How UConn Gave New Life to Harry A. Gampel Pavilion



Gampel Pavilion, home to the University of Connecticut’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and volleyball program, has seen many upgrades over the last decade.

A new videoboard, upgraded digital signage, and more added to the fan experience, though something was still missing to round out the entire AV solution – high-performance sound.

“Over the last ten years, we’ve put in a new videoboard and upgraded a lot of different digital signage in the arena,” said David Kaplan, Assistant Director of Athletics/Video Services at UConn. “So, the missing piece was a good, solid sound system.”

With the previous sound system, Ambient Sound Production Manager Mario Pregoni said operations were at 50% efficiency, adding that fans couldn’t make out what was spoken through the system.

To deliver the kind of intelligibility, coverage, and performance UConn desired from the Pavilion’s new system, HB and Ambient developed a solution using Bose Professional’s innovative ShowMatch array loudspeakers.

“With the ShowMatch system, we knew that this was going to address the intelligibility,” Pregoni said. “The way the designers built that system and the way they addressed the crossover points really help steer the vocal range to where it doesn’t get lost in all the frequencies.”