L-Acoustics has supplied an L2-centred permanent audio system for the Blue Hall at Sava Centar, in Belgrade, Serbia, one of the region’s largest and most acoustically demanding venues, built in 1979 as part of New Belgrade’s modernist architectural expansion.
The defining constraint of the project was the hall’s 20 x 11m cinema screen – the largest of its kind in the region – which spans the full stage width. The investor’s position was non-negotiable: the system could not obstruct it. This ruled out a conventional centre-hung arrangement, forcing the main left and right hangs wide apart and requiring a centre-fill cluster to address the resulting coverage gap.
L-Acoustics Certified Provider Dicroic led the project alongside acoustic consultancy Acoustic Design. With L-Acoustics application engineer Willi Klein embedded from the outset, the team modelled the full room geometry in L-Acoustics Soundvision before committing to any rigging position, allowing every compromise to be quantified before installation began.
The main system comprises two hangs of two L2 over one L2D per side, with twelve KS28 subwoofers flown centrally above the stage. A centre-fill cluster of three A15 Focus and one A15 Wide addresses the central audience zone, while eight X8 front-fills deliver level and intelligibility for front rows. System drive and processing is handled by six LA7.16i and four LA12X amplified controllers, with a P1 processor managing the Milan-AVB network and a layered redundancy architecture including a secondary AVB path and AES67 tertiary backup.
Ivan Brusić, AV manager at Sava Centar, said: “The installation needed to cater equally to the many different events the Blue Hall hosts. It was important to ensure that the sound system did not visually compromise the cinema screen. That constraint influenced every decision that followed.”
Marko Fio, CEO of Dicroic, added: “We presented and convinced the investor of the advantages of the L2 system, that it could satisfy all types of events in the hall, and that the return on investment through rental income would be realised within two years.”
The physical installation was completed in four to five days. Brusić said the system has delivered consistency across a demanding event calendar, removing the logistical overhead of hired rigs. “We have minimised the time and effort needed to achieve results: no need for daily transport, rigging and tuning. This system is a stable starting point for future development.”
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