LIÈGE UNIVERSITÉ.

Serenity through a centralized AV strategy
with L-Acoustics and Allen & Heath

Liège Université Salle AcadémiqueSalle Académique

A strategic response to a fragmented situation
Just a few years ago, the audiovisual landscape at ULiège was a disorganized mosaic :

“We had up to 27 different brands across campus… It was horrible.”

To fix this, the University created a dedicated AV department to centralize equipment management, ensure interoperability and better handle budgets. This ambitious shift was made possible through close collaboration between the internal AV team (most notably Laurent Stoquart and Arnaud Frederix​​​), the XLR Team and trusted integrators : ESI informatique, Wave InsideRiva and Inytium. Together, they equipped numerous spaces across campus with premium audiovisual systems.

Liège Université Salle WilmotteAmphi. Wilmotte

Technical choices guided by reliability and trust

Although bound by public procurement laws, the University managed to steer its choices around a core principle : compatibility with existing infrastructure most notably through the Dante protocol. This immediately ruled out proprietary systems and allowed for uniformity without mandating a single brand. The goal was to work with reliable, durable, honest brands, with support​ :

We want suppliers who reacts when we need support.

The team values direct communication with suppliers for technical matters, avoiding delays and misunderstandings.

The installation philosophy has also evolved. Gone are isolated, standalone systems now replaced with intelligently shared resources. At the Opera campus, for instance, one Allen & Heath dLive mixing console manages three rooms simultaneously. This approach rationalizes investment, enhances redundancy and simplifies support.

“We know a room is working when no one complain.”

This mindset extends to training : for over ten years, the team has continuously updated its knowledge with certifications, webinars and hands-on testing. Their expertise allows them to make wise decisions and avoid pitfalls with unreliable systems.

Allen & Heath AHM : Central audio matrix for Peace-of-Mind

Allen & Heath AHM processors are central to the University’s audio architecture. Primarily used as matrices, they allow for centralized audio processing across multiple rooms, resource sharing and simplified control scenarios. Their reliability, Dante compatibility and flexibility make them perfectly suited to demanding academic environments.

This technological choice has led to genuine technological peace-of-mind : systems run smoothly with minimal intervention. Despite having a technical three people team, there are no issues, even in remote lecture halls located in Arlon or Gembloux. The distributed, resilient architecture ensures service continuity across the University’s territory. The AHM-64, for example, is used to control several rooms at once (up to five in some buildings) reducing hardware needs while maintaining operational consistency.

In addition to the AHM series, the University also uses the Allen & Heath dLive DM0 mixing engine and the dLive C2500 mixing table for scenarios requiring advanced mixing capabilities. The DM0, a core component of the dLive ecosystem, is compact yet powerful and is employed in venues like the Opera campus to manage audio across multiple rooms simultaneously. The dLive C2500 offers a tactile, compact interface for precise real-time control, making it well-suited for both large and mid-sized lecture halls.

Together, these tools extend the flexibility and responsiveness of the University’s AV infrastructure, ensuring seamless coordination even in complex environments and supporting the institution’s commitment to serenity.

L-Acoustics : Performance, intelligibility and integration

The other major component of the University’s audio system is L-Acoustics. Systems like SYVA, SOKA, 5XT and amplifiers such as LA2Xi or LA4X deliver exceptional sound quality in compact and discreet formats. They meet both technical demands and aesthetic constraints, particularly in heritage spaces like the Salle Académique.

What truly sets these systems apart is their exceptional intelligibility. In a University setting, speech clarity is critical : L-Acoustics loudspeakers ensure that information is transmitted clearly and precisely, even in acoustically challenging spaces. This level of audio quality directly supports the learning experience.

Once again, this brings a sense of technological serenity : complaints vanish, technical interventions are rare and users operate in a reliable and seamless audio environment.

I1 - Institut de Zoolgie

These systems have won over not only technicians but also architects, academic boards and students. Initial skepticism about costs quickly dissipated in the face of results :

“It’s worth every euro.”

A benchmark campus in Belgium


Today, Liège Université is arguably the most technologically advanced academic institution in Belgium. Thanks to a carefully planned strategy, robust equipment and trusted partners the campus benefits from a unified, reliable and future-proof AV infrastructure.

Photos : Alexandre Aretz

Installations Inventory


Building
ZoneEquipment
A1Grand PhysiqueL-Acoustics Soka, LA2Xi
A1Salle AcadémiqueL-Acoustics Syva, LA2Xi / Allen & Heath DM0
A2Kurth & WilmotteL-Acoustics 4x Soka, 2x LA2Xi / Allen & Heath DT168
B4Salle 604L-Acoustics Syva, 4x 5XT, 2x LA4X / Allen & Heath DM0, 2x DX168, C2500
B4Salle 304L-Acoustics Soka, LA2Xi / Allen & Heath AHM-32
B4Salle 204Allen & Heath AHM-32
B31De MéanL-Acoustics Syva, LA4X / Allen & Heath DM0, DX168
B35aBacq & FlorkinL-Acoustics Syva, LA2Xi / Allen & Heath AHM-32
B35aWelsh & RoskamAllen & Heath AHM-32
B11Amphi RuwtL-Acoustics Syva, LA4X / Allen & Heath DM0, DX168
N1Amphi 0/59L-Acoustics Syva, LA2Xi / Allen & Heath AHM-32
N1d5 zonesAllen & Heath AHM-64 (shared)
O2NoppiusL-Acoustics Syva, 2x DX168, LA2Xi / Allen & Heath DM0 (shared)
O2Bovy & PousseurAllen & Heath DT168
O2Lejeune & ThiryAllen & Heath AHM-64