JBL VERTEC™ SPEAKERS USED AT WORLD CUP OPENING CEREMONY IN SEOUL, KOREA

SEOUL, KOREA - MAY 31, 2002 - Seoul's Sangam Stadium was the the site of the start of the 2002 Soccer World Cup Series. To provide the best possible sound reinforcement for the Opening Ceremony, with the added demand of portability and fast removal, Korean rental sound companies Daishin Sound and Gukje Sound teamed up to provide a total of 64 VerTec line array speaker systems. The JBL VT4889's were mounted on 16 portable sound system carts, able to be wheeled into position around the field perimeter, then quickly removed as required.

In addition to JBL VerTec loudspeaker systems, a wide variety of audio products from Harman Professional brands were in use. Technical support personnel from AKG, BSS, Crown, JBL and Soundcraft were onsite to assist the Korean audio team. "This prestigious event was a real logistical challenge, and the VerTec speakers specified by Audio Director Michael Abbott were a highly effective choice," advised Cheol Yoon of Daiyoung Corporation, JBL's Korean distributor. "The system performed flawlessly. The VT4889's light weight and easy handling allowed the technicians to array four enclosures on each cart along with Crown MA-Series power amplifiers and BSS signal processing," stated Yoon. "The VerTec line array system's dispersion characteristics let the people in the farthest back rows enjoy the same near-field quality of sound as those in the VIP seats closest to the field. Every seat in Sangam stadium was full, and they all enjoyed excellent sound during this cultural multi-media extravaganza." Groups of JBL self-powered EON speakers were aimed back at the field to provide music and cues for the hundreds of pageant performers

The World Cup Opening Ceremony (including Senegal's surprise upset win over world champion France) was televised live around the world. The opening ceremony pageant was intended to send a unifying message of peace and was meant to be a great starting point for a month-long experience of soccer excitement, according to the Korean World Cup Organizing Committee (KOWOC). The ceremony had three separately-themed parts, and included cultural performances incorporating both traditional music and South Korean high technology.

Click here to go to the KOWOC World Cup information on the opening ceremony.

Headquartered in Northridge, CA, JBL Professional is the world's leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of professional loudspeakers for recording and broadcast, musician, cinema, touring and commercial sound and contracting applications. JBL Professional is part of the Harman International network of professional and consumer audio companies. For complete product and company information, go to the JBL Pro website at www.jblpro.com.

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