PyeongChang, South Korea (February 2018) – The Medals Plaza stage within the PyeongChang Olympic Plaza is home to cultural performances and video displays of the competition during the day and Olympic medal ceremonies in the evening. The experience is reinforced by an Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) Adaptive System provided by Seoul-based RHiNO Sound Systems.
The one-floor Medal Plaza – 1,267 square meters in size – features a large, wide, domed stage and an audience area wider than it is deep. The challenge was to blanket the outdoor area with clean, high-quality sound while keeping it contained to the audience area, which butted up against stores and other public spaces. In addition, the stage hosted many different forms of entertainment which required a system flexible enough to accommodate those needs.
“I was very pleased with the sound and coverage when we tuned the system,” adds RHiNO Sound Systems’ Manager and Audio Engineer Gwon Seung Cheoul. “Resolution is easy to use and quite accurate – this was no exception. One of the reasons the IOC and PyeongChang Association chose RHiNO to reinforce the stage was because of the coverage and control our Adaptive system offers. Everyone was very happy with the end result.”
Gwon Seung Cheoul utilized EAW Resolution 2 software to design the system and ensure even coverage of the audience area. The main PA – made up of 20 Anya modules – was housed in scaffolding towers erected further left and right of the stage. Two columns of five Anya modules were hung in each scaffold. Front fill was provided by eight Anna modules, hung in left-right columns of four, located behind scrim above the stage video screens.
A combination of twelve Otto subwoofers – ground stacked 2 x 3 – located under each Anya array provide the low end the program demands. Stage fill was handled by left and right stacks of three KF730 enclosures and two SB1002Z subwoofers. A total of 16 MicroWedge stage monitors were on hand – eight MW12 and eight MW8 – for the performers. Four EAW UX8800 processors were used for system optimization.
“The temperatures were also a concern,” explains Gwon Seung Cheoul. “We worked in sub-zero temperatures, 0 to -15 degrees every day, throughout the games. Once we had the system up and running, I never turned it off – for close to 30 days – and I never had any issues. It was rock solid.”
T.J. Smith, president and general manager of EAW, concludes. “It is an incredible honor to have our products in such a prestigious location in the Olympic Plaza. When our distributor Dasan SR told us that RHiNO Sound would utilize Adaptive to reinforce the Medals Plaza stage, we were delighted. The control the system offers made it an easy choice. We are very, very pleased that EAW was able to play such a prominent role in the 2018 winter games. Gwon and the RHiNO Sound team did an amazing job.”
About EAW
Eastern Acoustic Works® (EAW®) is a global leader in high-performance, professional loudspeaker system design and manufacturing. Founded in 1978, EAW delivers sound reinforcement solutions for the world’s most popular concert tours and renowned permanent installations. EAW is also known for numerous breakthrough technologies including first-patented designs for digitally modeling, focusing, and aiming and steering arrays. EAW designs its products at its headquarters in Whitinsville, MA, USA in addition to hosting research and development, engineering, sales & marketing, support and administration.
