An extended roof line over the home stands that hurts intelligibility
Visitor stands that require only direct sound
Loud on-field sound for pregame and halftime
Conversational listening levels in the stands
A competitive shootout against multiple firms
Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon, Ohio
3 scoreboard-mounted boxes cover 16,884 seats
In northern Ohio, football is serious business, and nowhere more than at Massillon Washington High School, where the legendary Paul Brown played and later coached. Its 16,884-seat Paul Brown Tiger Stadium hosts Ohio's high school playoffs alongside the school's own games, so a sound system upgrade carried high stakes. The school settled it with a loudspeaker shootout, and 3 Electro-Voice MTS boxes on the scoreboard won.
Case Study
Stadium / Arena
Electro-Voice
Dynacord
North America
Dante
Multi-zone
Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon, Ohio
3 scoreboard-mounted boxes cover 16,884 seats
Case Study
Stadium / Arena
Electro-Voice
Dynacord
North America
Dante
Multi-zone
In northern Ohio, football is serious business, and nowhere more than at Massillon Washington High School, where the legendary Paul Brown played and later coached. Its 16,884-seat Paul Brown Tiger Stadium hosts Ohio's high school playoffs alongside the school's own games, so a sound system upgrade carried high stakes. The school settled it with a loudspeaker shootout, and 3 Electro-Voice MTS boxes on the scoreboard won.
- Location
- Massillon, Ohio, USA
- Install partner
- NPi Audio Visual Solutions
- Product highlights
- Electro-Voice MTS-6154-43 · Dynacord IPX10:4
The venue
Hallowed ground for Ohio high school football
Massillon Washington High School is where Paul Brown played ball and later coached, before he went on to found the NFL's Cleveland Browns. The 16,884-seat stadium that carries his name is more than a home field: it hosts Ohio's high school playoffs and other major events, and in this part of the state the sport is taken seriously.
When the time came to upgrade the stadium's sound system, the school invited multiple firms to a loudspeaker shootout. Cleveland's NPi Audio Visual Solutions won the job with a demo of the new Electro-Voice MTS point-source loudspeaker system, which became the first major MTS installation in the US.
“This was a three-way challenge for us. The home stands feature an extended roof line that creates intelligibility issues, while the visitor stands require only direct sound. In addition, the team wants the sound on the field to be loud pregame and halftime to pump them up, but we want levels in the stands to be conversational. NPi addressed all these issues effectively with the EV MTS system.”
Dave GoffPress Box & Media Manager, Paul Brown Tiger Stadium
The challenge
A three-way challenge: roof line, visitor stands, and the field
The home stands sit under an extended roof line that creates intelligibility issues. The visitor stands need direct sound only. And the team wants on-field sound loud for pregame and halftime, while levels in the stands stay conversational.
One system had to resolve all 3 demands at once: enough output for a 16,884-seat venue, dispersion tight enough to keep each zone separate, and hardware that survives Ohio weather year-round.
The solution
3 point-source boxes atop the video scoreboard
3 Electro-Voice MTS-6154-43 boxes sit on custom-designed platforms atop the video scoreboard, with the outside units angled toward the grandstands. That creates separate, controlled audio zones for on-field sound as well as the home and visitor stands. Inside each box, 4 15-inch woofers and dual coaxial mid/high compression drivers share a single waveguide; the cardioid version used here adds 2 more woofers for low-frequency directional control, holding a tight 40 x 30-degree pattern with up to 155 dB peak output. The loudspeakers are fully weatherized and IP55-certified against dust and water ingress.
Each of the 3 boxes is powered by a Dynacord IPX10:4 amplifier with OMNEO IP networking, enabling Dante and OCA/AES70, plus 96 kHz DSP with ultra-low latency. The amplifier rack is housed in a converted ticket booth and ties into the Q-SYS front end in the press box as part of the stadium's Dante network. NPi Director of Sales Sam Avellone designed the system using EASE models, working directly with Electro-Voice to optimize loudspeaker placement and performance.
- 3x Electro-Voice MTS-6154-43-CFWB point-source loudspeakers, cardioid, fully weatherized, black
- 3x Dynacord IPX10:4 DSP power amplifiers, 4 x 2500 W
- OMNEO IP networking with Dante and OCA/AES70
- Q-SYS front-end integration over the stadium's Dante network
- Tablet interface for 3-zone control
“What I love about MTS is getting both an effective point-source system and the ability to direct and control the sound. When we did the demo, using just one MTS speaker, it was stunning. We walked the whole stadium, top to bottom, and were blown away by the coverage and clarity. And of course, the final installation is even better. We’re very proud of it.”
Sam AvelloneDirector of Sales, NPi Audio Visual Solutions
The result
Loud on the field, conversational in the stands
The 3-zone design delivers exactly the split the school asked for: loud sound on the field before kickoff and at halftime, and conversational levels in the stands. Clarity in the home stands improved even as levels came under control, especially under the roof, a result Scoreboard Operations Manager David Wagner describes as a night-and-day difference from the old system.
A simple tablet interface lets the stadium's AV team deliver clear, full-range audio at the appropriate volume to all 3 zones. For the first major MTS installation in the US, the point was always the fan experience, and the new system makes it more enjoyable.
Improved clarity in the home stands, especially under the roof
Loud on-field sound for pregame and halftime
Conversational levels in the grandstands
Simple tablet control of all 3 zones
First major MTS installation in the US
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