Hammons Field, home of the Springfield Cardinals, upgraded its audio system with Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) loudspeakers, designed. The overhaul was installed by audio, video, and lighting integrator Paragon 360. Now, not only do the outfielders cover the field, the audio covers every seat in the house.
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Hammons Field is a 6,750-seat minor league baseball stadium with an additional 2,500 general admission spots and serves as the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The venue also hosts the Missouri State University Bears and features the Coca-Cola Redbird Roost, the SpringNet Champions Club, a spacious main concourse, private suites, and new third-level executive suites.
When it came time to modernize Hammons Field’s original audio system, installed when the stadium opened in 2004, the Springfield Cardinals wanted more than just a routine equipment swap. They needed a solution that would preserve the stadium’s existing speaker locations while delivering a boost in clarity, output and coverage.
“From the beginning, this audio upgrade needed to be a direct one-to-one replacement of the old system,” said Rich Nelms, account representative at Paragon 360. “We wanted to find a speaker that provided better coverage, higher output and better pattern control. The EAW MKD series ended up being the perfect choice.”
The new system, which debuted just in time for opening day, features 14 EAW MKD1296 3-way full-range loudspeakers run bi-amped for the main seating areas. To round out the coverage, EAW MKC80 and MKC120 2-way coaxial point source loudspeakers were used as fill speakers and deployed throughout the upper decks and club spaces. 18 MKC80 speakers were used for the outdoor suite seating and seven for the Coca-Cola Redbird Roost seating. Six MKC120 speakers were used for the Coca-Cola Redbird Roost common area and seven were used across the stadium entrances. All the speakers were hung using the appropriate EAW U-Bracket.
“The coverage and sound quality are excellent and have greatly enhanced the fan experience at Hammons Field,” added Nelms “The system’s intelligibility and output are outstanding. The MKC series turned out to be the perfect complement to the MKD main speakers. Their compact size and overall sound quality make these speakers a tremendous value.”
The audio overhaul took place during the offseason, leaving only a narrow installation window before the first pitch of 2025. “We had a very short timeline to complete this project and EAW pulled off an absolute miracle to get the speakers to us in time for opening day,” explained Nelms.