CHINA: From the expansive SUPER WAN LIVEHOUSE in Kashgar to the acoustically challenging COIN HYPER LIVE in Chengdu, d&b audiotechnik systems are being deployed to deliver controlled, consistent sound across two very different nightlife environments.

At SUPER WAN LIVEHOUSE, a 4,000㎡ venue combining live entertainment, social experiences and cultural tourism, the technical team worked with the d&b team on a full-venue audio solution. KSL8 line array modules provide coverage through broadband directivity control, maintaining consistent SPL from the central hall through to the edge seating, while B22-SUB subwoofers reinforce low frequencies.

The impressive 80° horizontal dispersion of the three-way KSL8 modules, coupled with their ability to maintain directivity across a broad frequency range, makes the system particularly suited to SUPER WAN LIVEHOUSE’s expansive footprint, where coverage consistency is as important as output. This becomes especially relevant in a venue that needs to accommodate audiences across a large central area without compromising the experience towards the edges. What further reinforced the KSL8’s suitability for the project is its capacity to deliver up to 145dB SPL, providing the headroom required for high-energy live and club applications while its integrated low-frequency architecture helps maintain pattern control further down the spectrum.

That combination of controlled coverage and substantial output also gives the system the flexibility to handle the venue’s advanced music programme. Rather than designing around a single performance format, the fact that the PA remains coherent whether the room is hosting a live band, a club night or a themed entertainment event, makes the KSL8’s consistent tonal and spatial behaviour particularly valuable.

At the low end, B22-SUB subwoofers provide the additional weight required for the venue’s larger-scale programme. Producing up to 143dB SPL with an extended response that reaches down to 37Hz in standard mode and 32Hz in INFRA mode; the B22-SUBs gives the system the low-frequency extension and impact needed without relying solely on the main arrays to deliver the full bandwidth. Alongside, it also provides scope for managing low-frequency radiation according to the venue’s requirements, as it reduces rearward radiation and helps limit unnecessary low-frequency energy outside the intended audience area. This is particularly useful in a large entertainment venue like SUPER WAN LIVEHOUSE, where maintaining a controlled acoustic environment beyond the main audience zone can be as important as delivering impact on the dancefloor.

Powering the system are 40D amplifiers, whose four-channel architecture and integrated DSP provide the processing, loudspeaker management, equalisation and delay required to keep the system aligned as the venue moves between operating modes. Dante network audio handles signal distribution, giving the installation a flexible signal infrastructure capable of supporting the different sources and configurations demanded by SUPER WAN LIVEHOUSE’s varied programme.

Meanwhile in Chengdu, COIN HYPER LIVE presented an altogether different acoustic challenge. Reflective stone and glass surfaces can return substantial amounts of energy into the room, while the venue’s narrower front section and wider rear area create further complications around coverage, low-frequency build-up and maintaining definition across changing audience positions.

Here, the choice of a KSLi system brings the advantages of d&b’s SL-Series directivity approach into a permanent-installation environment. The KSLi8’s 80° horizontal dispersion and ability to maintain controlled coverage across its operating range are particularly relevant to COIN HYPER LIVE, where the objective is not simply to generate sufficient SPL but to direct as much of that energy as possible towards the audience and away from the room’s reflective surfaces.

With a maximum output of 145dB SPL, the KSLi8 also provides considerable headroom for the venue’s high-energy programme. Its front- and side-firing low-frequency drivers are particularly important in this application, allowing directivity to be maintained further into the lower frequency range rather than allowing the low end to become increasingly diffuse as it interacts with the room. This distinction matters in COIN HYPER LIVE, where, in a highly reflective space, uncontrolled energy can quickly become part of the reverberant field, masking detail and making a system sound less defined even when its individual components are capable of delivering considerable clarity. By controlling where acoustic energy is directed, the KSLi approach helps keep more of the system’s output working for the audience rather than feeding the room.

“The directivity is exceptional,” said Mr. Zhang, the venue’s FOH engineer. “It significantly reduces the reflection issues we face in the venue while maintaining clarity throughout the performance.”

The SL-GSUB extends that philosophy into the sub-bass region. For COIN HYPER LIVE, where low-frequency build-up is one of the challenges created by the venue’s geometry and hard surfaces, the cardioid pattern arrangement of the SL-GSUB provides a way of concentrating bass energy towards the audience while reducing radiation behind the enclosure. The result is particularly relevant to a club environment, where powerful low-frequency reproduction is essential but excessive bass energy circulating through the room can quickly compromise overall definition. Plus, the SL-GSUB extends from 33Hz to 84Hz in standard operation, giving the system the low-frequency extension required for contemporary club material while retaining the directional behaviour that is central to the installation’s acoustic strategy.

The compact xS-Series loudspeakers complete the coverage strategy by allowing individual areas of the venue to be addressed without asking the main KSLi system to do everything. With different cabinet formats and dispersion options available across the series, supplementary loudspeakers can be matched to the geometry and requirements of specific zones. In COIN HYPER LIVE, that provides a more controlled way of filling areas outside the main PA’s optimum coverage while maintaining consistency with the overall system.

The two installations therefore demonstrate two distinct applications of the same underlying approach. At SUPER WAN LIVEHOUSE, controlled directivity helps a high-output system maintain consistent coverage across an expansive 4,000㎡ entertainment environment while accommodating multiple programme formats. At COIN HYPER LIVE, the same emphasis on directivity becomes an acoustic tool for managing a reflective room, controlling low-frequency energy and preserving definition where conventional wide-dispersion coverage could allow the architecture to become part of the sound system.