Little Elm, Texas (February 22, 2022)—Little Elm has a new $3 million, 42,000-square-foot place waterpark, The Cove, and as you might expect for an indoor, ultra-reflective space that big, the sounds of screaming kids and splashing water make for an “acoustical nightmare,” according to Steve Withey of AV integration firm EliteAV. With that in mind, during the design process, Withey opted to outfit the attraction with stadium-grade, weatherproof speakers from AtlasIED to get over that racket.
“Volume capacity was a huge selling feature for us,” affirms The Cove aquatics division manager, Elissa Malone. “On an average week, about 6,500 people come through the doors of the waterpark, and no matter how crowded or noisy it gets, our guests never struggle to hear background music or PA announcements. Plus, the system is calibrated perfectly so that the sound of a lifeguard blowing a whistle never goes unheard.”
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After analyzing the layout and ambient noise levels of the waterpark, EliteAV determined that 11 AltasIED speakers would be needed, aimed inward from the perimeter of the structure and spaced appropriately. EliteAV complemented the five FS Series horn speakers with six AtlasIED SM Series all-weather speakers placed in the mezzanine that overlooks the waterpark. The entire AtlasIED setup is divided into zones, enabling staff to play different music in the mezzanine during a birthday party rental, for example.
“For this unique and demanding project, we needed rugged outdoor speakers that technically could be rained on continuously,” said Withey. “Nothing the AtlasIED horns can’t handle.” Their efficiency—up to 128.5 dB @ 1 meter—allowed EliteAV to push the volume with modest amplification. We haven’t even maxed out the capacity of the speakers. The volume level is set at about 80 percent so we can push it even further if necessary.”
