Once derided, the Millennium Dome has been refitted and reborn as the O2 Arena, and is now rightfully regarded as arguably the best music venue in the UK. Last summer the O2 hosted a historic series of concerts by Prince, and since then has been home to globally reported shows by Barbara Streisand, Led Zeppelin and the Smashing Pumpkins, sports events for world renown leagues like Ultimate Fighting Championship, the NBA and NHL and even an exhibition of priceless artefacts from the tomb of Tutankhamen.

Being a major venue for many different events the O2 Arena was legally obliged to provide audio assistance for visitors that are hard of hearing. For that the owners of the O2 turned to Vivid Acoustics, who in turn recommended Sennheiser products for the job in hand.

Traditionally, these needs would have been met by an Audio Frequency Induction Loop or an Infra Red Transmission system. However, due to the huge size of the O2 Arena and certain other factors, a unique radio-based solution was implemented. The O2 Arena took delivery of two-hundred customised EK 1038 body pack receivers, two-hundred EZT 1011 neck induction loops, fifty GP 03 earphones, one hundred
L 2015 chargers with one SR 300 IEM G2 rackmountable transmitter, one A 5000CP antenna and one custom built linear UHF amplifier, built by Sennheiser's Chief Engineer Andy Lillywhite to increase the power of the transmitter to cover the whole arena.

"The Arena approached us," explains John Jessop of Vivid Acoustics. "They were fully aware of their legal requirements but weren't exactly sure of the best way to approach it. We found out what they wanted technically and we proposed, after a lot of discussion with Andy Lillywhite and Ken Morrison at Sennheiser, the FM system. We proposed a number of receivers that are in line with DDA regulations and they were happy to proceed with that.

"We specified exactly what was needed. It was a non-standard frequency so we had to get non-standard receivers. Sennheiser modified their existing receivers to give us the coverage we needed. Also I think there were no standard frequencies available in the London area."

"The UHF radio frequency used was carefully chosen specifically for this application in consultation with JFMG Ltd," explains Sennheiser¹s Andy Lillywhite. "It was outside the range of frequencies which a standard 'off the shelf' EK 1038 receiver can tune to. It was therefore necessary for us to customise the EK 1038 receivers to enable them to tune to the correct UHF frequencies for the job. The system also features a customised UHF transmitter and an A 5000-CP circular polarised antenna to ensure uninterrupted coverage of all seats by the system."

Since its installation the Sennheiser system has repeatedly proven its worth.

"The people at the O2 Arena have been very pleased with the kit and the installation," confirms Jessop. "They¹ve been happy with everything."

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