Completed in October 1917 at a cost of more than half a million dollars, the Central Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library celebrates its centenary this year. Part of its more recent history is Clowes Auditorium – an intimate 300-seat venue that was added during an extensive expansion in 2008 to host everything from classical chamber performances and Latin jazz bands to children’s theatre and corporate presentations. T he auditorium is now ready for the future, thanks to a new L-Acoustics Kiva II sound system installed by integrator Mid-America Sound.

The auditorium had been using temporary ground-stacked PA components as needed, but now has a flown system of six Kiva II modules hung underneath one SB15m sub per side and complemented by a single SB18m sub positioned below on each side of the stage. A single LA12X amplified controller powers all of the Kiva II modules and flown subs, while an LA4X drives the two ground subs and leaves two open channels available for a potential future expansion of fills.

This is also the first US installation of the new standard factory-painted white version of the Kiva II, which, when installed alongside the large white acoustical reflector above the stage, renders the system nearly invisible. Kiva II’s extremely high power-to-weight ratio delivers 137dB SPL without an additional rigging infrastructure.

‘This is such a great performance space,’ says Clowes Auditorium Technician, Jim Meyers. ‘It was designed to be an acoustically correct concert hall, and it’s been that plus so much more. The seating is very steeply raked, and that means there isn’t a bad seat in the house. What we needed was a sound system that could put the sound exactly where we wanted it, and keep it away from where we didn’t want it.’

‘After extensively modeling this room in Soundvision with a variety of different systems, I found that Kiva II gave us the optimal results; it achieved the most even coverage given the limitations we faced in the placement of the cabinets within the physical space,’ says Mid-America Sound Senior Audio Engineer and Audio Operations Manager, Kyle Spurling. ‘We would not have been able to accomplish this had it not been for the ability to splay as much as 15° between the enclosures. The added bonus of having 100° of direct horizontal coverage made it possible to implement this system as wide as we were forced to, but still achieve a smooth response to every seat in the house. This was a very challenging-yet-rewarding install and we are extremely proud and happy with the results all the way around.’

Meyers notes that the decision for Kiva II was clear – a lightweight, smaller, high-power enclosure that was almost transparent visually, with precision pattern coverage and high-quality sound. It provides plenty of low-end responsiveness from the flown subs during corporate and other spoken-word events, enabling the venue to remove the SB18s from stage for a cleaner look, if desired.

‘It would have been hard to ask for anything more,’ says Meyers. ‘It’s the most transparent, articulate and seamless sound system that I have ever heard.’