Roland Garros Stadium Court Earns Increased Intelligibility for French Open

Roland Garros Stadium calls on Danley J3-94 Jericho Horn and four Danley THmini15 subwoofers to improve intelligibility and clarity for French Open fans.

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Roland Garros Stadium Court Earns Increased Intelligibility for French Open

The French Open is widely considered to be the most physically demanding tournament of the annual Grand Slam tennis tournaments.

It’s held in Paris at Roland Garros Stadium, a complex of three main courts with a total capacity of more than 30,000 spectators. The largest of the courts, Court Philippe-Chatrier, was rebuilt between the 2018 and 2019 tournaments and now accommodates more than 15,000 spectators.

For the 2019 tournament, two Danley J3-94 Jericho Horn supported by four Danley THmini15 subwoofers covered Court Philippe-Chatrier’s entire seating area.

“The sound reinforcement system at Roland Garros is used mainly for speech reinforcement for the referee, players and organizers, as well as for advertising and the national anthem,” said Etienne Bérard, director of DEMOA, a French AV distribution company, in the announcement.

Inside Roland Garros Stadium

The AV consultant on the project, CREAPRAG, asked DEMOA to find an efficient, high-intelligibility sound reinforcement system for the rebuilt stadium. Bérard modeled a Danley point-source system, relying on Danley’s full-fidelity, phase-coherent output to deliver the requested intelligibility.

“The client wanted a system that could fit into the relatively small niche that had been given for loudspeaker placement,” Bérard said. “In addition, it had to be highly directional so as not to disturb the press room located just below the loudspeaker niche.”

DEMOA rented the system from AV integration and live sound company Neuron Pro Audio of Manchester, U.K., who installed, operated and removed the temporary system. The four Danley THmini15 subwoofers were placed left and right of the main LED screen, two each.

Three Powersoft X4 amplifiers with integrated DSP powered and conditioned the Danley J3-94 Jericho Horn and the Danley THmini15 subwoofers.

“We received a lot of enthusiastic comments about the sound quality and power from such a modest-looking system,” Bérard said. “The Danley subwoofers also made a good impression. They combined to deliver a surprising amount of bass for such a large venue.”

We can only hope we won’t see the French Open champions celebrating in the middle of the Court Philippe-Chatrier surrounded by strobe lights. It’s a tradition that’s encompassing sports that continues to gain momentum, for some unknown reason.

Roland Garros Stadium

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