Lea Amps For Sports Bar Entertainment | Varsity Ice House
From puck drop to last call—Varsity Ice House sports bar is turning up the volume on the ultimate fan experience with the help of Connect Series amplifiers. 
THE SPEC
Venue: Varsity Ice House | Grand Forks, North Dakota
Integrators: Site on Sound
Audio Spaces: Dining & Outdoor Area
Product Used: Connect Series 704D (1) & Connect Series 1504D (1)
THE VENUE
Founded with a vision to create a gathering place for the community, Varsity Ice House opened its doors to Grand Forks. Varsity Ice curates the ideal environment for any hockey fan to watch their favorite team, with a TV everywhere you turn, great food, and flowing drinks to create an unforgettable experience.
THE INSTALL
Varsity Ice reached out to Paul Hagen at Site on Sound to specify a personalized sound system that fit the needs of bar staff and guests. Based in Fargo and with over 100 years of combined experience, the Site on Sound team was well-equipped to assess the needs of Varsity Ice and install the best solution, which came from LEA Professional.
“I use LEA amps almost exclusively,” said Hagen. “The LEA Cloud allows me to log into the system and make changes when I’m not onsite and lets me keep an eye on my customers. LEA integrates well with everything else, so using them was a no-brainer.”
Hagen installed one CS1504D, a 4-channel amplifier with 1,500 watts per channel to power the bar’s main speakers, and a CS704D, a 4-channel amplifier with 700 watts per channel to run a few fill areas inside the bar as well as to power the outdoor area. Hagen also utilized the LEA Cloud platform to remote control and monitor from afar, improving response times and the overall quality of service for Varsity Ice.
As part of the Dante Connect Series, the world’s first Internet of Things- (IoT) enabled professional-grade amplifiers, the 1504D and 704D provided the power and flexibility Hagen needed for their installation, which was sectioned into two zones on the control system running eight zones of speakers. Also, with three ways to connect, the Dante Connect Series allows integrators the ability to engage the built-in Wi-Fi access point, connect to the venue’s Wi-Fi, or use an existing local area network via Cat5 or Cat6 cable.
“The Dante Connect amplifiers simplified everything,” added Hagen. “With the Dante amps and the Dante encoders, the only other hardware I had in the whole place was the jukebox. It made programming and installation easier.”
THE CONCLUSION
“There’s nothing quite like cheering on your favorite team alongside other fans, and we’re proud that we get to elevate that experience for Varsity Ice guests,” said Nathan Ridgway, National Sales Manager at LEA Professional. “This installation proves the power of innovative, top-quality audio, can turn an already exciting experience into an unforgettable one.”
We would like to thank everyone at Varsity Ice House and Site on Sound for choosing LEA on this install and we hope to provide quality sound for many years to come.
