The Spring Festival Gala took place this January for a Lunar New Year’s Eve celebration. This was the first year with established UNESCO World Heritage status, the Spring Festival Gala. KV2 Audio was chosen to provide an audio solution to work alongside the visual performances.
Four venues joined together as branches of the main event in Beijing, and for the first time Jiangnan city, Wuxi, was selected as one of these locations.
On the shore of Taihu Lake, the Wuxi venue featured a vast, outdoor performance areas. An audio system was required that would be able to cover the expansive spaces such as the main stage and across the lake, while taking into account the TV screens, moving props, and acoustic reflections.
To provide performers and audiences with an immersive, surround-sound experience, a high-definition KV2 Audio system was installed throughout the venue. A selection of ES Mid/High loudspeakers were installed across performance areas while smaller ESD loudspeakers were deployed across the bridge and in ships on the river, successfully fulfilling the challenge of covering the vast, open venue.
Each area was carefully equipped to suit its characteristics. The main stage system comprised a selection of ES series loudspeakers with two ESM12 monitors for on-stage clarity. The river system utilised ES1.0 mid/hi loudspeakers complemented by ES1.8 subs, while the bridge system featured eight ESD6 compact loudspeakers and was driven by a single ESP2000 amplifier.
For the ship, a combination of VHD1.0 and VHD4.18 subwoofers and corresponding amplifiers ensured full-range clarity in motion. The lake stage was outfitted with SL412 loudspeakers. Other than the main stage setup which was a fixed system, the equipment in the other areas remained flexible to meet the needs of the program or changes to stage layout.
With a detailed stage design, immersive performances, and decorative props to celebrate traditional Chinese culture and spirituality, as well as the beauty of the Jiangnan landscape, it was essential for the sound system to be out of sight. The simple setup of the ES system allowed for plug-in-and-play operation, with limited equipment and smaller loudspeakers meaning the system was compact and easy to hide. The high-definition audio spanned the entire venue without compromising views for the optimal audio-visual experience.
This year the Spring Festival was witnessed by a worldwide audience. It was broadcast in 82 languages (14 more than 2024), with a reported 587 million video views and 1.738 billion content reads, and partnerships with over 3,100 global media outlets.