EMEA & APAC AWARDS • THE AMERICAS AWARDS
The lightweight yet incredibly powerful K2/K1-SB system solves a major issue that all sports venues face today: the need to provide complete and consistent coverage and high SPL to each and every seat in the house while at the same time avoiding interference with sightlines to video screens.
“The L-Acoustics K2 system hit all of the main points for this project, like power and coverage, but the decision was also driven by budget, and L-Acoustics was able to provide the performance this installation needed within the project’s budget guidelines,” says Justo Gutierrez, Diversified’s Director of AV and Sound, Sports & Live Events. “But just as importantly,” he added. “L-Acoustics was also the choice of the exceptionally knowledgeable Wells Fargo Center operations staff.”
From the start, Diversified and its partners set about designing the sound system to both accommodate the current needs of the arena as well as its future requirements. For instance, plans for a new scoreboard – touted by venue owner Comcast Spectacor as “the first-ever Kinetic 4K centre-hung entertainment system” – have recently been announced, and the K2 system design and installation would have to provide for that future addition.
That also applied to the K2 system’s deployment flexibility when the venue is used for activities beyond sports. The K2 and K1-SB arrays are flown in the arena on motorised hoists, and individual groups of speakers can now be quickly flown out to the grid or dropped back into play position to improve sightlines or support various venue configurations, unlike the arena’s previous dead-hung clusters.
The choice of the L-Acoustics K2 system furthermore reflects another key trend in the sports-venue sector: as arenas and stadiums are increasingly called on to host entertainment events as well as sports, those venues are making their audio system choices based on the same criteria that concert touring does – full-range musicality and clear intelligibility.
“The L-Acoustics K2 system is truly a concert sound system, and that’s what venue operators are looking for now,” said Gutierrez, who notes that the K1-SB subwoofers have brought exceptionally articulate and powerful low-end performance to the Wells Fargo Center. “Sports are being increasingly regarded as entertainment, and consumers’ expectations are changing as a result. They want concert-level sound in the stadiums and arenas, and L-Acoustics is one of a very few brands that can deliver that experience. Great sound is part of fan engagement, and L-Acoustics certainly scores big in that regard.”
