Almost a thousand loudspeakers have been installed on the wall or ceiling for this year’s edition of Royal Ascot, the famous and exciting horse race which, established by Queen Anne of England, has been held since 1711, not far from Windsor Castle.
The exciting Royal Ascot 2021 was further enhanced and underlined by the Bose sound, which was undoubtedly one of the protagonists of this year’s edition. The audio solution is truly bespoke, consisting of almost 1.000 surface-mount and in-ceiling loudspeakers throughout the racecourse, promenade and other public areas, including 250 private boxes — more than any other venue in Europe.
Ascot was founded on a bedrock of tradition more than 300 years. With more than 600.000 visitors each year during the usual 26 days of racing, Ascot Racecourse reimagined what a world-class race day experience should be, leveraging the innovative audio technology and expertise found with Bose Professional.
“Bose innovation has allowed us to take people on a journey”, stated Craig Staddon, head of sales at Ascot. “Since we began working with Bose, our guests repeatedly tell us the audio has added another dimension to the races — it simply brings the racing experience alive more.”
Consisting of ArenaMatch AM10, AM20 and AM40 loudspeakers as the basis for the system, the audio solution integrates Panaray MA12EX modular columnar array loudspeakers, ArenaMatch Utility AMU108 and AMU208, and a variety of FreeSpace loudspeakers all throughout the entire venue. The solution is powered by a network of PowerMatch PM8500N power amplifiers containing specific Dante cards.
“Ascot has very specific needs. The core of the Ascot experience culminates in 11–12 minutes, yet guests are here for upwards of six hours or more,” shared George Vaughan, head of technology at Ascot. “For us, audio is a key element that goes beyond simple commentary needs. It’s about everything from announcing race details, upcoming event information and the distribution of music that keeps our guests entertained throughout the entire experience. And with Bose, their experience is ideal.”
