PA system.

[Bridge]

I was in the Itchen stand on Saturday and thought the PA system was terrible. Every time the bald guy in the stay pressed shiny black suit would pipe up to say something, all I could hear was a load of irritating sound…didn’t understand a word of it.

 

Not sure him shouting down the microphone helps. Anyway I mention it to Mr Stay press as he was moving around, he just said yeah we know it’s bad. I wonder if it’s as bad in other parts of the stadium and that the club will do anything to improve to sound quality.

[saint_ed]

I was in the Itchen and felt exactly the same. There was also some weird reverb coming from the back of the stand. I would have replaced this before putting in the new blinding lights that's for sure.

[ladysaint]

I really thought they would have done something this year with the PA system, I have mentioned this on another thread this morning. Could not hear anything in the Northam Stand at all on Saturday, just a load of mumbling.

[The9]

I haven't heard a word over the PA in the Northam since 2001, except in the loos, where it's crystal clear (but you end up choking on fag smoke).

[Bearsy]

didn't know we had a PA system? Is it new?

[green_gibbon]

I was in the Kingsland and weirdly, I thought it was a bit better than usual. Could hear Koeman's pre-match interview nice and clearly.

[Toomer]

We were sat in Block 32 Row J Kingsland and there was a speaker on the track in line with us if I could have I would have gone down and pulled the plug out.

[fish fingers]

I would prefer no PA system.

[SaintRobbie]

PA system is terrible - especially when the chap on the mic screams in to it. Always seem to learn the same lessons at the start of the season.

 

Its just white noise. Turn it down or off!!

[LGTL]

The less I hear the better.

[West Stand]

It has never been any good in the Itchen and it is made worse by shouting into the microphone, in fact I don't think I understood any of that which was said on Saturday

[rooney]

I raised this with the club 2 years ago and explained that if they moved the speakers back about 20 feet under the canopies, the sound would be "trapped" thereunder and thus be more audible. At the time they said that the screens were the priority and the sound system was not. I do not have a real problem with the guy on the pitch but it is when they interview the manager on a video that I cannot hear the speech.

[The9]

On the bright side, usually can't hear music after goals either.

[Didcot Saint]

Block 32 Row F Kingsland. Me and Alejam were saying how muffled and bad the PA was.

[SNOWY]

Agree it's awful. Can't believe it is that hard to correct. Mind you the pitch side fella's "CBBC presenter on speed" delivery style doesn't help.

[Mr Dad]

Can we have a PA system like they have at Arsenal? Its a bigger ground than ours but it was clearly audible when Saints played up there.

[Whitey Grandad]

Totes agreed.

 

I was in Itchen North corner and I couldn't understand a word. Bald fellow shouting into the microphone din't help at all. The music seemd ok so perhaps the incompetent in question should be taken quietly to one side and given lessons, or shot or something.

[buctootim]

Train stations used to have the echo / muffled problem and they sorted it out so Im sure SMS could do the same.

[Hatch]

Since St Marys opened, has there ever been anything said that needs to be heard anyway ?

[John Boy Saint]

Always been rubbish, I am amazed that as the club know its pants that they feel that they have to pay someone to muffle on, (............ be funny if when Steve Bennett gets home his Wife asks "good day at work love?" and he replies "Mmmmmm wrff rrryyyssshh hffft derrrrrr Saaaints".

 

You would hope that with our tie in with Veho that they could get something sorted out between them, seeing as so many folks seem to say good things about their little speakers.

[The9]

Train stations used to have the echo / muffled problem and they sorted it out so Im sure SMS could do the same.

 

Lots of them still do, especially when trains are passing through, and they don't generally have the problem of 32000 people making noise all through their announcements. Plus the speakers at the station are about 10 times closer than those suspended from the roof of a stand, the information being given in very specific and they have boards to indicate the same information in case you can't hear them.

 

For me the only thing I want to hear over the PA are the scores, and the screen should be assisting with those too.

[The9]

Since St Marys opened, has there ever been anything said that needs to be heard anyway ?

 

Stand Down Operation Stewards Pointlessly Standing At The Front?

[buctootim]

Lots of them still do, especially when trains are passing through, and they don't generally have the problem of 32000 people making noise all through their announcements. Plus the speakers at the station are about 10 times closer than those suspended from the roof of a stand, the information being given in very specific and they have boards to indicate the same information in case you can't hear them.

 

For me the only thing I want to hear over the PA are the scores, and the screen should be assisting with those too.

 

 

The fact that some stations are still bad doesnt change the fact that its technically fixable and some stations which were bad are now good. Its to do with hearing announcements from two or more speakers a long distance apart - the annoucement gets out of sync due to the relatively slow speed of sound. Echo then just makes that worse.

[Dellman]

I went to the match with a visitor who has English as a second language, he asked me what the announcer was saying and I had to say I couldn't understand a word which he thought very strange as it was meant to be my language

[John Boy Saint]

Actually how does Sargeant Major Park Warden manage to come across so clearly and crisply to annoy the whatsit out of us by telling us to stay off the pitch at the final whistle or even worse telling us 4 times that the Northam Car park will be closed to home supporters after the game??!!

[The9]

The fact that some stations are still bad doesnt change the fact that its technically fixable and some stations which were bad are now good. Its to do with hearing announcements from two or more speakers a long distance apart - the annoucement gets out of sync due to the relatively slow speed of sound. Echo then just makes that worse.

 

Interesting, but the reason I can't hear anything at St Mary's is because the PA is quiet compared to the background noise, and the speakers are a long way from the crowd.

 

It's fine in the loo, where the speaker is very near, and the only background noise is some tar-lung hacking up in the cubicle.

[buctootim]

Interesting, but the reason I can't hear anything at St Mary's is because the PA is quiet compared to the background noise, and the speakers are a long way from the crowd.

 

It's fine in the loo, where the speaker is very near, and the only background noise is some tar-lung hacking up in the cubicle.

 

The toilet is a good example - you only hear from one speaker and your brain is smart enough to filter out non verbal sounds. They ptrobably keep the volume down in the stadium to try to reduce the echo. The answer is to have loads (hundreds probably) of small low volume speakers so no-one is far from one and each isnt powerful enough to carry to far sides of the ground or to generate echo, avoiding the time delay muddying the sound.

Edited 11 August, 2014 by buctootim

[Whitey Grandad]

The toilet is a good example - you only hear from one speaker and your brain is smart enough to filter out non verbal sounds. They ptrobably keep the volume down in the stadium to try to reduce the echo. The answer is either to have loads (hundreds probably) of small low volume speakers so no-one is far from one and each isnt powerful enough to carry to far sides of the ground or to generate echo, avoiding the time delay muddying the sound.

 

That would help, but I thinka problem with the main speakers is that they start to distort badly when overdriven. This may not be noticeble for music but is bad for speech.

[Patrick Bateman]

Stand Down Operation Stewards Pointlessly Standing At The Front?

 

And; "Would the dark blue Jaguar parked outside the entrance, registration blah blah blah, please move immediately".

 

Think that's about the only announcement I've ever heard.

 

Oh and "The players would appreciate it if you stayed in the stands and didn't run on the pitch at the end of the game", 1000 times seemed to be perfectly audible.

[matthewb]

I normally sit in block 37 in Kongsland North and the PA isn't brilliant but you can hear enough to make out what is going. I was sat in block 32 and couldn't hear a thing!

[ladysaint]

I noticed that they had extra speakers in front of the Kingsland stand on Saturday, were there extra ones in front of the Northam, if so it didn't make the slightest bit of difference.

[Miffy]

The PA system outside thanking people for queueing for tickets, was crystal clear!

[The9]

I noticed that they had extra speakers in front of the Kingsland stand on Saturday, were there extra ones in front of the Northam, if so it didn't make the slightest bit of difference.

 

They've always done that, I believe. Didn't see any in front of the Northam, but then we spent some of half time discussing whether the Kingsland food carts were only for them because the concourse outlets were closed because they weren't planning to staff it or if they just had long queues anyway so they were additional, so it's not like I was exactly focused on it.

[Dogs]

I have never understood a word the guys uttered since the stadium was built,i am in the Itchen.

[Isla Wight]

My favourite moan. The p.a. System is an absolute waste of time. Hasn't worked properly since day 1. Its ok on the concourses and toilets but it is inaudible in the stadium area. Perhaps one day.......

[hugh]

Yep, the PA system is rubbish now and has been since the stadium was opened. One day someone might do something about it. Not this season obviously.

[SNSUN]

The bald bloke is useless, I've barely heard a word he said since he took over from the previous bloke. Now that is probably due in part to the PA system, but I understood a lot of what the previous guy said.

 

Whatever the current guy's name is, (Steve?) he needs to be taught annunciation and speed of speech.