Luxemburg - In the international banking quarter of Kirchberg lies the Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte Concert Hall, commonly known as the Luxembourg Philharmonie, designed by Christian de Portzamparc and opened in 2005.
In its young existence, the Philharmonie has swiftly become a vital cultural hub, hosting nearly 400 performances annually that encompass a vast palette of genres, including classical, jazz, world music, and more. The venue’s programming versatility is mirrored in its fluctuating audience capacity, encompassing three performance spaces, including the principal Grande Auditorium which can accommodate anywhere from 400 to 1,500 spectators, depending on its configuration.
As the demands of contemporary performance continue to evolve, so does the need for cutting-edge audio technology able to reinforce the variety of performances the Philharmonie hosts throughout the year. Now, nearly 20 years from its official opening, the venue has reached another milestone, upgrading to a new L-Acoustics K3 concert sound system.
The Luxembourg Philharmonie and L-Acoustics share a long-standing relationship, with the venue already featuring an L-Acoustics dV-DOSC installation. In 2022, wishing to upgrade its sound system, L-Acoustics K3 was chosen during a competitive selection process, emerging as the winner for its versatile directivity and its lightweight design which facilitates easy reconfiguration to match the changing geometries of the Grande Auditorium.
L-Acoustics certified distributor Babbel & Haeger supported Luxembourg-based events management service provider Pro Musik during the installation process. “There are a lot of great-sounding venues, but the Philharmonie wanted to up the ante and bring in a world-class system for a world-class concert hall,” says Max Kaub, integrator at Pro Musik. “This made recommending L-Acoustics an easy decision, and the K3 made perfect sense for its powerful full bandwidth and compact, flexible design.”
The system comprises two hangs of nine L-Acoustics K3 per side, with six KS21 subwoofers providing low-end extension, covering both the main floor and the balcony seating areas without obstructing sightlines. Near-fill is accomplished with two A10 Focus and two A10 Wide. Front-fill is handled by four X8, and the entire system is powered by LA4X amplified controllers. Calibration was managed by Sebastian Wittrock and Christian Schmid from L-Acoustics.
"We're extremely pleased with the new L-Acoustics installation, which blends modern sound quality with the historical charm of our venue. The compact and lightweight K3 system has reduced the time it takes for us to set up, and we adapted to its features within a day,” comments Hagen Tschek, technical manager at the Luxembourg Philharmonie. “Our audiences have received this upgrade enthusiastically, praising the clarity and quality of the sound."
