Highmark Mann upgrades lawn audio with compact L-Acoustics L2D arrays

Background and context

The Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia has marked its 50th anniversary with a significant audio upgrade targeting its large outdoor audience areas. Originally opened in 1976 as the summer home of The Philadelphia Orchestra, the venue now hosts a wide range of orchestral, dance, and popular music events, drawing more than 400,000 visitors annually to Fairmount Park.

The site comprises 4,500 covered seats in the TD Pavilion, 2,000 fixed seats in the Connelly Terrace, and a Great Lawn accommodating more than 6,000 people. For many patrons, especially during the summer season, the lawn is the primary listening area. However, earlier sound systems struggled to provide consistent coverage there and often projected beyond the venue boundary into the adjacent Parkside residential neighborhood.

When Vice President and General Manager Evan Rogers joined the Highmark Mann five years ago, he began a thorough review of the existing audio infrastructure. That process included assessing legacy loudspeakers and rigging, gathering feedback from touring productions, and consulting with other amphitheaters as well as major promoters. A common thread in those conversations was the increasing use of L-Acoustics systems on tour.

Key announcement

To address both audience experience and off-site noise control, the Highmark Mann has installed a new lawn delay system based on four L-Acoustics L2D enclosures, supplied and integrated by local provider Bauder Audio Systems. Each compact L2D array is flown from one of four existing hang points at the rear of the pavilion, aimed to cover the Connelly Terrace and the full depth of the Great Lawn.

The upgrade followed on-site demonstrations in late 2025, where temporary L-Acoustics L Series systems were tested over multiple shows. Following those trials, the venue committed to a permanent installation, completed in a single day of rigging with subsequent system tuning.

Each L2D unit houses 20 drivers—four 12-inch and eight 10-inch cone transducers plus eight 3-inch compression drivers—powered by a 16-channel LA7.16i amplified controller. According to the project team, this configuration delivers output that would previously have required multiple conventional line array enclosures at each hang point.

L2D is built on L-Acoustics’ Progressive Ultra-Dense Line Source (PULS) concept, which aims to maintain a coherent wavefront over long distances by closely integrating multiple elements within a single cabinet. For the Mann, this is intended to keep tonal balance and level consistent from the front of the terrace to the back of the lawn.

Industry impact

The installation reflects several broader trends in outdoor venue audio: demand for uniform sound quality across all price tiers, the need to minimize noise spill in urban locations, and a shift toward higher-density loudspeaker designs that maximize output from limited rigging positions.

For the Highmark Mann, the four L2D arrays have been designed to serve two distinct goals. Vertically, their progressive directivity allows the lower portion of each enclosure to focus on the Connelly Terrace, while the upper section extends coverage to the rear of the lawn. Horizontally, variable dispersion and built-in cardioid behavior help reduce unwanted energy beyond the venue perimeter.

The design was modeled in L-Acoustics Soundvision software before installation. According to Bauder’s team, prediction showed that the main coverage area could be kept largely within the site, which was a key requirement for maintaining the venue’s “good neighbor” policy with nearby residents. The increased capability of the new system is also expected to reduce the need for temporary extra delay hangs on high-attendance shows.

Why this matters

For touring productions, the presence of a high-capacity, brand-consistent lawn system can simplify show advance planning and reduce the need to truck in additional PA for outdoor coverage. Acts including The Philadelphia Orchestra, BalletX, The Philly Pops, Bleachers, The Strokes, and others are among those using the new setup in its first season.

For audiences, the most visible change is on the lawn and terrace, where listeners are now intended to experience a more even balance between the main pavilion mix and the delay system. The venue reports that the long-throw behavior of the L2D arrays has improved intelligibility and level consistency for those seated furthest from the stage.

From a municipal and planning perspective, the project underlines how large outdoor venues in dense urban parks are investing in more controlled directivity and predictive design tools to meet both artistic and regulatory expectations. As summer programming expands and anniversary celebrations continue, the Highmark Mann’s approach may serve as a reference for other open-air sites balancing audience experience with neighborhood impact.

More technical information on the L2D system is available from L-Acoustics’ official product pages at https://www.l-acoustics.com.