KIVA also fulfills the five WST (Wavefront Sculpture Technology) criteria in line with the scientific concepts introduced by L-Acoustics in 1992 and shared by the benchmark WST lineage of V-Dosc, dV-Dosc, and Kudo.
The system is "highly appropriate" for both the fixed installation and rental production markets. The main system components consist of KIVA, full-range element operating from 80 Hz to 20 kHz bandwidth; KILO, complimentary low frequency extension element operating from 50 Hz to 100 Hz bandwidth, and the LA4 amplified controller.
"KIVA delivers a considerable number of improvements over the traditional sound reinforcement approach particularly with regard to the intelligibility and overall clarity of vocal material. Utilising WST technology, KIVA allows for even coverage of extremely large acoustic environments where the number of elements (height of the array) constitutes the main factor in establishing the system throw, coverage pattern, and directivity control parameters," says the company.
The V-shaped coplanar transducer configuration of KIVA generates a fixed horizontal directivity of 100 degrees with symmetric pattern control across the projection axis, without any conflicts over the entire frequency range. The combination of coplanar symmetry and the DOSC waveguide in the HF region allows the system to fulfill the five WST criteria, thereby allowing the wavefront of a KIVA line source to be curved from 0 to 15 degrees for each element without breaking the inter-element acoustic coupling.
Packaged in a lightweight and compact enclosure that sports a virtually invisible captive rigging system, KIVA combines quick set up and system integration with significant savings on storage and handling logistics. Due to its compact size and low weight (28.6lbs), KIVA complies with stringent rigging limitations in theatres, performing art centres, concert halls, convention centres, sport facilities, and TV/broadcast studios, with "the added bonus of being highly visually discrete".
KIVA features two 6.5" drivers in a bass-reflex tuned enclosure and a HF 1.5" diaphragm compression driver coupled to a DOSC waveguide for HF reproduction. The passive crossover network uses second-order filters with built-in phase compensation.
KILO is the low frequency extension enclosure of the KIVA line source array system. Similarly featuring a modest size and weight (41.8lbs), the cabinet is equipped with a single 12" neodymium driver in a tuned dual-chamber bass-reflex enclosure.
The KILO enclosure generates an omnidirectional coverage pattern. The addition of KILO elements within the line source array progressively polarises coverage towards the front of the system as more elements are added, thereby increasing the directivity of the line both horizontally and vertically due to natural dipole effects.
The KIVA and KILO enclosures are controlled and amplified by the dedicatedL-Acoustics LA4 controller, which delivers an advanced and precise system drive. A dedicated preset library exclusively designed for the LA4 platform optimises system performance. A wide range of system configurations are available for the sound designer and system engineer, allowing for a high level of creative freedom. Additional features include an intelligent two-way (real time and RMS) transducer protection circuit and a contour EQ interface allowing instant contouring of the line source array.
A single LA4 can drive up to eight KIVA cabinets in a full range preset configuration for vocals and light music material. Alternatively, an LA4 can drive six KIVA and two KILO for medium music applications, while for more demanding low-end reinforcement the
