KV2 Audio transforms EC Red Bull Salzburg’s game day experience with a cutting-edge sound system

Over the years, the venue’s sound system had been assembled from mismatched components and no longer met the high-performance, festival-level expectations of professional sports venues. Existing loudspeakers were mounted in three-box clusters aimed in different directions, resulting in more than a dozen conflicting coverage angles in each section – making speech intelligibility practically impossible. To add to the problem, the glass, concrete, metal, and perfectly smooth ice surface caused intense reflections that further reduced clarity. EC Red Bull’s Operations Team turned to KEY-WI MUSIC, Salzburg’s leading music shop. “As a Salzburg-based supplier and installation partner, KEY-WI MUSIC is always looking to support local projects,” says Gerhard Bernegger, Founder and CEO of KEY-WI MUSIC. “As always, we evaluated solutions from major manufacturers, but we were confident that only KV2 could deliver an audio experience that met every technical requirement of the venue.” 

EC Red Bull Salzburg - case study (pdf)

To gauge a reliable first impression of a KV2 system, an on-site test was conducted at Eisarena Salzburg by audio-visual engineering specialists AV MATTR, who led the project’s technical management and system integration. “When I was consulted, it was clear that the only viable solution was a coherent, high-quality point source system,” notes Tim Niedermeier, CEO of AV MATTR. “In my previous projects – from the Haus für Mozart to the Haus der Philharmonie Salzburg – KV2 systems have proven their ability to deliver clarity and coverage in highly reflective and acoustically demanding spaces. After the on-site test, it was clear that KV2’s point source philosophy and exceptional midrange resolution were uniquely suited to Eisarena’s challenging acoustics, and all alternative proposals were quickly dismissed.” 

With the primary goal of achieving uniform coverage while minimising reflections – and without adjustments to the arena’s acoustics – Tim Niedermeier worked alongside lead system designer, Stefano Trevisan of KV2 Audio Deutschland, to develop a precise KV2 system that optimises speech intelligibility, musical impact and operational reliability. “At the heart of the system are ten SL412 wide dispersion loudspeakers, which act as the main PA,” explains Trevisan. “We then deployed two ESD10 and four ESD12 loudspeakers in the near and far-range perimeter zones, driven by SL3000D and ESP2000D amplifiers.

“A key challenge in this type of venue is wavefront tearing, an issue commonly seen in ice rinks,” he continues. To reduce this destructive filtering, all loudspeakers were aimed in the same direction toward the audience and aligned with a central delay line rather than a single point. “This method allowed us to guarantee a coherent wavefront with stable localisation across the entire spectator area.” 

As expected for a venue of this type, a strong resonance was observed around 160–180 Hz. “Instead of increasing overall system levels, we pulled the main loudspeakers out of the full-range mode and attenuated the problematic frequencies directly via EQ,” says Niedermeier. “Even under these constraints, the system still delivers a focused +3 dB of punch at 70 Hz – ensuring that music cues and stingers remain impactful, while vocal clarity stays intact.” Signal distribution is run over redundant Dante (primary/Secondary) via Netgear AV-Line switches with analog fallback, managed by Linea Research ASC48 processors. FOH operation and monitoring are handled by a Yamaha QL1 using a custom-built control interface.

The combination of KV2’s point source technology and linear delay design has significantly elevated the arena’s sound system to new heights. “Eisarena Salzburg has proven once again that even in challenging environments, a coherent point source approach and a clean signal chain deliver consistent, high-quality results,” remarks Niedermeier. “Where speech intelligibility was previously non-existent in large sections of the venue, spoken word announcements are now delivered with clarity and consistent coverage across the audience zones.” 

“The planning support, technical depth, and overall system performance surpassed levels others simply couldn’t match,” adds Bernegger. “Working with partners like KV2 Audio and AV MATTR makes projects not only incredibly successful, but also genuinely enjoyable.” The new system has fundamentally improved the game day experience – spectators can follow what happens on the ice while engaging with announcements, creating a more cohesive and immersive audio experience.

Related links

• Eisarena Salzburg
• EC Red Bull Salzburg
• KEY-WI MUSIC
• AV MATTR