Japan’s Yokohama Stadium, one of the venues of the Summer Olympics, has selected RCF to provide its sound reinforcement system for both sports and entertainment events. One of the largest venues in Kantō region, the stadium is primarily used for baseball as the home field of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. Renowned artists including Santana, David Bowie, Madonna, and Michael Jackson have also performed there.
The selected RCF speaker setup – chosen by AV distributor Onkyo Tokki – serves as a PAGA system (public address and general alarm system). The main systems, consisting of two arrays of four TTL 33-WP each, have been placed on six light poles around the Stadium (total 48 speakers). Fly bars are fixed to custom built titanium brackets. Yokohama Stadium has expanded seating on each side, with 4 x P4228 placed on the top edge of the left wing and 5 units on the right wing. Additionally, 9 x P3108 and 1 x P4228 are placed under-balcony to cover the seats behind the plate. Lastly, 1 x P2110-T and 1 x P8015-S are installed to cover the dugout.
“In the renovation of Yokohama Stadium, our mission was to achieve both excellent quality for entertainment as a ballpark and clarity as a broadcasting facility.” says Taketoshi Kobayashi, lead engineer of Onkyo Tokki. “TTL 33-WP and other RCF loudspeakers were essential to maintain clarity of the sound without losing the volume of the lower part of the spectrum, contrary to the situation where the volume in the low frequency is lost due to prioritising clarity, which is often seen in outdoor facilities.
“I was impressed by RCF’s intelligibility. The system is perfect for the size and shape of the facility with its skillful design, easy tuning of the speaker, orientation, and level balance. In particular, sound from the opposite side of the field is well controlled. Currently, there are lots of sports facilities with line arrays installed. Still, the sound is very well controlled here, and this also contributes to the improvement of clarity and sound quality. The support of the RCF team during the process was excellent. Quick response to changes in rigging points and model selection was an essential factor in the success of this project.”
