Harmonic Design wins over Teatro Dal Verme in Milan

A PA system comprising a pair of Harmonic Design clusters with just three HLS24P per side, complemented by HLS16P and 10CXN front fills to support a band of more than fifteen musicians, is far from an obvious choice. It requires solid system design expertise—especially when the venue is Milan’s renowned Teatro Dal Verme, with its 1,436 seats distributed between raked stalls and balconies, and its notoriously complex acoustics. F.B. Service, led by Marco Barbati, embraced the challenge and, with the technical support of Audio Effetti, delivered flawless coverage for the musical performance held on February 1st. How was such an outstanding result achieved?

Let’s start from the end: within just a few weeks of purchase, FB Service’s new Harmonic Design system—loudspeakers and amplifiers—was already deployed in one of Milan’s most prestigious theatres.

A result that speaks for itself. Yet the journey that led to this point deserves to be told. It is a story of unexpected discoveries, bold—at times even unconventional—choices, and a technical path shared by FOH engineers, sound engineers, and the qualified staff at Audio Effetti.

The beginning: a demo, a football field, and an unexpected surprise

It all began last October, when Marco Barbati of FB Service (based in Bagnolo Cremasco) and his FOH engineer Raffaele Meleri attended a Harmonic Design demo organized by Audio Effetti in Bergamo.

The demo was not held in an acoustically controlled environment, but deliberately outdoors on a football field, using just a single pair of Harmonic Design HLS24P loudspeakers.

Both were immediately intrigued: “We came with no particular expectations… and were literally speechless. We didn’t think just two HLS24s could deliver that level of SPL, definition, clarity, and above all the ability to cover such a wide area. It was love at first listen!” Marco recalls.

Following the demo, the decision was immediate: request a pair of HLS24s from Audio Effetti for an on-the-road test in a sports arena approximately 40 meters deep, for a corporate event. A complex acoustic environment, one loudspeaker per side as the main system—a real challenge. “On that occasion we realized that the result achieved at the Bergamo demo was no coincidence. The HLS series is truly efficient: uniform coverage, outstanding intelligibility, zero listening fatigue. With just a single pair of loudspeakers, we solved issues that would normally have required much larger line array clusters. That was the turning point.”

That test became the definitive confirmation, leading to the first order of Harmonic Design loudspeakers—a brand that quickly became the service company’s new primary reference.

The system deployed at Teatro Dal Verme

For the February 1st musical performance at Teatro Dal Verme—featuring an orchestra including drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, acoustic instruments such as piccolo and strings, as well as the lead singer with guitar—FB Service installed a complete Harmonic Design configuration consisting of:

Main System (per side):

• 3 × HLS24P (version with internal passive crossover; high-pass filtering managed upstream by the amplification)

• 1 × HLS16P as down fill

Subwoofers (per side):

• 2 × Infra218

Front Fill:

• 2 × 10CXN at center stage

• 1 × 10CXN per side for the upper balcony

In total, just 12 loudspeakers. An equivalent system using competing products would have required at least twice as many cabinets.

As for amplification, QT8ETH and QT12ETH power amplifiers also from Harmonic Design were deployed.

One of the most appreciated aspects for the FOH engineer was the tonal consistency across all HLS series models: “From the front row to the back of the hall, the sound remains identical. The same sonic signature, the same intelligibility. It’s impressive how the small, medium, and large models speak exactly the same language.”

Impeccable coverage support that makes the difference

Teatro Dal Verme is a historic and acoustically demanding venue. Its architectural configuration, surfaces, and proportions make it particularly challenging—especially for amplified music.

 

The hall extends approximately 42 meters in depth, with a maximum height of 11 meters. The raked stalls rise steeply toward the rear, significantly altering sound perception as distance from the stage increases.

 

The side and upper balconies add reflective surfaces and create listening areas with very different acoustic characteristics. Hard, minimally absorbent walls combined with wooden flooring generate pronounced reflections, substantial reverberation time, and potential sound return phenomena that can compromise intelligibility—particularly for vocals.

In such a large and articulated space, the challenge is not simply about reaching the back of the room, but doing so while maintaining tonal coherence, clarity, and uniformity from the first rows to the uppermost seats.

Despite the venue’s complexity, the Harmonic Design system delivered remarkable uniformity and control. “We achieved perfect coverage all the way to the last row. No gaps, no critical areas. The audience experienced everything with great naturalness.”

The theatre was sold out, and the FOH position had to be placed high up, behind the last row of seats. “I thought such a high position would penalize me, but the opposite happened: it felt as though I were much closer to the PA. I would never have guessed I was over 40 meters away,” comments FOH engineer Raffaele Meleri.

The value of technical support: a decisive factor

One aspect the client was keen to emphasize was the quality of the support received. “We would like to thank Audio Effetti for the tremendous support. Not just as distributors, but as true technical partners. Having Roberto Scioni from Audio Effetti with us on site during the first shows and at Dal Verme was an enormous added value. It’s not at all common to find a company that invests so much in post-sales support,” says Marco Barbati.

An important acknowledgment that highlights how transitioning to a new technology the Hybrid Line Source, conceptually different from traditional line arrays while straightforward in use, still requires initial support and training that only a few distributors are able to provide. 

“For us, it was essential. It allowed us to fully exploit the system right from the start.”

Conclusion

From the first listening session on a football field to the prestigious stage of Teatro Dal Verme, FB Service’s journey with Harmonic Design has been swift—just a few months—natural, and highly rewarding.

A concrete demonstration of how innovative technology, professional expertise, and consistent technical support can transform a simple demo into a strategic choice for future productions.

Want to learn more?

Email us at international@audioeffetti.it