Los Angeles, CA (May 21, 2026)—L-Acoustics introduced its L Series three years ago with the high-profile debut of its L2 and L2D models; now the line has been expanded with the launch of the L1 flagship and its companion cardioid subwoofer, CS1.
While the speakers were formally unveiled this week, they are already being used out in the wild: The L1 is currently being deployed on Bruno Mars’ The Romantic tour with Clair Global, the Harry Styles Together Together tour with Solotech, and on Joker Xue’s world tour with MRT. Meanwhile, CS1 has provided low end on the main stages at Coachella with RAT Sound, and Ultra Music Festival with Unreal-Systems/AgorA.
Much as the L2 and L2D were introduced with a company Keynote event at the Hollywood Bowl, so were the new L1 and CS1 this week, where they are now permanently installed.
Designed for use in stadium-level productions, the L1 sports two 18″ low-cardioid (LC) transducers side-mounted for frontal energy and rear rejection; four front-facing 15″ low-frequency drivers; eight 8″ mid-frequency drivers; and six coaxial 4″+2.5″ HF compression drivers. According to L-Acoustics, the HF coaxial configuration increases SPL and long-throw capabilities, resulting in a maximum SPL of 160 dB per enclosure, across a full bandwidth of 35 Hz to 20 kHz. The companion wide vertical coverage L1D element matches this transducer architecture with a 60-degree vertical coverage pattern for nearfield zones, reportedly achieving 155 dB SPL.
The boxes are designed to reduce low frequency spill, aiming to focus energy on the audience and minimize sound behind an L1 array. The side-mounted 18″ LC transducers reportedly enable L-Acoustics cardioid low-frequency architecture, delivering up to 18 dB of rear rejection between 20 and 250 Hz, and more than 26 dB of rejection below 80 Hz. Sound designers can choose between cardioid mode for maximum rear rejection, or supercardioid for extended rejection to the sides. CS1 extends the same principle to the sub-bass range. With four 21″ transducers in a cardioid topology, CS1 is said to provide peak SPL up to 150 dB and extend bandwidth down to 25 Hz.
Accommodating the new L1 and CS1 is an Autofilter algorithm within L-Acoustics Soundvision software. Meanwhile, horizontal directivity is managed by two Panflex modules per enclosure, offering 70- and 90-degree symmetrical patterns plus an 80-degree asymmetrical mode. L1D extends options to 110- or 70-degree symmetrical and 90-degree asymmetrical for nearfield coverage. Vertical control is built into the pre-shaped progressive geometry of L1, with 0.8-degree inter-element coupling for long-throw festival formats and 5 degrees for arenas.
One of L-Acoustics’ main focuses with the L Series in general has been to ensure the line can be flown and taken down quickly. With that in mind, it reports that a configuration of two CS1, four L1, and one L1D delivers the acoustic performance of a 21-element K1 standard rig—a setup that results in 66% fewer rigging actions, fewer lifts, fewer cables, and a smaller physical footprint, thus enabling a speedier deployment. According to the company, a main hang of four L1 and one L1D weighs 1,263 kg, where a comparable K1 system would require 15 boxes at 1,590 kg overhead to match the same performance.
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L1 and CS1 are currently in pilot phase with a select group of L-Acoustics certified partners. Availability for qualified partners is planned for early 2027.