JBL at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

From serving as a standard convention hall to hosting concerts and events as extreme as midget car races, the Expo Center at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana relied on ESCO Communications to install a sound system to accommodate sound requirements for the immense variety of events at the venue. Designed by Kansas-City based Acoustical Design Group (ADG), the system at the 108,000-sq.-ft. Expo Center features a wealth of JBL VP Series loudspeakers.

An assortment of 116 JBL VP7215 powered loudspeakers are suspended from the ceiling and fed via a Soundweb London system consisting of BLU-160 and BLU-120 processors. "We wanted a system that could offer traditional conventions and trade shows perfect sound and also cater to the unique events the center books throughout the year," stated Ian Wolfe, vice president of ADG. "The JBL loudspeakers were the best solution to match our recommendations for the renovations. The price and performance of the powered speaker line, combined with the high-caliber quality of the BSS equipment contributed to a completely successful install and solution."

The JBL system replaces the entire original speaker system in the halls, utilizing the same locations to blend with the lighting elements. "The loudspeakers allowed us to keep the same visual aspects as before, but offer a completely new and improved system," continued Wolfe.

While discussing multiple solutions for the center, passive loudspeaker systems were considered. However, ADG recommended a powered system to provide the best performance for any show or convention in the space. "Not only does the JBL equipment provide great sound for all events, the JBL team was very helpful in ensuring ADG and ESCO finely tuned the system for the perfect fit," said Wolfe.