Romania’s Bucharest National Opera House recently completed an audio upgrade to better support its stage productions while preserving the venue’s historic socialist realism styled interiors. To this point, the venue relied on rented live sound systems.
Often bulky and not suitable as a permanent solution, these risked detracting from the old-world grandeur of the space and potentially distracting audiences. For a solution, the opera house team collaborated with local distributor and integrator, Senia.
‘One of the key challenges we faced at the Opera House was balancing the requirements for a high-performance audio system with the need to maintain the original architecture and features of the venue,’ says Ionut Mavrichi at Senia. ‘K-array’s slim-profile loudspeakers were selected for their ability to blend into the environment.’
The main PA system employs 12 K-array Kayman KY102X loudspeakers, with six units per side, ensuring even sound distribution throughout the venue. To provide deep, resonant bass without overwhelming the space, four Thunder KS3P I subwoofers are suspended from the ceiling, with four more units available on dollies for flexible positioning based on the performance and event requirements. Audio coverage at the balcony level is achieved with six additional Kayman KY102X loudspeakers, ensuring a consistent listening experience for all audience members.
Front fill is provided by the ultra-flexible Anakonda K-array KAN200+ loudspeakers, which are discreetly mounted to the front of the stage, delivering audio to those sitting closest to the action without interfering with the sight lines. The entire system is powered by K-array Kommander KA208 and KA104 amplifiers, allowing the venue’s technicians to easily control and monitor system performance through the K-Framework 3 software.
Custom RAL-coloured finishes were applied to the wall-mounted Kayman loudspeakers, blending them into the opera house’s interior. The addition of a separate K-array Pinnacle system in the lobby offers a consistent audio solution for smaller-scale events and gatherings.
The acoustic calibration of the system was a major part of the project, given the venue’s multiple balconies and highly reverberant surfaces. ‘Matteo Fanara and I had the opportunity to visit the site and calibrate the sound system in person,’ says K-array Product Support Specialist, Paolo Capponi. ‘The process addressed several challenges, primarily ensuring a well-balanced sound distribution throughout the entire venue and, secondly, achieving homogeneous low-frequency coverage in the audience area without interfering with the orchestra pit and the stage.’
The K-array and Senia teams opted for a cardioid-suspended subwoofer configuration, which allows better control over low-frequency dispersion while minimising low-frequency energy on stage. Through extensive testing, using multiple measurement microphones across the theatre, the team achieved a precise and linear frequency response, ensuring not only an even and well-balanced sound but also a precise calibration for FOH engineers.
Completion of the project represents a milestone for Romania’s cultural sector, marking the first major audio upgrade at the Bucharest National Opera House since the 1990s.
‘The project is a great example of the power of collaboration,’ says Mavrichi. ‘Beyond its technical achievements, our expertise coupled with the support and hands-on calibration of the K-array team has resulted in a very high-quality system that, I am sure, will inspire other cultural venues across Romania.’
More: www.k-array.com/en
