Summary:
- Highmark Mann Center completed major venue upgrades—including a new L-Acoustics sound system—to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026.
- The new L2D speaker system fixes long-standing coverage gaps, giving lawn and terrace audience members the same high-fidelity sound quality as those sitting inside the main pavilion.
- By using Soundvision prediction software and L2D directional control, the venue can project full, powerful sound to the back edge of the lawn without spilling over into the adjacent Parkside neighborhood.
Philadelphia’s Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts opened in 1976 as the summer home of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Fifty years later, the venue draws more than 400,000 visitors annually to Fairmount Park. Ahead of its milestone anniversary, Highmark Mann underwent extensive upgrades, including a new backstage facility, the Skyline Stage, a reimagined plaza, and an innovative L-Acoustics L2D audio system.
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When VP and general manager Evan Rogers joined Highmark Mann five years ago, he audited the legacy sound system and consulted touring crews, peer venue operators, and major promoters. Discovering that nine out of 10 incoming productions requested L-Acoustics, Highmark Mann partnered with local certified provider Bauder Audio Systems. By the end of this summer season, major acts had (or will have, with a few weeks to go) utilized the new setup.
The venue seats 4,500 under the TD Pavilion roof, 2,000 in the Connelly Terrace, and over 6,000 on the Great Lawn. Delivering premium sound to lawn patrons while mitigating noise pollution in the adjacent Parkside residential neighborhood presented a core challenge. Highmark Mann mirrors other urban venues like the Hollywood Bowl, where boundary control is essential. Following a successful demo in late 2025, four compact L2D enclosures were flown above the lawn at pre-existing delay points in mid-May.
Despite using only four hang points, the L2D array delivers exceptional output. Each unit houses 20 transducers powered by an LA7.16i amplified controller, replacing the need for 24 conventional boxes. Powered by Progressive Ultra-Dense Line Source (PULS) technology, the system maintains a coherent wavefront across long distances, ensuring pristine audio clarity for patrons sitting at the very back of the lawn.
Additionally, the L2D system addresses previous sound coverage gaps in the Connelly Terrace. Its 60-degree progressive vertical directivity and cardioid design allow the lower modules to cover near-field terrace seating while upper drivers push sound to the lawn edge. The system debuted on June 13 for a performance by Bleachers, delivering full-range audio across the entire lawn without requiring supplementary delay hangs.
Using L-Acoustics Soundvision CAD software, Bauder Audio Systems predicted exact sound coverage and containment before installation. The precise directivity allows Highmark Mann to deliver high-fidelity concert sound while respecting its surrounding community.
“L-Acoustics and Bauder have been right here with us all along during this upgrade, and it really feels like a very successful partnership," Rogers said. "That’s not always the case when you’re dealing with vendors that are just pushing the next sale. The most important thing is that sense of engagement, of being connected to what’s happening inside the pavilion, and our new system truly delivers that.”
