Riviera Theatre installs new L-Acoustics L Series sound system

As part of its recent renovations, Chicago’s Riviera Theatre, or “The Riv”, has installed an L-Acoustics L Series loudspeaker system. The L2/L2D system was provided by Minnesota-based Allied Productions for concert promoter Jam Productions’ flagship venue.

“Having experienced Allied Productions’ exceptional work and the impressive performance of the L-Acoustics system during its installation at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, I became a strong admirer of both,” said Jerry Mickelson, CEO, president, and co-founder of Jam Productions. “So when it came time to upgrade the sound at the Riv, bringing them in was an easy decision.”

L-Acoustics proved ideal for the project due to the lightweight design of the L Series and its versatile rigging options. “Each L Series enclosure comes in under a half-ton”, said Tyler Thomas, who led Allied Productions’ engineering team. “A comparable system would have been at least 500 pounds heavier. And the L2-BAR’s versatile rigging options allowed us to work within the building’s existing constraints rather than requiring structural modifications. We simply needed to tie the speakers to a permanent pipe to ensure proper alignment while respecting the completed architectural restoration.”

Today, the Riv’s sound system features a range of L-Acoustics components designed for even coverage of the venue. The Riv’s first show to feature the new L Series was a Dweezil Zappa concert, held just three days after calibration. “The sound quality is remarkable throughout the entire venue, even reaching the furthest balcony seats,” said Thomas. “The L Series cardioid drivers also significantly reduce noise bleed onstage.”

Thomas notes that the technical performance exceeded expectations from the start. ”Our Soundvision design predictions were spot-on, with less than one decibel of frequency response variation from front to back of the venue. We achieved 98% of our high-volume sound distribution targets and 99.8% of our overall volume change targets from front to back – performance metrics that other speaker systems would struggle to match.”

Beyond sound quality, the system’s visual impact was also considered. “The elegant L2/L2D design helps the equipment visually disappear, keeping the focus on the performers. Both the Riviera Theatre team and Jam Productions are extremely satisfied with the coverage and sound.”