L-Acoustics L Series sound series has been installed in a sports stadium for the first time, at the iconic Uber Arena, home to the Eisbären Berlin ice hockey team and Alba Berlin basketball club. The system made its debut at the multi-purpose stadium on September 29 for a show by rock star Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
The 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.
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 coverage for every seat in the house, whether it’s for a high-stakes hockey match or a sold-out rock concert.
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 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, which is significantly different between basketball and ice hockey, can be adjusted by using the FIR Autofilter algorithm in LA Network Manager, there is no need for mechanical adjustments.
Sebastian Rossman, director of venue operations at AEG, said: “Our previous system, installed in 2008, had served us well but was no longer meeting the demands of today’s events. 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 consultants MMT Network. Felix Maiworm, project engineer at MMT Network, said: “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.”
Thomas Moritz, CEO of PAM Events, concluded: “The L2 upgrade provides unparalleled flexibility. We can now create delay lines for concerts and deliver exceptional sound for sports events, meeting all our diverse needs across all possible configurations.”
