When updating A/V systems in several of Yale University’s facilities – including one of its newest – systems integrator North American Theatrix (NAT) looked to L-Acoustics for audio fidelity and low aesthetic impact.

‘We’re a preferred vendor for Yale and have worked on its A/V systems in the past, so when they asked us to find the best sound solution we could for these spaces, we naturally went with L-Acoustics,’ says NAT Chief Operating Officer, Pat Nelson.

‘Theatre and auditorium spaces are one of our specialties, so product lines like Kiva and XT were sonically and visually ideal for Yale’s orchestra rehearsal room and a recital hall. But we were also dealing with a wider range of environments that included a lecture hall and a dining room, and we were pleased to find that those same systems were very well suited for addressing the school’s needs in those disparate spaces as well.’

Using L-Acoustics’ Soundvision 3D real-time acoustical modelling software to determine optimal designs, the L-Acoustics Certified Provider for Install (CPi) specified stereo Kiva arrays and SB15m subs for the Orchestra Rehearsal Room in the School of Music’s newly opened Adams Center, whose US$57.1m cost was largely borne by the school’s alumni, is a three-storey soundstage-like space, and will be the first home that the Yale Philharmonia and Yale Symphony Orchestra have had on campus.

‘They plan to have guest conductors work with the orchestra there via videoconferencing, so the sound needed to be impeccable,’ Nelson says. ‘The Kivas are perfect for that. We applied acoustical treatment to many of the room’s surfaces and also installed motorized reversible acoustical panels, so the room is even more flexible. The Kivas and the subs make it sound amazing.’

Kiva and SB15m were also recently installed in the William L Harkness Hall’s Sudler Recital Hall, which hosts classical and other types of musical performances as well as speech reinforcement and video presentations as part of its mission as a performance space and a classroom. ‘We were able to fly the Kivas in this room about 60 feet up in he rafters,’ says Nelson. ‘You can’t see them from below, but their coverage of the room is incredible.’

Yale Law School’s largest classroom, Sterling Law Building’s Room 127 features classic Yale architecture from 1931 and follows the designs of English Inns of Court. For the range of lectures and other teaching applications there, NAT again turned to Kiva, plus the ultra-compact 5XT coaxial system. ‘This was another case of having to integrate the speakers into classic interior aesthetic designs,’ Nelson explains. ‘The compact size of all of the L-Acoustics speakers made that task much simpler and effective.’

The six 5XTs powered by an LA4X installed at Greenberg Conference Center Dining Hall further underscore the take-up of L-Acoustics’ systems. Nelson points out that NAT chose L-Acoustics for ‘high-quality, long-term solutions. We are confident that these systems will provide Yale with many years of reliable service’.

He additionally notes that the loudspeakers and amplifiers were a key component of a larger A/V integration that also included QSC’s Q-Sys networking system and Shure ULX-D microphones: ‘The goal was to make these fully digital sound systems from microphone to amplifier to speaker. L-Acoustics delivers a pristine sound that let us reach that goal here; their products are always a smart choice.’