The Grand Hall at Grand Lisboa Palace Resort has become the first venue in Asia to deploy L-Acoustics Ambiance, a hybrid acoustic enhancement system. The technology allows the 2,200-capacity multipurpose space to adapt its acoustic environment to match different event types, from intimate classical performances to high-energy concerts.
Entertainment AV consultants Nova Range oversaw the installation, integrating Ambiance and L-ISA Hyperreal Immersive sound technology with a sophisticated five-zone audio infrastructure. The system’s multi-zone architecture enables the 2,200-capacity space to operate as a single unified environment or be divided into five independent acoustic zones, each controlled separately. This dual approach allows SJM Holdings’ Cotai property to transform acoustically between program types while maintaining consistent spatial audio coverage throughout all configurations.
The Grand Hall represents four years of collaborative design between Nova Range and Grand Lisboa Palace management. Located on Macaus Cotai Strip, a 5.2 sq km reclaimed land area connecting the islands of Taipa and Coloane, the venue needed to stand out on the Cotai Strip, where major integrated resorts compete for both tourists and event bookings.
Sand Leung, managing director of Nova Range and project director for the Grand Hall, explained: “Grand Lisboa Palace already had a traditional ballroom. Now, the venue was looking to create a larger space that could host medium-sized programs and stand out among Macau’s competitors. The venue needed to handle fashion shows, concerts, conventions, and more with different layouts. A fixed stage was definitely not in the plans.”
Nova Range evaluated multiple manufacturers during system selection, but L-Acoustics emerged as the clear choice for a compelling reason: the ability to run both L-ISA immersive audio and Ambiance active acoustics from the same loudspeaker infrastructure.
Leung said: “We found that L-Acoustics is consistently advancing both technologies. The client wanted tour-level live audio backed by an ideal acoustical environment for all seats. No other system could deliver that combination with such technical efficiency.”
Ambiance uses strategically positioned microphones to capture the venue’s natural acoustic energy. These signals feed into 11 L-Acoustics P1 processors over a Milan-AVB network, where Julien Laval, L-Acoustics application project director for Acoustics Solutions, worked with the venue team to define and calibrate distinct acoustic signatures for different program types.
Laval explained: “The key advantage of Ambiance in multipurpose venues is the ability to change room acoustics instantaneously. We worked closely with Grand Lisboa Palace to understand what each type of event needed acoustically—whether that's the warmth and reflection required for classical music or the clarity and control needed for amplified shows. Because Ambiance uses the same loudspeaker infrastructure as L-ISA, both systems can run simultaneously, creating an immersive spatial audio experience within an acoustically optimized environment.”
The Grand Hall’s audio infrastructure is organised into five distinct zones that can operate independently or together, allowing event organizers to use the entire space for a single large event or partition it for multiple simultaneous programs. All enclosures are rigged strategically throughout the hall and assigned to these zones, with some loudspeakers featuring custom colours to meet the venue’s aesthetic requirements.
This zoning capability extends the venue's operational flexibility beyond typical multipurpose spaces, enabling scenarios such as concurrent corporate meetings in different zones, partial venue rentals, or zone-specific audio adjustments for events that span multiple areas.
L-Acoustics Certified Provider Rightway Audio Consultants (RAC) Hong Kong supplied components for multiple L-ISA system designs accommodating four main stage configurations.
The permanent concert mode configuration features a scene system of seven hangs with two A15i Wide enclosures per hang. Four hangs of two KS21i subwoofers fly in the centre for low-end definition. Out-fills consist of two A15i Wide per hang on either side of the wide hall space, while eight A15 Wide boxes form a front-fill system across the stage front. A delay system uses seven X12 enclosures rigged in the middle and positioned evenly across the hall's breadth. Four A10i Wide speakers provide rear coverage.
A permanent plenary mode, with the stage positioned left, features a similar seven-point scene system but only two hangs of KS21i subwoofers. Out-fills consist of one A15 Focus and one A15 Wide per side. Six X12 boxes form the delay system, with 10 X8 speakers as front-fill.
The centre-stage configuration deploys four L/R systems of two A15i Wide per hang for each hall side, with two KS21i subwoofers flown centrally. Each of the four L/R systems includes five X8 boxes as front-fill. Four A10i Wide boxes provide south-side coverage.
For concert and plenary modes, L-Acoustics L series portable systems in LCR configurations use two L2 units per side with four KS28 subwoofers flown behind each hang, plus one L2D unit flown centre. Centre-stage mode receives L series L/R systems with KS28 arrays in the four corners for low-end definition.
The configuration includes overhead and surround arrays of X8 and X12 speakers, with Syva Low subwoofers handling sub-frequency reinforcement. Some loudspeakers feature custom colours to meet the venue’s aesthetic requirements.
Traditional stereo or LCR systems provide optimal listening experience for approximately 10 percent of the audience—what audio engineers call the "sweet spot." Nicholas Kirsch, Nova Range's audio system designer responsible for L-ISA system design, explained the improvement: “With L-ISA, that area can be expanded to 70 percent or even more. A well-designed L-ISA configuration expands the system’s coverage area dramatically.”
The benefits extend beyond audience experience. Leung observed: “Ambiance allows the audience to experience more—for example, when performing classical music or music focused on specific instruments, it creates a significantly deeper atmosphere. From the performer’s perspective on stage, the results are excellent. Artists hear clarity, leading them to be more engaged in their performances.”
Since installation, the multi-system approach has opened creative possibilities beyond traditional concert applications. Leung said: “With so many sound sources and rigging points available, it's now possible to create very new and original interactive programs. People might come in for a large meditation and yoga event, with sound surrounding them, making them feel as if they are in another dimension.”
Several live concerts have taken place since opening, with positive client feedback on the concert system's coverage and the custom-specified, colour-matched loudspeakers.
L-Acoustics application engineer Frieda Lee, supported by the entire L-Acoustics APAC applications team, played a key role throughout the installation, working closely with the Nova Range team on system integration and optimisation across all five zones and multiple configurations.
Leung credited the technical partnership throughout the multi-phased project: “Whether during the design and calibration phases, or when we needed modifications and adjustments, both teams at L-Acoustics and RAC provided invaluable support. We greatly appreciated their expertise, and even now, after delivery, they continue providing technical support.”