UK - Cheltenham Racecourse has upgraded to a new L-Acoustics professional sound system designed and installed by Audiotek in conjunction with technical service provider Racetech.
The upgrade replaces parts of the existing PA system with a fully monitored system that delivers speech intelligibility for live commentary, background music, race-day announcements and emergency and evacuation messaging for up to 75,000 spectators across the grounds.
A project three years in the making, the Jockey Club, which owns and operates Cheltenham Racecourse along with 14 other racecourses across the UK, selected Audiotek following a competitive tender process managed by audio consultant Stuart Strachan of RaceTech, who specified strict performance criteria for the new system based on the British Standard BS 7827.
"Cheltenham is one of the jewels of the Jockey Club portfolio, and it was important that the new system matched the heritage and prestige of the venue while meeting modern performance and compliance standards," says Chris Kmiec, project manager at Audiotek. "The brief was all about clarity – ensuring every word of the live commentary is heard precisely."
“The crowd at Cheltenham is one of the loudest in racing – the ‘Cheltenham Roar’ at the start of the Festival is famous – so it was vital that we selected a system which would play in harmony with, not fight against, the atmosphere of the enthusiastic crowd,” says Strachan.
The architectural and environmental challenges of the site added complexity. Cheltenham's grandstand, built in the 1970s, features exposed façades, balconies, and variable crowd densities, requiring precise control of coverage and SPL uniformity. Weatherproofing was also a crucial consideration, with the system needing to operate safely and consistently in open-air conditions.
"The goal was not just to meet compliance but to enhance the spectator experience," explains Kmiec. "Horse racing commentary is continuous and dynamic; every word has to cut through the crowd without sounding harsh or fatiguing. We needed a solution that could deliver power, precision, and clarity in equal measure."
To address these challenges, Audiotek and RaceTech used L-Acoustics Soundvision as the primary design tool alongside EASE. Working with L-Acoustics UK application engineers Ross Brett and Kyle Durno, the team ran multiple design iterations to achieve even coverage and full compliance with BS 7827.
The final design deploys A15i arrays that cover the 40m throw from the front of the grandstand to the running rail, covering the main spectator area, configured as hangs of three or four cabinets each, using a mixture of Focus and Wide variants. 54 X8i loudspeakers cover the tiered seats, steppings, and act as front-fill between the main arrays.
Every speaker's location was precisely defined in Soundvision and cross-verified for mechanical compatibility with the existing grandstand structure. Custom bracketry was engineered to integrate neatly into the façade, maintaining a low visual profile while ensuring weather protection and long-term stability.
The system is powered by six LA7.16i amplified controllers. The advanced DSP and networked control via L-Acoustics Network Manager allow Cheltenham’s technical team to supervise remotely, ensuring operational confidence on event days.
"During the tender process, L-Acoustics was the proposal I was most excited to turn on," says Strachan. That excitement proved justified when the new system debuted successfully during Cheltenham's October race meeting, immediately improving speech clarity and crowd engagement across the venue.
"Customer feedback has been excellent from both the Cheltenham team and spectators," Strachan continues. "As sound engineers, we're usually happy if nobody notices we're there – but spectators are actively praising the sound quality."
