Backnang, Germany (November 9, 2026)—London’s Royal Albert Hall has upgraded its house sound system with a new cardioid solution, continuing its commitment to d&b audiotechnik.
The RAH’s commitment to d&b began in 2018, when the 5,270-capacity venue underwent a hugely successful sound upgrade, introducing a distributed system of over 400 d&b loudspeakers. Designed by d&b with input from acoustic consultancy Sandy Brown, the system expanded the sound quality and service on offer to visiting productions, with take-up of the house system increasing to nearly every incoming show.
It addressed the RAH’s acoustic challenges as never before, significantly improving its operational landscape. Before, it had no full-time sound personnel, but since then the house sound team has grown to eight full-time staff, with access to around 30 freelance crew, as needed.
In the same period, d&b’s technology has continued to advance. Its systems’ cardioid performance, embodied by SL-Series and more recently CCL, now offers a far more controlled sound environment, benefiting audiences, artists and engineers alike. This latest system, based around d&b’s KSL, XSL and CCL elements, is said to deliver the highest standard of listening experience yet enjoyed at this historic, landmark venue.
“The distributed system of 2018 was remarkable—way better than anything we’d had before,” comments RAH’s audio operations manager, Richard Sally-Lower. “The new system improves even further on that. We’ve not redesigned anything, it’s mostly like-for-like, but with newer technology. Yes, there are some extra elements—we’ve gone a little bit bigger to cater for the larger shows—but the key improvement is the cardioid aspect.”
The new installation draws on more than 140 new loudspeaker elements. The main left and right hangs, twelve deep, are KSL, while XSL arrays are used for outfills and choir positions, as well as for two entirely new central hangs for Soundscape use. To increase capability, additional low end is provided via a reconfigured central hang of SL-SUBs and new XSL-SUBs on the ground.
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CCL arrays serve as circle delays, while 42S speakers have been added as discreet front-fills, particularly for orchestral shows, replacing the 16C column speakers employed previously. Meanwhile, the boxes and gallery speakers remained largely unchanged, with 4S speakers adding delays and a degree of depth.
