Technomad PowerChiton Amplifiers Revive Stadium Audio at Excelsior Springs High School

Compact, efficient design allows installation team to seamlessly integrate PowerChiton amplifier modules into existing scoreboard

BOSTON, July 30, 2013 — Students rooting for the home team at Excelsior Springs High School in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, can now enjoy vibrant, crystal-clear sound as they take in football games and other events at their school’s outdoor stadium. As part of a long-overdue audio upgrade, the school has installed two Technomad PowerChiton modules at the stadium to drive its loudspeakers, significantly improving sound quality.

A new sound system injected new excitement into football and other stadium events for the student body

Kansas City, Missouri-based systems integrator Harvest Productions, which performed the upgrade, housed the new PowerChiton modules inside the stadium’s scoreboard. The compact PowerChiton design enabled the unusual installation, ensuring they are not visible to spectators. The PowerChiton amplifiers now deliver 1100 watts at four ohms, with excellent sound quality across the stadium.

The old amplifiers were a mess; we found insects nesting inside the amplifier casings…

The weatherproof design also ensures better outdoor protection than the school’s previous amplifiers, which were damaged from years of exposure to the elements. PowerChiton modules are built with an integral IP66-rated, NEMA weatherproof shell, and can be installed anywhere without concern about moisture or dirt.

“The old amplifiers were a mess; we found insects nesting inside the amplifier casings, which were standard electrical boxes without any weather sealing,” said Martin Pilewski, Corporate Business Development Manager at Harvest Productions. “Plus, the casings would cause the amplifiers to overheat. Every time this happened the staff would turn up the volume, which caused the speakers to blow. The PowerChiton was right in line with the school’s need for compact, weatherproof outdoor amplifiers. Not only were they ideal for outdoor audio use, but they also fit within their budget.”

The efficient PowerChiton design requires only a passive radiator for cooling, so there is a lower chance that the system will overheat. The amplifier unit is also fuse-protected for maximum operational efficiency.

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$The IP66-rated, weatherproof design of PowerChiton ensures that the amplifier won\'t fall into disrepair upon long-time exposure to outdoor elements$

“We have one of the most sophisticated high school stadiums in the area, and it was embarrassing when our speakers blew out during a football game,” said Roger Siegel, assistant director of activities at Excelsior Springs High School. “We’ve been up and running with the new system for a year now and the sound quality is a monumental improvement. The audio is crisp, clear and perfectly leveled across the stadium. We are absolutely thrilled with our new system.”

The PowerChiton is available in both wireless and Ethernet options. Pilewski chose the Ethernet version as the most cost-effective configuration for Excelsior Springs High School.

“The system was easy to set up and install,” he said. “There were already solid line level feeds in the scoreboard, so there was no need to overhaul anything just to install wireless units. We just screwed the amplifier to a wall, connected the input and output through compression fittings and plugged in the unit. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.”

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