Club Wintercircus is not your typical nightclub. Located in a landmark historic building in the heart of Ghent, it has been conceived from the ground up as a premium space for nightlife and live music, where electronic culture and concert production coexist without compromise.
When Viernulvier and Democrazy, two of Ghent’s leading cultural organizations, launched the project, their goal was clear: to deliver a top-tier immersive audio experience capable of performing at the highest level under any conditions.
L-Acoustics Certified Partner XLR, a Belgian integration specialist, won the public tender in 2024. Their solution was an L-Acoustics L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound installation. The design consists of a full object-based system that places every person in the 550-capacity room at the center of the experience, regardless of where they stand.
“When L-Acoustics developed L-ISA, it was to meet this kind of demand”, explains Louis Lukusa, CEO of XLR. “There was no doubt: this project represented the convergence of two shared visions focused on delivering an exceptional immersive experience”.
A historic building, a purpose-built interior
The Wintercircus building is a landmark in Ghent: a 19th-century circular structure that is part of a broader heritage redevelopment project. The club itself, however, is new: designed for live music and nightlife, with acoustics integrated from the outset rather than added later as an afterthought.
That circular geometry, while architecturally striking, presents a significant acoustic challenge. Reflections and standing waves are inherent to its shape, so XLR had to model and control them carefully. Microphone positions during calibration were selected with the room’s geometry in mind to achieve natural, balanced coverage across the floor.
The structural demands went even further. In a venue designed to operate at high sound pressure levels for extended periods, mechanical isolation was essential.
The sound system had to be isolated from the building structure. Every loudspeaker is mechanically decoupled from ceilings and walls to prevent vibration transfer and ensure complete acoustic isolation. This level of detail was essential to achieve a natural, balanced sound throughout the room, says Lukusa.
Soundvision, with its L-ISA extension, was key to the design process, allowing XLR to visualize spatial imaging, assess immersive coverage, and optimize the system long before a single element was installed.
Concert-level coverage, club-ready SPL
The main front-of-house configuration features five hangs of A10i loudspeakers, each comprising three A10i Focus and one A10i Wide—a combination that delivers even tonal coverage and consistent dispersion across the audience area.
Subwoofers are positioned under the stage, a design choice that keeps them completely hidden while maintaining powerful, clean low-frequency reinforcement. Eight KS21i units, arranged in a slightly curved configuration, ensure smooth bass distribution without compromising the venue’s visual aesthetic.
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Immersion beyond the front plane is achieved through eleven X12 loudspeakers for surround reinforcement and eleven X8 units deployed as elevation channels, enabling precise object-based sound placement in three dimensions. An L-ISA Processor with 32 outputs drives the spatial engine, while the system is powered by three LA7.16i and one LA4X amplified controllers.
A P1 processor is used to integrate a stereo signal into the Milan-AVB network, allowing visiting engineers to send a simple left-right signal directly into the system when full immersive processing is not required. This simplifies workflow for touring productions while maintaining compatibility with the venue’s L-ISA configuration.
“The goal was to deliver the same high-quality live sound experience to every listener”, continues Lukusa. “L-ISA enables artists and engineers to rethink spatial mixing, creating a more natural connection between performer and audience”.
Stability at scale
The system runs entirely on a Milan-AVB network, managed via two LS10 switches and integrated into an Agora MK2 Ghost infrastructure that carries AVB, Dante, and GigaAce traffic over a converged network on fully redundant 10-gigabit fiber. The AVB boundary clock built into the Agora switch ensures precise synchronization across the network with imperceptible latency.
At the control position, an Allen & Heath dLive system handles source management and format conversion, feeding the L-ISA Processor via MADI. The result is a unified ecosystem where all protocols coexist efficiently.
For us at XLR, Milan-AVB has become the standard when working with L-Acoustics. Keeping the signal chain in AVB ensures maximum stability, minimal latency, and full compatibility across the installation, says Lukusa.
Five weeks from design to opening
The project timeline was demanding. XLR had five weeks to design, order, install, and commission the system, as well as train the venue’s technical team before opening night. They delivered.
The in-house technical team at Club Wintercircus—Stan and Oliver—is, according to XLR project manager Vassili Golfidis, among the most capable and passionate in the Belgian live sound scene. They embraced the system immediately, took ownership from day one, and quickly became skilled L-ISA operators.
“The technicians are fully committed to the L-ISA experience: their enthusiasm and dedication match ours at XLR, and it shows in how they operate and maintain the system”, adds Lukusa.
The impact has also reached touring engineers passing through the venue. Several have chosen to work in L-ISA after experiencing the system firsthand, which has completely changed their approach to mixing.
“After experiencing object-based mixing, the way engineers approach mixing changed completely”, confirms Lukusa. “Since then, many have adopted immersive technologies in their new projects”.
From the earliest stages of evaluating the requirements and criteria that led to a new immersive sound design for Club Wintercircus, L-Acoustics proved to be the best choice. The power of the immersive system, combined with our 360° projection capabilities, elevates the experience to a magical, fully enveloping level that stimulates the senses and allows us to move toward the future of live entertainment. I fully stand behind our sound system choice and our collaboration with XLR Pro, knowing we can rely with complete confidence on outstanding service and the high-quality implementation of the immersive system. It is an honor for me to represent Club Wintercircus, concludes Oliver Houttekiet, Technical Director at Wintercircus.
Image captions:
- LA_Wintercircus_1 - Club Wintercircus opens with L-Acoustics L-ISA to deliver concert-grade immersive audio for nightlife
- LA_Wintercircus_2 - The L-ISA design by L-Acoustics is an object-based installation that places every person in the 550-capacity room at the center of the experience
- LA_Wintercircus_3 - Due to its circular geometry, the entire L-Acoustics sound system had to be fully isolated from the building structure
- LA_Wintercircus_4 - The main front-of-house configuration features five hangs of A10i loudspeakers
- LA_Wintercircus_5 - The Wintercircus technicians live and breathe the L-ISA experience
- LA_Wintercircus_6 - An L-ISA Processor with 32 outputs drives the spatial engine, while the system is powered by three LA7.16i and one LA4X amplified controllers
- LA_Wintercircus_7 - Left: Louis Lukusa, CEO of XLR. Right: Oliver Houttekiet, Technical Director at Wintercircus
