American baseball’s spring training is a time to catch an intimate pre-season game and view a team’s favorite and newest players – in a casual, up-close and personal environment. Boston Red Sox fans are particularly well placed this season, with the opening of the Jet Blue Park in Fort Myers, Florida – an 11,000-capacity venue equipped with a high-end audio system that includes Community Wet and R-Series weather-resistant loudspeakers

With striking architecture and great views from virtually every seat in the house, the audio system would have been a simple install except for the architecture…

The system was designed by WJHW’s Gary White and installed by Peerson Audio: ‘The asymmetrical roof covering the seating areas is ornamental, rather than structural,’ says Peerson President, Allen Peerson. ‘It’s designed to be a sun shade. So we had to go above the roof and rig the loudspeakers to the structural steel instead. That meant working off the warning track with a lift to install them 80-ft to 85-ft high.’

And that height also affects coverage patterns: ‘Unlike modern major league stadiums, spring training parks are typically located fairly close to residential areas,’ Peerson explains. ‘Achieving a tight coverage pattern is important in keeping the sound away from neighboring homes, and the Community Wet Series offers an excellent coverage pattern. We did a pretty good job of it – even out in the parking lot, it’s pretty quiet.’

Audio for the main covered seating area is provided by 39 Wet W2-228T loudspeakers, with a single R1-66Z and R2-52Z loudspeaker firing out into the bleachers and berm areas. Crown CTs-series amplification powers the system, and Biamp Audia units handle system drive and processing.

‘South Florida gets quite a bit of extreme weather, including wind, rain and monsoons,’ Peerson adds. ‘The Wet and R-Series loudspeakers also offer outstanding weather resistance, making them an excellent choice for this project.’

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