Since 1972, PAARD in The Hague is widely regarded as one of the Benelux region’s premier live music and club venues, hosting everything from spoken word and punk through to international touring artists, DJs and club nights.

Now, following a major audio upgrade delivered in partnership with Amptec, the venue has become home to the first permanent d&b audiotechnik Soundscape installation in The Netherlands.

PAARD operates across two performance spaces: the 1,100-capacity Grote Zaal (Grolsch Zaal) and the 350-capacity Kleine Zaal. After seven years of service from the previous systems, the venue team began exploring new audio solutions capable of supporting both evolving audience expectations and future creative possibilities.

Head of Technical Wauter Wormser explained:

“Keeping up with new technologies is essential, but being forward-thinking is even better. For us, sound is about treating the audience and making the musical experience as powerful as possible.”

For the smaller Kleine Zaal, PAARD opted for a fully immersive d&b Soundscape system — marking not only the first permanent Soundscape installation in the country, but also the first immersive sound system installed in a live music venue within the Benelux region.

The 360° setup features d&b A-Series loudspeakers with XSL-SUBs, supported by additional A-Series cabinets for delay coverage and E3 loudspeakers for surround sound reinforcement.

Wormser commented:

“We want to keep surprising our audience and allow them to experience music as intensely as possible. Even a simple left-right recording immediately sounds richer and more spacious through intelligent use of the software and the truly masterful reverb within Soundscape’s En-Space module.”

The installation was led by Amptec Project Manager Bob Roodenburg and Technical Lead Steven Aerts. Roodenburg added:

“We are excited to see immersive audio entering the club scene. Creative professionals and artists now have a venue on the pop circuit where immersive concerts are possible. This will undoubtedly open new doors for PAARD.”

Meanwhile, PAARD’s larger Grolsch Zaal has been upgraded with a d&b KSL system from the manufacturer’s SL-Series range. Designed to deliver precise cardioid directivity control and improved off-site noise management, the system supports both enhanced audience clarity and compliance with increasingly important venue noise regulations.

The system configuration includes flown arrays of KSL8 loudspeakers with KSL-SUBs, additional ground-stacked subwoofers, balcony fills, under-balcony delays and point-source outfill loudspeakers, alongside an extensive stage monitoring system based around d&b M4 monitors.

According to Wormser:

“The SL-Series is one of the most revolutionary developments of the past decade. The quieter the stage, the more control you retain in the audience area, allowing all the different instruments to be heard.

“At FOH, we no longer have to deal with the enormous amount of indirect sound. We think it’s important to keep looking for ways to reduce sound pressure levels without compromising the experience. Thanks to d&b’s KSL and ArrayProcessing technology, we can reduce SPLs without compromise.”

Find out more here:

dbaudio.com