WARSAW, POLAND – Located in the heart of Warsaw’s vibrant Praga district, the Jan Kiepura Masovian Musical Theater has long been celebrated for its atmosphere, artistic diversity and loyal audiences. Now, with the installation of an advanced sound system from Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW®), the venue has taken its productions to an entirely new level of sonic excellence.
For years, the theater operated with a subleased sound system that delivered strong performance but presented significant coverage limitations. Due to its size, the previous system had to be hung high, resulting in uneven sound distribution throughout the auditorium. “We either had excellent coverage at the top and average at the bottom, or excellent coverage from the third row to almost the last row,” explains Maciej Marcinuik,
Deputy Director for Administration and Investment at the Masovian Musical Theater. “Because we have the orchestra directly in front of the system, we don’t have the possibility to use traditional front-fills. That was our biggest challenge.”
The solution came in the form of the EAW AC6 ADAPTive column loudspeaker system. Compact yet powerful, each AC6 column contains six 6-inch low-frequency drivers and a total of 30 high-frequency drivers. Every enclosure features its own onboard amplification and dedicated DSP channels, enabling precise, computer-controlled coverage and optimization. “After the change, we achieved practically the same SPL throughout the entire auditorium,” says Marcinuik. “We measured it at virtually every seat; the difference from the first row to the last is minimal. That level of consistency was exactly what we were looking for.”
The AC6 system’s ADAPTive technology allows the theater to manage coverage scenarios entirely through software. With presets loaded directly into the loudspeakers, all system management is handled via computer. “We can use several scenarios,” Marcinuik explains. “We can play to the stage, to the orchestra pit, to the audience — or only to the audience. Sometimes the orchestra pit is used for additional seating or staging. With literally two clicks, we can decide whether we’re playing there or not. No mechanical adjustments, just software.”
This flexibility is especially valuable given the theater’s wide-ranging repertoire, which includes musically and visually complex productions featuring up to 24 condenser microphones in the orchestra pit, plus actors wearing headset microphones moving freely across the stage.
“Feedback resistance is something we absolutely have to emphasize,” says Marcinuik. “Actors sometimes run within a meter or two of the main system with condenser capsules, and they still have complete comfort. That’s a huge benefit for us.”
Beyond performance, aesthetics also played a major role. During one production’s set design phase, the loudspeaker mounting location was found to sit directly behind a scenic element. “The set designer simply designed openings with mesh for the speakers,” Marcinuik recalls. “I know where the system is, but the audience has no idea. It’s completely invisible.”
The installation also includes a Dante-based digital audio network with redundant connections for fault tolerance, ensuring uninterrupted performance even in the unlikely event of a failure. The system continuously monitors its components, instantly alerting staff to any issues. “If a transducer or DSP module fails, the program informs us immediately and specifies the location,” says Marcinuik. “Then we can press the ‘self-healing’ button, and the system recalculates the beam to compensate. We maintain the same coverage. There may be a slight drop in sensitivity, but coverage remains consistent from the first to the last row.”
For Ewa Kacprzak-Krzysik, Head of Marketing and Communications at the theater, the investment in EAW was about more than technology; it was about honoring artists and audiences alike. “Our audiences include people who have been loyal to us for many years, as well as those experiencing our theater for the first time,” she says. “We want what they hear to be of the highest standard. As a viewer, I’m impressed that you can hear the artists moving on stage. The sound follows them. We have audiences who return and repeat performances. That says everything.”
Marcinuik agrees, adding: “If we could go back in time, we would make the same decision. I was initially skeptical that such a compact design could be so versatile, but the quality is truly impressive. I can wholeheartedly recommend this technology.”
With the EAW AC6 ADAPTive system now fully integrated into both its large and small auditoriums, the Masovian Musical Theater is equipped to support its ambitious artistic vision for years to come. “Our work and effort yielded a great result,” Kacprzak-Krzysik concludes. “We’re proud of the standard we’ve achieved, and we invite everyone to come and hear it for themselves.”