L-Acoustics recently announced the new L Series at an event held at the Hollywood Bowl. Bringing line source technology to its pinnacle, L Series, with its patented Progressive Ultra-Dense Line Source (PULS) technology, ushers in ultimate power, control, and consistency in line array design. Having debuted at the BRIT Awards with pilot phase partner Britannia Row/Clair Global, on tour with Helene Fischer and pilot phase partner Solotech, and at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival with support from RAT Sound, L Series will continue its pilot phase validation with PRG, Tokyo Sanko, Novelty, and Winly, before it becomes available in production this fall.
The L Series will be on display at InfoComm Booth 5751, Level 2, and Demo Room W320, Level 3.
[L-Acoustics Has Real Problems with Fake Products]
“L Series is a breakthrough concept in concert sound that is made possible through the culmination of 30 years of intensive R&D in software modeling, loudspeaker technology, and electronics,” said Germain Simon, director of product management, loudspeakers at L-Acoustics. “When we analyzed hundreds of projects using line source array across all genres and venues, we realized that most audience geometries and array shapes followed a similar trend. This led to the understanding that a fixed element with predefined progressive angles would provide incredible gains in quality, efficiency, and sustainability.”
L Series comprises two elements that are designed to work together or on their own: L2 above and L2D below. One L2 or L2D element provides the same contour as four K2 elements in a format that is 46% smaller and 40% lighter. The audio benefits of L Series encompass industry-leading SPL per size, unparalleled consistency over the audience area, and improved rejection everywhere else. Accompanying the audio benefits, L Series revolutionizes deployment with a smaller, lighter footprint that reduces truck space and requires fewer elements, cutting the number of actions needed to load in and out.
The power density of the new L Series is unprecedented. Each element contains eight three-inch high-frequency drivers with eight ten-inch low-frequency drivers, complemented by four side-loaded 12-inch drivers with front and back exits to deliver efficient, high precision broadband coverage with a choice of cardioid or supercardioid patterns. L Series also features L-Acoustics Panflex technology, which provides sound designers with quick access to a choice of four horizontal directivity patterns: 70 or 110-degrees symmetrical, or 90-degrees asymmetrical on either side. Each L2 element includes four Panflex modules, while L2D contains two Panflex modules on the top elements, and two fixed L-Fins progressing from 110 to 140 degrees on the bottom elements.
[Check Out the AV that Rocks Between the Dawn and the Dark of Night]
“L Series was truly impressive in terms of its coverage consistency, it was nearly impossible to hear any transition between elements of the array,” commented Josh Lloyd, Britannia Row head of engineering and special projects. “The tonal consistency was incredible; every listener had the same audio experience. The cardioid behavior of the box meant that once moving out of the coverage zone, it was difficult to tell if the system was on.”
The operating efficiencies of L Series originate from its shape. With no inter-element angles, a pin-less auto-lock rigging system, and a single cable connector, repetitive load-in/out actions are drastically diminished. This creates a set-up environment that reduces errors and leads to a stunning three-fold decrease in loading time versus a similar K2 configuration or up to five times faster than Kara II.
L Series is just as impactful on the environment as it is on deployment. Starting with material savings—56% less paint, 30% less wood, and 60% less steel—L Series is frugal in resources. Clocking in at 30% less volume and 25% less weight as compared to an equivalent line source array, L Series is also frugal in truck space and consequently in fuel consumption.
[Running from Fears in Pro AV]
Adding to system efficiency, L Series is driven by the new LA7.16 high-resolution touring amplified controller, which supports L2 and L2D with 16 channels of high-power amplification and processing. LA7.16 comes in a new LA-RAK III touring rack offering 48 channels of amplification in a Milan AVB-ready package with more than 60,000 watts of power in 9U. Leveraging the high-resolution amplification of LA7.16 and the advanced Autosolver tools, L Series output can be perfectly modulated to achieve results that are impossible with traditional line array technology.
With L Series, L-Acoustics also introduces the new Clamp1000, which can carry up to four L2/L2D. It can also be used with Kara II, K3, or K2, supporting up to 16 K2. Using Clamp1000, users can rotate a flown line array from the ground, drastically saving set-up time and the number of motors needed.
In January of this year, L-Acoustics began a comprehensive L Series pilot phase with partners Britannia Row and Solotech. Between April and October, the pilot program will progressively include six leading certified partners around the globe; PRG and Solotech in the Americas, Britannia Row/Clair Global and Novelty Group in EMEA, and Tokyo Sanko and Winly in APAC will be deploying the new technology for various live events in October of 2023 when the pilot phase concludes. Additionally, L-Acoustics deployed L2 and L2D at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach in California with support from RAT Sound and AEG Presents.
