UNC Charlotte’s Division I FCS football team debuted in 2013 at Jerry Richardson Stadium, a venue with a base capacity of 15,000, expandable to 40,000. The need for a sound system upgrade became evident as the team prepared to join the American Athletic Conference. To elevate the crowd experience, the university turned to LEA Professional’s award-winning amplifiers.
THE SPEC
Venue: Jerry Richardson Stadium | Charlotte, North Carolina
Integrator: CV Lloyde
Audio Spaces: Fieldhouse & Back of House
Product Used: Connect Series 354D (Multiple)
THE VENUE
Jerry Richardson Stadium is home to the University of Charlotte 49ers football program, which began its inaugural season in 2013. The Football Stadium Complex encompasses the Jerry Richardson Stadium, the Judy W. Rose Football Center, McColl-Richardson Field, and two practice fields. The stadium features a 6,636 square-foot press box with media seating, a university box, and television and radio booths on the west sideline at the concourse level. The field house includes coaches’ offices, meeting rooms, locker rooms, weight and training rooms, a 1,920 square-foot Academic Center, a 2,757 square-foot tiered classroom, and a 5,947 square-foot Hospitality Deck.
THE INSTALL
The athletic staff contacted Stephen Morris, President of C.V. Lloyde AudioVisual, to help revitalize the audio system. The university wanted a more reliable and robust system that could energize the crowd with the actions down on the field.
“The old sound system was designed for a small FCS-style stadium, and UNC Charlotte needed a system that reflected the current status of their program in FBS football,” said Morris. “While top-notch sound quality was of critical importance to UNC Charlotte, they also wanted amplifiers that were reliable and easy to use, and LEA amplifiers fit the bill perfectly.”
Morris’s team installed multiple Connect Series 354D amplifiers to power the immersive audio experience in the stadium’s fieldhouse. With 96kHz-capable Dante and AES67 connectivity options, the IoT-enabled 4-channel 354D provides 350 watts per channel, supports Hi-Z (70V or 100V) and Lo-Z selectable by channel, and features two Smart Power Bridge channels. With three ways to connect, the university can engage the built-in Wi-Fi access point, connect to the stadium’s Wi-Fi, or connect to the local area network via Cat5 or Cat6 cable.
The Connect Series delivers an industry-first professional amplifier family to feature cloud connectivity, a revolutionary advancement and a significant benefit for anyone maintaining the systems. With LEA Cloud, AV teams can remotely control and monitor the amplifiers regardless of the location or time of day. Whether from within the sphere or a different continent, controlling the Connect Series amplifiers from afar helps teams work more efficiently, reducing travel and saving time and money.
THE CONCLUSION
The impact of a powerful sound system on the game-day atmosphere at Jerry Richardson Stadium has not gone unnoticed. Matt Messina, Associate Athletic Director for Broadcast, Video, and Technology at UNC Charlotte, shared his enthusiasm, stating:
“The new sound system is great—it really gets our crowd going. It’s great to see the excitement when we play that intro video, and the fact that the stadium sound system can now get those fans engaged and get them hyped for a game in the stadium is very gratifying to us.”
A special thanks to the teams at UNC Charlotte and C.V. Lloyde AudioVisual for choosing our amps for this incredible installation. We’re thrilled at the opportunity to collaborate with you and ensure unparalleled sound quality for many years ahead.
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