Australian electronic dance music combo Rüfüs du Sol are currently of a world tour that has taken them throughout Europe before heading to the US before concluding in Australia via New Zealand) towards the end of the year. As part of the European leg of their tour, the trio played a sold-out gig in Prague at the 3,000-capacity Forum Karlin using KV2’s flagship VHD5 loudspeaker system.

Having enjoyed success in their native Australia the group has since relocated to Los Angeles and recently received a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for ‘Alive’, the lead single from their fourth studio album, Surrender. Their relationship with KV2 began in earnest in early 2021, when KV2 APAC Technical Support Director Angus Davidson – himself a respected FOH engineer – met Melbourne-based studio and live sound engineer Cam Trewin: ‘Cam had recorded a live set with Rüfüs du Sol at The Joshua Tree in the Mojave Desert, which had been mixed in Dolby Atmos for the video in Los Angeles,’ Davidson explains. ‘I told him about  the Dolby Atmos studio I had built during lockdown. He then talked to the band and they decided to remix the live set at Red Road for release on Apple Music.’

The studio is based around 14 KV2 EX Series speakers and is the first studio in APAC to be certified by Dolby. Trewin was impressed by the sound of the KV2 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos system, The live set made it to No.3 on the Apple Spatial Hits playlist, and is still there more than a year later.

While recently in Prague, the opportunity arises for the band to use KV2’s flagship VHD5 system, and thanks to Trewin’s extremely positive experience at Red Road Immersive and then at the New York Avant Gardner club, he jumped at the chance. ‘Rüfüs played the Cityfox Odyssey over New Year’s Eve at Avant Gardner this year, and they loved it,’ Davidson says. ‘Avant Gardner is one of our biggest VHD5 installations to date and sounds amazing. Cam was delighted to be able to use one in Prague.’

In conjunction with UK-based production company, Production Value –responsible for the European leg of the tour – KV2 supplied a VHD5 system for main left and right, plus 16 VHD4.21 subwoofers combined with four VHD2.18J subwoofers that were used in a cardioid configuration. Four EX26 provided front fill.

‘It was great to hear the VHD5 system stretch its legs on the Rüfüs du Sol gig – for me it really confirmed its standing as the best large-format point source system on the planet,’ Davidson reports.

‘I was very impressed with the power output of the VHD5 system and the even coverage and clarity in the top-end,’ adds Cam Trewin. ‘The subs had great low information and response, especially for a show like Rüfüs du Sol, which demands clean undistorted sound with powerful bottom-end.’