(02/05/2015) University of Utah's Jon M. Huntsman Center, a 15,000-seat arena that serves as home to the school's Runnin' Utes basketball, Utes volleyball and Red Rocks gymnastic teams, recently wrapped up a massive $6M renovation project. When the dust finally settled, U of U's largest sporting and entertainment venue featured two new grand entrances plus a new floor, drapes, LED lighting system and versatile house sound system comprised of L-Acoustics' powerful Kara and high-directivity ARCS WiFo enclosures.
The audio portion of the project represented a joint effort between two Salt Lake City businesses: acoustician and technology consulting firm Spectrum Engineers, who provided the design and construction documents, and systems integration company Poll Sound, who installed the system and assisted with product specific design.
According to Poll Sound's Deward Timothy, the first order of business with the renovation project involved the removal of the venue's heavy steel and concrete cloud. The Huntsman Center had a very large structural cloud that maxed out the weight limit on the roof and was not suitable for hanging technical lighting or sound, which made the venue unsuitable for concerts, he notes. The idea with the remodel was to have the space divisible with a curtain system to create various sized smaller rooms, and to replace the cloud with a lighter weight super grid' that could accommodate concert technical systems. Since the room would now be divided, it was important in the sound system design that it be able to support each section individually; in other words, coverage in the unused areas could be turned off at will.
Using L-Acoustics' Soundvision acoustical modeling software, the two firms collaborated on the design of a new loudspeaker setup to replace the arena's previous vintage center cluster system, which had issues with hot spots and low intelligibility in many areas.
Installed late last year, the new system features two concentric rings of loudspeakers: eight main arrays of eight Kara flown beneath two SB18i subs addressing the lower bowl seating areas, and 16 delay arrays of three ARCS Focus enclosures collectively delivering a razor-sharp 45 degrees of coverage to the upper bowl seats. Four arrays of three ARCS Wide mounted under the scoreboard each provide a tightly focused 90-degree pattern to the basketball floor. All loudspeakers are powered and processed by a combination of seven LA8 and 21 LA4X amplified controllers housed in racks on a platform near the top of the dome with fiber runs to the mix position where a computer running L-Acoustics' LA Network Manager monitoring and control software is located.
It would have been possible to cover both the upper and lower bowl areas by using larger arrays but that would not have accomplished the zoning near as well, points out Spectrum's Sarah Rollins. One of their scenarios is to only cover quarter or half of the lower bowl. It is far more accurate to use a delay ring than to try and turn portions of the arrays on and off. Plus, we get better direct-to-reverberant levels having the speakers closer to the audience. The bulk of the system power and quality come from the main arrays with the delay ring adding fullness and intelligibility to the upper bowl.
The arena is perfectly round so all delay arrays are identical and equal distance from the audience. Originally we had thought about using Kiva arrays for the delay ring, Rollins adds. However, the Soundvision model showed us that the ARCS Focus would cover the area perfectly and the fact that it nicely fit the budget was a plus. ARCS Focus was the right choice and is providing even, natural-sounding coverage to the upper bowl.
Timothy recalls that his production department worked a Veterans Day concert using the new in-house system, only needing to augment the equipment for monitoring and front fill to produce localization to the stage. The main reinforcement was the newly installed system, which was highly successful, he says. It's not often that you find an arena system of such high quality. It covers well, is highly intelligible [measured STIPA of .79 in full arena mode], has a substantial amount of acoustic power, and is of premium components. The versatility of the system with its zone coverage capabilities is invaluable and the University has been very happy with it so far. In fact, they made it through the entire basketball season without a single audio complaint only praise.
About L-Acoustics
Founded in 1984 near Paris, France, L-Acoustics is a leading manufacturer of turnkey solutions for the professional sound industry. With 250 team members, 20 percent of whom are dedicated to R&D, L-Acoustics is present in over 75 countries either through subsidiaries or via a network of certified distributors or providers.
Recognized throughout the industry for pioneering the modern line array, L-Acoustics offers a total system approach for both the touring and fixed installation markets, and a product line responding to the needs of venues from the most intimate club to the grandest arena. L-Acoustics sound systems can be heard in places like the Hollywood Bowl, the NBA Houston Rockets Toyota Center, or the Philharmonie de Paris. L-Acoustics solutions have been used at five of the world's ten top-grossing festivals*, the London and Sochi Olympics, and on the Justin Timberlake 20/20 Experience World Tour, among others.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...
15/05/2026
Major League Soccer has announced four original content series timed to the 2026...
15/05/2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced it will exhibit and present at InfoComm 2026, taking place June 13-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Cente...
15/05/2026
InfoComm 2026 will take place June 13-19 (exhibits June 17-19) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show will include sessions and exhibits covering broadcas...
15/05/2026
Tracy McGrady's Ones Basketball League (OBL) and FuboTV Inc. have announced ...
15/05/2026
Disguise has partnered with Creative Technology (CT) to deliver visual playback ...
15/05/2026
Sony Electronics has announced two new products for professional imaging: the Alpha 7R VI full-frame mirrorless camera and the FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS super-te...
15/05/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
15/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
15/05/2026
For sports organizations, the most valuable assets are often the most sensitive:...
15/05/2026
The NFL's broadcast partners released their 2026 regular season schedules ye...
15/05/2026
Besides drawing on experience with boxing, the production integrates specialty c...
15/05/2026
Daniel Roher attends the Tuner Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Theatre on January 22, 2026 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Neilson Bar...
(02/05/2015) University of Utah's Jon M. Huntsman Center, a 15,000-seat arena that serves as home to the school's Runnin' Utes basketball, Utes volleyball and Red Rocks gymnastic teams, recently wrapped up a massive $6M renovation project. When the dust finally settled, U of U's largest sporting and entertainment venue featured two new grand entrances plus a new floor, drapes, LED lighting system and versatile house sound system comprised of L-Acoustics' powerful Kara and high-directivity ARCS WiFo enclosures.
