The Israel Expo Centre, in Tel Aviv, recently underwent a significant audio upgrade with the implementation of L-Acoustics L-ISA Hyperreal technology for the two-and-a-half-month Tozeret Haaretz event series, which is dedicated to Israel’s young adult communities movement.
Sincopa, an L-Acoustics certified provider, engineered a flexible 7.1 frontal configuration that addresses the venue’s specific acoustic challenges while providing accurate sound reproduction for audiences of up to 6,500 attendees.
The technical implementation features five main hangs of one L2 and one L2D, complemented by two extensions of nine Kara II loudspeakers on each side. The company says this multi-array approach significantly enhances spatial localisation. It is designed to precisely place sound sources across the stage while eliminating the narrow “sweet spot” limitations of conventional stereo setups.
Low-frequency reproduction is managed through two centre-flown arrays of three KS28 subwoofers, while a pair of Syva colinear speakers provide out-fill. Seven Kara II places along the stage provide spatial front-fill. The entire system is fed directly from an L-ISA Processor II in an AVB Redundant network and powered by ten LA7.16 and thirteen LA12X amplified controllers.
Assa Efrat, sound engineer at Sincopa, said: “The exceptional SPL-to-weight ratio of L2, combined with its 140° horizontal dispersion at the bottom of the array, makes it ideal for this application. Transitioning from a conventional left-right configuration to this multi-array design significantly reduces masking effects and enhances intelligibility, particularly in the critical midrange frequencies where vocal intelligibility and instrumental definition are most perceptible.”
To facilitate rapid adoption of L-ISA technology, Sincopa established an on-site pre-production studio where visiting engineers can familiarise themselves with the L-ISA Controller software before live events and prepare their show file before their show. This preparation environment allows for spatial mixing strategies to be developed and tested prior to moving into the main venue.
Yair Goren, a sound engineer working on the Tozeret Haaretz series, added: “The L-ISA Processor’s 96 input channels and object-based mixing capabilities allow for much more precise placement of critical sound elements in the soundfield. The difference between traditional matrix-based systems and this object-based approach is immediately apparent – I’m able to achieve significantly greater separation between elements and maintain consistent imaging regardless of listener position. The pre-production environment with L-ISA Controller allows me to pre-configure source placements and spatial parameters, substantially reducing setup time during changeovers.”
Efrat concluded: “This implementation demonstrates how a properly designed multi-array frontal configuration can deliver many of the perceptual benefits of larger immersive systems without the installation complexities. The quantifiable improvements in clarity, definition, and localisation make this approach particularly valuable for venues with diverse programming requirements.”
