University of Connecticut recently upgraded its Harry A. Gampel Pavilion with a Bose Professional ShowMatch line array loudspeaker system. North Haven, CT-based firm HB Communications Inc. and Warwick, RI-based firm Ambient Sound Inc. collaborated with the UConn Athletic Department to deliver a solution that provided consistent coverage and voice intelligibility.
The Gampel Pavilion is the home venue for University of Connecticut (UConn) basketball. As the centerpiece of the UConn Sports Center, it is the largest on-campus arena in New England, serving both men’s and women’s championship basketball and women’s volleyball since 1990. The campus landmark totals more than 171,000 square feet in its main area, with a maximum capacity of over 10,000 spectators.
Related: The Technology Manager's Guide to Campus Tech
The Bose Professional audio solution consists of 48 ShowMatch loudspeakers, eight RoomMatch RMS218 subwoofers, and 26 PowerMatch PM8500N networked power amplifiers. The scale of the installation, in terms of both physical footprint and technical complexity, makes it among the largest Bose ShowMatch systems commissioned to date.
“It’s a Bose system head to toe,” said David Kaplan, assistant director of athletics at the University of Connecticut. “Our main goals were to enhance our game day experience for our fans as well as our student athletes. After demoing a number of systems, we felt that Bose ShowMatch provided us everything we were looking for.”
“We worked closely with Bose Professional to design the system,” said Tom Barrett, owner of Ambient Sound. “We knew that ShowMatch would be the right choice for the Gampel installation based on performance, weight, size, and other factors. Once it was installed, the coverage was even and it performed exactly as we expected. Bose has been fantastic to work with, and this system sounds great. The university is very happy—and that's what counts.”
Mario Pregoni, production manager and audio engineer at Ambient Sound, serves as the house engineer and overall operator for the system on game day activities. “We have the game announcer doing team intros, play calls, and PR reads, and video content supplied by sponsors,” Pregoni said. “Sometimes during TV breaks or time-outs, we have a game host on the court using wireless mics for fan contests and ceremonial events, or the DJ plays music to keep the crowd pumped. Whatever we throw at it, the ShowMatch system maintains the clarity we need for speech and delivers a good punch for music without much effort.”
“The experience of working with Bose Professional has been tremendous—they’ve helped us meet all the deadlines and have been very professional,” Kaplan said. “It’s been a really good experience, and the system sounds amazing. Our fans and student athletes are in for a real treat.”
