Tempo Wins with CODA Audio at Zunyi Olympic Sports Centre

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CODA Audio's Chinese distributor, leading integrator Tempo, was successful with its bid to supply and install the extensive audio requirements of the project. Tempo is renowned for providing a fast and very high standard of installation service, whilst the quality of CODA Audio products was quickly recognised by the client and their designers.

Since this was a high-profile, cutting edge scheme, audio provision was required to be of the highest order. No compromise on quality could be contemplated within a prestigious new complex on this scale but given the nature of the structures, the task was a demanding one. Tempo faced limitations on weight-bearing capacity in certain areas, as well as restrictions on loudspeaker positioning. Fortunately CODA Audio's compact, lightweight, high pressure, high definition systems allowed Tempo to comfortably meet the brief. CODA Audio systems were used throughout the three principal buildings, namely a 40,000 seat stadium, a gymnasium with capacity for 10,000 and 2,000+ Swimming Pool. Meticulous planning and preparation were essential for the installation, which was completed in the spring of 2018 and took around one year an indication of both its scale and complexity.

Two systems were used within the 180m x 95m main stadium. 128 x CODA Audio ViRAY (2 x 8-inch, 3-way full frequency array speakers) covered the seating areas and two groups of 24 x CODA Audio AiRAY (2 x 12-inch, 3-way, full frequency) array speakers for the playing field itself. The systems are powered by 20 x LINUS 10 amplifiers through CODA's LINET DSP network.

The gymnasium, a standard rectangle with two levels of auditorium seating, is 80m x 75m, with a competition area of 40m x 20m. Here, a total of 32 x CODA Audio ViRAY were installed to cover the auditorium, with a further 4 x CODA Audio RX40 ( 2 x 12-inch, 3-way, full frequency) speakers for the competition area. 5 x LINUS10 amplifiers power the systems via LINET.

The swimming pool complex includes the main pool, training pool, paddling pool and various ancillary spaces for VIPs, staff, athletes training and equipment. Four groups of 24 x CODA ViRAY cover all the areas except the competition pool itself and the training pool. These are catered for by 6 x CODA Audio RX40. 4 x LINUS10 amplifiers and 1 x LINUS10C power these systems.

The aforementioned restrictions on the number of speakers that could be placed for physical and aesthetic reasons meant that Tempo required each placement to achieve complete coverage in the most efficient way possible. Without CODA Audio's exceptional technology a combination of high output and light weight it is doubtful that the needs of this world-class sports complex could have been met without some sort of compromise. Whilst more than 300 speakers are being used in the installation, this represents a comparatively small number of units to achieve total coverage.

Tempo Project Manager Li Hanghang reflects on the main challenges of the installation:

To begin with we had to convince the client that the CODA Audio systems really could meet their strict requirements! That was difficult at first but everything went smoothly once they'd heard the products in action and got to know them. As a landmark project, the systems were required to meet national first-class standards for acoustic design and measurement for Chinese stadia. The client was surprised that the CODA boxes were so small and yet could produce such high SPLs and deliver such great performance.

The main challenge was the large size of the stadium which would mean great difficulty with the audio transmission. The traditional analogue transmission method wasn't able to meet the requirements of this project. However, it was accomplished through the use of CODA's own LINET digital transmission, which easily deals with long distances of more than 500m through network cables, with low delay and high sound quality.

Paul Ward, Director of Global Business Development for CODA Audio:

Tempo's installation at the Zunyi Olympic Sports Centre is an excellent illustration of how CODA systems, in comparison to others, can overcome the most demanding challenges without sacrificing audio quality or coverage. This project is a large undertaking at a highly prestigious facility and the brief calls for excellence in the face of some tricky demands. It is very likely that the limitations on how much weight could be borne by the structures might have presented real problems had other heavier systems been considered. A reduction in capacity in this area could have meant an unacceptable audio compromise but the chosen CODA Audio systems lose nothing in terms of power and gain everything in terms of being compact and light. It is clear that the CODA message is being delivered to the Chinese market with great success, as the project at Zunyi attests.

The Zunyi installation was the first time that Tempo had deployed coda audio systems on this scale, as well as being one of the largest jobs it has ever carried out. Li Hanghang concludes:

At Zunyi Olympic Sports Centre, we delivered the very highest audio installation standards in China. The client is very happy with the the project and we are full of confidence that more and more Chinese customers are getting to know about CODA Audio products and think very highly of them. We currently have a number of projects in progress of very diverse types, all of which are using a range of CODA Audio systems.

LINK:	https://codaaudio.com/tempo-wins-with-coda-audio-at-zunyi-olympic-spor...
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