A North London homeowner has installed an L-Acoustics audio system designed to recreate the physical and emotional impact of live music across two contrasting spaces within a private residence.
The installation, delivered by Musical Images in collaboration with Hill House Interiors, features L-Acoustics Syva and X Series loudspeakers integrated into a dedicated cinema room and a games room, each designed to meet different aesthetic and acoustic requirements.
The project began after the homeowner attended a Burna Boy concert and was impressed by the sound system. After researching the technology behind the performance, the client visited the L-Acoustics showroom in Highgate with the aim of bringing a similar immersive experience into a domestic setting.
“By the time he arrives at the L-Acoustics showroom in Highgate, the client has a clear sense of what he wants,” says Nick Fichte, Global Business Development Lead, Hospitality, Home & Yacht at L-Acoustics. “He is interested in recreating the physical and emotional impact of live sound, rather than simply replicating it.”
According to L-Acoustics, the client brought specific music tracks, ideas for speaker placement and a vision for how each room should feel. He also returned to the showroom a second time to refine his choices as the project progressed.
The two rooms required different design approaches. In the cinema room, the client wanted the loudspeakers to remain completely hidden. Working with the wider project team, Hill House Interiors developed a design that concealed the speakers behind fabric walls, while specialist contractor Desmond & Sons carried out the acoustic treatment and construction work. The result is an immersive listening environment with no visible technology.
“Bringing the design and audio teams together early allows the acoustic brief to inform the room from the outset, from wall build-ups and material choices through to the ceiling design,” says Helen Bygraves and Jenny Weiss, Co-Founders and Directors of Hill House Interiors. “Working with L-Acoustics means we can achieve a high level of performance while keeping the technology discreet, so the cinema still reads as an intimate, resolved interior rather than a purely technical space.”
The games room presented the opposite brief, with the client wanting the speakers to form part of the interior design. The space featured floor-to-ceiling glazing, hard flooring, a full-length bar surface and glazed doors opening onto a swimming pool, creating a challenging acoustic environment.
“To flawlessly match the Syva speakers, we RAL colour-match them to the joinery and design them to read as a deliberate design statement within the room,” says Nick. “Given the complexity of the acoustic environment, we also bring in one of our L-Acoustics application engineers to calibrate the system. Their expertise is essential to achieving the performance the space requires.”
The cinema room is equipped with three X8i loudspeakers for the left, centre and right channels, 10 X4i loudspeakers for surround and height channels and two Syva Sub units for low-frequency extension, driven by an LA7.16i amplified controller.
In the games room, a pair of Syva loudspeakers with Syva Sub units forms the main system, complemented by four X4r loudspeakers installed in the ceiling and powered by an LA4X amplified controller.
According to L-Acoustics, the completed installation achieves the client’s goal of bringing the quality of live sound into a private home.
“What makes this project special is the journey the client has already been on before he walks through our door,” adds Nick. “He knows what he wants because he has heard it in a live context and refuses to accept that the same emotional experience is not possible at home. He is the sort of client who pushes you to deliver something truly exceptional and these two rooms do exactly that.”