A L-Acoustics L2D line array system has overcome a longstanding acoustic challenge at the 1,600-seat main auditorium at Baluarte Congress Palace, located beside Pamplona’s 16th-century Citadel, Navarra, Spain.
Stakeholders for the venue, known for hosting everything from flamenco and classical orchestras to pop and rock concerts, faced the complex task of achieving uniform sound coverage across a 40-metre-deep hall – without the use of delay speakers and within strict visual and environmental guidelines.
Encompassing 63,000 square metres of space, its main theatre presents a dual challenge: highly reverberant acoustics and a programming schedule that demands both clarity for spoken word and the power to handle contemporary amplified music. Furthermore, the venue’s aesthetic priorities –especially for traditional performances such as flamenco – ruled out bulky or visually intrusive solutions.
Spanish AV integrator Telesonic partnered with Earpro, Spain’s national distributor for L-Acoustics, and the L-Acoustics Application team. The solution was a streamlined L2D line array deployment blending powerful long-throw capabilities with a low visual profile and sustainability-conscious design.
“The modelling capabilities of Soundvision were absolutely essential,” said Luc Espinach, audio product specialist at EarPro. “We simply couldn’t have demonstrated how effectively such a streamlined L2 configuration would perform in a space of this scale without that level of predictive accuracy.”
Soundvision was instrumental in designing a system that eliminated the need for delay arrays while delivering consistent SPL and tonal balance from front to back. After exploring multiple configurations, the final design featured L/R arrays of one L2D per side, set in supercardioid mode to enhance on-stage rejection and minimise reflections. Panflex waveguides, set to 90 degrees and angled inward, helped reduce side wall bounce in the reverberant room.
Low frequencies are reinforced by a centre-hung cardioid sub array of six KS21s, arranged in two hangs of three. The sub configuration is flexible and can be reconfigured into L/R stacks when needed. Four X8 front-fills and four X12 ground-stacked infills complete the coverage, delivering consistent imaging and speech intelligibility to the full house.
The system runs on Milan-AVB, with a P1 processor managing network routing and signal optimisation to LA7.16i amplified controllers located in the venue’s rack room.
Baluarte’s decision to invest in the new system aligns with its wider sustainability and digital transformation strategy under its Strategic Project 23–30. The L-Series’ green credentials—30% less wood, 60% less steel, 56% less paint, and 25% lighter than equivalent systems—played a decisive role in product selection.
“The installation of the L2D also represents an important step forward in our environmental commitment,” said Eduardo Nanclares, director of sustainability and quality at NICDO and head of operations at Baluarte. “[It] reinforces Baluarte’s future strategy aligned with sustainability and innovation.”
