Built to resemble the exterior courtyard of a Moorish castle in 1926, the 4,800-capacity Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, which has been host to thousands of concerts and special events since its opening, has been equipped with a new house sound reinforcement system incorporating d&b audiotechnik KSLi loudspeakers and supporting components at the request of venue owner Live Nation in a project by Eighth Day Sound (Cleveland)/Clair Global Integration.
KSLi (install version) is billed by d&b as the “younger sibling” to the flagship GSL system, which set the stage for the evolutionary path that KSL would inherit as part of the SL-Series, but in a smaller package. Proprietary technologies such as d&b ArrayProcessing are also designed to optimize sonic consistency, tonal balance and sonic distribution over the coverage area.
“Our client had several criteria that determined KSLi was the right system: d&b ArrayProcessing and Broadband Directivity,” states Jason Vrobel, global sales, Eighth Day Sound. “The Aragon Ballroom is a very acoustically challenging room with a domed ceiling.”
Adam Ross, head of audio at the Aragon, adds, “The d&b KSLi system is a phenomenal PA for any room but is particularly well suited for the challenges at the Aragon. The building is from an era before amplification, so the dome is designed to spread sound all over the room without any reinforcement at all. In the heyday of big bands and ballroom dancing there was no more elegant spot to dance the night away.
“However, if you stomp your foot on the spring-loaded dance floor there is a seven-second decay. The cardioid pattern of the KSLi eliminates much of the acoustic energy coming off the back of the array and helps tremendously in reducing many of the unwanted reflections. On top of that, the Array Processing provides even coverage throughout the main floor and balcony while seemingly placing the audio right in the rear balcony pocket and cutting it off before it gets directly up into the dome.”
Ross also cites the output of the new system’s SL-SUB subwoofers: “I was initially skeptical at the spec of only eight subwoofers but was immediately impressed with the results, and I’m not alone. A recent artist’s engineer had demanded 18 floor subs on their rider, but begrudgingly agreed to use our eight SL-SUBs and immediately upon firing up the system said, ‘Oh, OK…yep that’ll do.’ Once again, the cardioid pattern lets us direct the acoustic energy where we want it and reduces it on stage and to my co-workers’ delight, backstage.
“The quality of audio we are now capable of with KSLi and SL-SUBs has reaffirmed the Aragon’s place as one of Chicago’s very finest concert venues. The technology behind this system has brought us from the roaring twenties into the 2020s and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results.”
The system configuration includes 16 KSLi8 plus four KSLi12 (10 per side), eight SL-GSUBs, six Yi10P, 18 D80 amplifiers, and a DS10 Dante network bridge.
