JBL’s newest-generation VTX A-Series loudspeakers recently replaced the JBL VerTec Series system installed more than a decade earlier at the Crypto.com Arena, home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, NHL’s LA Kings, and WNBA LA Sparks. Crypto.com Arena is also the home of the most popular music concerts and a multitude of other special events, including the annual GRAMMY Awards.
Sporting events are a constant at the arena and that service will come even more focus in 2028 when it hosts men’s and women’s gymnastics competition for the upcoming 2028 Olympic and Paralympic games. The arena’s seating capacity of 20,000 (depending on the event), puts Crypto.com Arena above the average size for its class.
The new system was the result of collaboration between HARMAN Professional and consulting firm Anthony James Partners (AJP) for its design, and HARMAN, AJP, and 3G Productions for its installation.
The main system consists of 120 VTX A12 Dual 12-inch Line Array Loudspeakers, powered by Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD four-channel amplifiers. VLF content is supplied by 36 VTX B28 Arrayable Dual-18-inch Subwoofers driven by 18 Crown I-Tech 12000HD two-channel amplifiers. Speaker tuning and optimisation are performed by DSP onboard the Crown amplifiers.
In addition to installing VTX A-Series loudspeakers, the venue went considerably further in improving audience experience by adding upgraded and extra speakers to cover the top of the arena’s bowl.
Armen Dembekjian, senior vice president for projects & event productions at the arena, said: “Everything, top to bottom, is getting made over: private spaces, premium offerings, public areas, concessions, locker rooms, our scoreboards and video screens with an emphasis on our technology. There’s something for everyone.”
Jack Covert, vice president of audio engineering, added: “We did a very similar design to what was in the arena previously. This allowed cost and structural work to be reduced by reusing rigging points and infrastructure originally installed for the VerTec system.”
However, one big change was the upper balcony system that had not existed before, Covert explained. “I went to an NBA game prior to designing the system and the place was jumping, but I went on the upper bowl and it was quiet up there. We put in a nice delay ring using JBL Precision Directivity boxes and it really made a big difference. We made sure the folks sitting in that area were getting their money’s worth.”
Covert’s design used 36 JBL PD6322/95-FRP Dual 12-inch 3-Way Horn-Loaded Speakers powered by more I-Tech 4x3500HD amps.
The new sound system is part of a huge renovation project that began after the STAPLES Center changed its name to Crypto.com Arena in late 2021. At that point AEG embarked on a three-year major renovation of every public facing element of the venue, including a complete upgrade of its JBL loudspeaker system.
The venue could not shut down for a month so it was a logistically complex operation. The biggest hurdle of all was the availability of the equipment. As the renovation got underway the audio industry was still in the throes of supply chain delays caused by COVID.
To thread this complicated needle, 3G drew on their production company roots and extensive experience working in the building on numerous concerts by touring music artists. Wiring harnesses and racks prepped at the company’s Las Vegas headquarters were transported to their LA office so they could be quickly loaded onto a truck, taken to the venue, and installed on short notice.
The ramifications of Crypto.com Arena’s packed schedule were further accommodated by one other difference between the VTX and VerTec systems. “From a maintenance perspective, if an amp went down in the old system, we had to lower the entire speaker cluster to access that one amp and fix it,” Dembekjian explained. “But there are periods where we’re going from event to event to event to event, and there’s no time to bring that array down. We want to be 100 percent operational safe at all times, not 97 or 93 or 90 percent.”
