Bulldogs’ AV Spirit

Originating in 1951, Wests Bulldogs Rugby Club is a leading Brisbane rugby club which competes in the Queensland Premier Rugby competition. Everything for the rugby enthusiast can be found here, whether it be for 3- t0 5-year-olds in ‘Puppy Pack’ or ‘The Bullfrogs’ for Golden Oldies.

The bustling club recently underwent a complete rebuild, so it required a newly-designed AV system to service its clientele. Besides rugby, the multi-space venue has several function areas which host sporting and corporate events. Each room needed its own input for bands or DJs. But, given it’s a sports club, a steady stream of live sport had to be pumped through the system for the better part of the day, so each room required a projector or a TV or two as well.

LOOKS & SOUND

Jason Roesler from Soho Sound Design oversaw the AV installation at Wests Bulldogs Rugby Club. The requirement to keep all audio elements discreet was stated upfront by the architectural firm, so Jason knew he had to pick his speaker deployment spots wisely.

Besides the speaker locations, everything had to be zoned in a way that suited the venue’s intended use for the spaces. In total, nine separate zones needed audio coverage: three dedicated function rooms including a sports bar, an outdoor function terrace, the front outdoor area which is split into three zones, and two zones over the far north seating area overlooking the rugby field.

BIG PUNCH

The d&b audiotechnik 4S and 5S loudspeakers pack a surprising punch for their size, and thanks to Jason’s extremely positive prior experiences, the decision to install them at Wests was a no-brainer. Brandon McDonald from NAS supported Jason in the installation.

Indoor areas were tackled with a repeatable and functional system design. “The function rooms are basically one long narrow room which can be broken up using bi-fold doors,” says Jason. “I decided to go with the 5S tops and the 12S subs. Each room has four or six 5S loudspeakers and one 12S sub.”

The 12S subs were creatively mounted near the ceiling corners or each function space. This keeps the large enclosures out of the way while not sacrificing coverage. Jason: “We had a 500mm gap around the edges of where the slatted wooden ceiling stopped, so we put all the subs up there. You almost don’t notice them unless you’re really looking for them.”

Though they look small, the gutsy d&b 5S speakers cover all outdoor grandstand seating areas as well. The little boxes never fail to impress during rugby matches, effortlessly handling crowds even up to 2,000. “They absolutely hammer,” says Jason. “It’s ridiculous.” All d&b speakers run off three quad-channel 10D amps.