By Dannielle Lowe
Don't be surprised if things sound differently at Merlo Field within the next few weeks - the university is reconfiguring the speaker arrangement.
According to Assistant Athletic Director, Buzz Stroud, the reconfiguration process will reduce noise overflow into the surrounding neighborhoods and offer audiences within the stadium better sound coverage.
Currently, there is an unequal distribution of sound coming from the speaker boxes hanging from the press box on one side and from the Chiles Center on the other. Fans seated directly in front of the box suffer from the sound being almost too loud and fans outside the noise projection field strain to hear, Stroud said.
Over the next few weeks, the speakers will be moved from their current positions and reconfigured so the sound fills the stadium more adequately. The reconfiguration process has been in the works since 2004, when the university installed the stadium lights. The poles that hold the lights also have speaker hangers. The speakers adjoining the press box will be moved to the light poles.
The speakers presently adjacent to the Chiles Center direct sound toward the neighborhood and will be configured to direct sound toward the field.
According to Stroud, the completion date for the project has not been established, but most of the electrical wiring for the project has been completed.
Before the speaker reconfiguration is complete, there must be a series of sound tests and requirements fulfilled. The tests are necessary due to city ordinances that protect the university's neighbors. The city has standards for noise that must be met, Stroud said. After the testing and city approval have cleared, the new system arrangement will be used.
"The reconfiguration will do two things. It will provide lower bleed over of sound into the neighborhood," Stroud said, "and it will offer better coverage inside the stadium."
Merlo Field does have coverage gaps, and the new sound arrangement will work to improve the situation. It is part of the continuous level of maintenance and series of improvements that occur to keep the field a nationally recognized soccer facility.
"We won't eliminate all the noise," Stroud said. "When the crowd cheers for the Pilots they (the neighbors) will certainly still hear that, but the new arrangement should reduce the bleed over of the general public service announcements."
