Germany - Berlin's Uber Arena has installed an L-Acoustics L2 professional sound system – the first sports facility L Series installation in the world. Home to the Eisbären Berlin ice hockey team and Alba Berlin basketball club, this 17,000-seat multipurpose venue hosts up to 180 events annually, ranging from championship games to chart-topping concerts.
The venue has hosted acts such as Metallica, Coldplay, Barbra Streisand, U2 and Foo Fighters, and high-profile events including the Euroleague Final Four, NBA and NHL games, the European Men’s Basketball Championship, the IHF Handball World Championship, and the MTV Europe Music Awards.
"Our previous system, installed in 2008, had served us well but was no longer meeting the demands of today's events," says Sebastian Rossman, director of venue operations at AEG, who manages the arena. "We needed a solution that could deliver crystal-clear sound for both sports fans and music lovers, while also adapting to the 30 different configurations that our venue calls on to meet the demands of the diverse events that we host."
To tackle this challenge, Rossman enlisted the expertise of consultants MMT Network and long-term arena sound partners PAM Events. After rigorous systems testing from four different manufacturers, the L-Acoustics L2 emerged as the clear winner.
Felix Maiworm, project engineer at MMT Network, explains why the L2 system stood out: "We faced unique challenges, including the need for uniform, long-term 99dB SPL across all seats and managing the venue's complex acoustics. The cardioid pattern of L Series proved crucial in controlling lower frequencies and taming the hall's reverberant field."
The new setup features five hangs of L2 speakers, two facing south, and one each facing north, east, and west. Eight X8 delay-fills are used for the VIP restaurant and six X12 are placed underneath the video cube. The sound system is powered by L-Acoustics amplified controllers and managed by their processors. This configuration ensures optimal coverage for every seat in the house.
"The L2 upgrade provides unparalleled flexibility," says Thomas Moritz, CEO of PAM Events. "We can now create delay lines for concerts and deliver exceptional sound for sports events, meeting all our diverse needs across all possible configurations."
The compact design of the L Series also addressed the arena's physical constraints, allowing for shorter hangs that don't interfere with sightlines or the venue's elaborate roof structure. This aspect is particularly beneficial for the arena's frequent transitions between sports and concert setups and means the system can be lifted and parked up above the main grid when the system is not in use.
The coverage of the system, which is significantly different between basketball and ice hockey, can be easily adjusted by using the FIR Autofilter algorithm in LA Network Manager; there is no need for mechanical adjustments, which saves cost of labour and time.
"The success of this project is a testament to the seamless cooperation between L-Acoustics, PAM Events, MMT Network and our team at Uber Arena," Rossman adds. "Everyone involved was committed to achieving the best possible outcome for our fans and performers."
The new L-Acoustics L2 professional sound system was set to make its debut at the end of September with shows by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
