L-ACOUSTICS

Billie Eilish tours with L-Acoustics equipment and with live streaming events such as Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, on Disney+ is part of a new era of content

BILLIE IDOL

Nick Fichte, Global Business Director, L-Acoustics Creations, examines the market for premium performance and how new forces such as live streaming and gaming is helping to shape the next generation of iconic products.

The market for premium loudspeakers evolved significantly over the decade from 2010 to 2020 as the traditional audiophile evolved and adapted to changing music media. The pandemic accelerated many of the changes into something of a revolution that has offered a rich source of high-value business for audio integrators.

Pre-pandemic, the customer demographic across premium audio was already changing. From the traditional audiophile, a more techsavvy music fan was emerging, comfortable with having the world’s music library at their fingertips. Growing up with clubbing, concerts, festivals and high-end gaming, their system demands are far more about robust delivery of immersive and powerful sound than the delicate systems and micro adjustments of the Hi-Fi hobbyist.

Technology has played a major role in the evolution, as solid media formats gave way to MP3 streaming to maximise the quantity of content available. Now that content quantity is pervasive thanks to Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal et al, quality is becoming a key driver with technologies like High Res Audio, spatial audio formats and Dolby Atmos driving the premium audio market.

Live-streaming concerts at home had already become a reality long before COVID dictated that ‘at home’ was the only place you could experience a music event. That will continue to grow in popularity as Apple, Hulu and Netflix have all announced in recent months that live-streamed concerts & festivals will become a core part of their offering. Billie Eilish tours with L-Acoustics pro-audio equipment and her live-stream of Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, made a successful debut on Disney+ late last year.

Gaming also plays a significant role in shaping the audio system design and requirements of the home loudspeaker systems. Advanced gaming platforms have given rise to ever more immersive visuals and sound, incorporating multi-channel, spatial and Dolby Atmos audio.

L-Acoustics X4i in custom RAL finish in Cotswold garden - Install by Homeplay

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The same ‘new’ customers are almost certainly looking to integrate cutting-edge gaming sound into their systems, putting further pressure on installers to deliver incredibly detailed, highly dynamic audio systems with high SPLs to truly envelop the player in the audio of the game.

Perhaps the most unusual shift in loudspeaker design and implementation in recent times is the growth in outdoor entertainment. Driven initially by the rise in live music and festivals and customers looking to recreate those experiences at home, the market surged through the pandemic as people refocused on extending their daily living spaces outside. It became the safest place to gather, relax and play. Lunches extend into the evening accompanied by a great soundtrack, and, as the sun goes down, the volume levels usually go up.

Having a sound system that can recreate that ‘day club’ atmosphere is becoming a more frequent request. L-Acoustics’ heritage is in providing immersive audio at some of the world’s biggest festivals and outdoor stages. Our products are designed to deliver highfidelity audio in some of the harshest outdoor environments. At the high end of the market, it’s not uncommon for clients to hire performers for a party or reception, so sound systems such as ours suited to live musical performances tick this box.

Far from being just an ‘add-on’ to an inhouse entertainment system, people spend lots of money on landscaping, hot tub areas and outdoor kitchens, so the entertainment technology should blend harmoniously into the design. If a client wants to have the L-Acoustics sonic signature yet not see the speakers when not in use, then one option is the Hyde 125 speaker system from C SEED. These house L-Acoustics drivers and electronics inside a weatherproof casing and retract into the ground at the touch of a button. All our products are available in a RAL colour finish, and the paint used is marine grade for longevity.

AV integrators know that content is only as good as the system upon which it is experienced, live or recorded, and the new generation of higher net worth ‘audiophiles’ are looking to recreate these engaging music experiences at home - inside and out. L-Acoustics Creations has been delivering the power, dynamics, and immersive experience of a premium concertgrade pro-audio system at home for almost two decades, and the market for high-end audio integration has never been stronger.

This offers integrators a rich opportunity to deliver class-leading audio and AV projects that will impress and delight their customers, and their customers’ friends, for many years to come.