L-Acoustics is a French manufacturer of

loudspeaker A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or, more fully, a speaker system) is a combination of one or more speaker drivers, an enclosure, and electrical connections (possibly including a crossover network). The speaker driver is an ...

amplifier An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It is a two-port electronic circuit that uses electric power from a power su ...

s, marketing materials, and

signal processing Signal processing is an electrical engineering subfield that focuses on analyzing, modifying and synthesizing ''signals'', such as audio signal processing, sound, image processing, images, Scalar potential, potential fields, Seismic tomograph ...

devices. Headquartered in

Marcoussis Marcoussis () is a Communes of France, commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Marcoussis is the location of the CNR (National Centre of Rugby) where the France national rugby u ...

, south of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, the company has offices in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany.

History

In September 1984, Dr. Christian Heil, a physicist in the field of elementary particles with an interest in acoustics, created an electro-acoustic engineering firm named C.HEIL.TEA, later to be renamed L-Acoustics. In 1989, the company launched its MTD115, a coaxial loudspeaker for sound reinforcement use. In 1992, Heil and his team developed line source array loudspeakers with their V-DOSC system, using the company's Wavefront Sculpture Technology (WST) theory. Based on principles developed by Heil and physicist Professor Marcel Urban, WST defined five criteria for design and use of line source arrays. The WST uses a patented DOSC

waveguide A waveguide is a structure that guides waves by restricting the transmission of energy to one direction. Common types of waveguides include acoustic waveguides which direct sound, optical waveguides which direct light, and radio-frequency w ...

, which was the first high-frequency device capable of creating a rectangular, constant-phase planar output. Although Heil did not invent the underlying theory of the line array, his research and design work ultimately resulted in the V-DOSC system . Today, most professional audio loudspeaker manufacturers have adopted the line array model for their touring systems. L-Acoustics later introduced other products, including the ARCS Constant Curvature Array (1995), dV-DOSC modular line source (1999), Kudo with K-Louver variable directivity (2005), P Series self-powered coaxials (2006), SB28

subwoofer A subwoofer (or sub) is a loudspeaker designed to reproduce low-pitched audio frequencies, known as bass and sub-bass, that are lower in frequency than those which can be (optimally) generated by a woofer. The typical frequency range that is ...

with laminar vents and LA4 and LA8 amplified controllers (2007). The company also introduced their Soundvision simulation software in 2004, designed to allow system designers to create accurate 3D acoustical models of potential systems using the company's products. In 2008, 15 years after the launch of V-DOSC, L-Acoustics introduced the K1 system, designed primarily for large festivals and stadium sound reinforcement applications. Distribution of the earliest K1 systems sold was limited to a small number of touring sound companies that agreed to participate in the manufacturer's K1/Kudo Pilot Program, providing feedback to L-Acoustics’ R&D team on its field performance. In 2010 the manufacturer introduced the Kara and Kara(i) WST line source enclosures, and SB18 and SB18i

s. The K1 stadium line array system was awarded the top prize for "Indispensable Technology – Audio" at the 10th annual Parnelli Awards ceremony held at the Rio All Suites Hotel & Casino in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

on October 22, 2010. In 2014 the K2 received the Prolight + Sound International Press Award. L-Acoustics is a pioneer in immersive sound for live events through their proprietary L-ISA technology. This technology has been deployed in many high-profile events from the Expo 2020 in Dubai to Adele's residency at the Las Vegas Colosseum, Katy Perry's Play residency at Resorts World Las Vegas, and Bon Iver's 2022 tour. In 2023, L-Acoustics launched the L Series during their Keynote at the Hollywood Bowl, a new concept and family of line source arrays offering substantial reduction in weight, size, and set-up time. A major update to L-Acoustics' immersive ecosystem was also announced with the launch of L-ISA 3.0.Youtube L-Acoustics keynote https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PtT1EeuH60 The L2 received the "best of show" award at the 2024 ISE tradeshow in Barcelona.

References

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External links

L-Acoustics website
French companies established in 1984 Loudspeaker manufacturers Manufacturers of professional audio equipment French brands Audio equipment manufacturers of France