have been installed as well as HD Integrated PTZ Cameras and Shoulder Camcorders for shooting. Moreover, the Show Court, the newly constructed outdoor tennis stadium with a capacity of approximately 3,000, is also equipped with a Large Screen Display System and PTZ Cameras. Drawing fully on its expertise, Panasonic provided a one stop solution to the renovations.

Why the system was chosen: Excellent audio quality perfect for amplifying announcements

Ascent Co., Ltd. was in charge of system selection, design, and construction and Naniwa Chiba Acoustics Inc. handled the planning, basic simulation, and the adjustment of the speaker placement and direction on site. Professionals from different fields joined forces and spent approximately 2 years working on this project. Ascent described the equipment selection process as follows: "Having listened to the sound quality, we thought that the RAMSA amplified announcements with superior clarity. Panasonic also had other technologies including the Large Screen Display System and Camera Systems, so a crucial decision making factor was the ability to consult and procure both audio and visual equipment from a single source." Furthermore, according to Naniwa Chiba Acoustics, "The mid and high ranges are clear and the sound projects forward. We thought RAMSA's sound quality was quite good."

Performance after installation: Fully delivered on expectations

Naniwa Chiba Acoustics states that when designing an acoustic environment for the stadium, it is important that announcements can be heard clearly. "For example, if you want to reduce the volume of a 500Hz frequency by 3dB, even if you make the necessary adjustments, the actual volume may only come down by 1dB. We have encountered this situation many times on site. In other words, you have to make greater adjustments to the numerical settings to get the desired results. In this respect, the RAMSA speaker, WS-LA500AWP, responds very well. If you adjust the volume by 3dB, the volume actually comes down by 3dB, so it allows us to make exacting adjustments."

Adjusting the audio system using the simulation software, "PASD"

When the speakers were installed, the simulation software "PASD" was used to fine tune the acoustics to create a baseline closely resembling the original sound. Naniwa Chiba Acoustics praised the PASD for being a "very well thought through simulator." When asked about the simulator's performance, Ascent replied, "First, we inputted the shape of the space and examined the speaker composition and layout. We often have to make adjustments and do simulations on different software, but with the PASD, after the necessary information was inputted, parameters for making adjustments popped up and adjustments we made were directly communicated to the amp. What's more, we could listen to the sound and use microphones to take measurements, so it was all very smooth."

Equipment installed

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