Lord’s Cricket Ground bowled over by new Genelec loudspeaker system for prestigious Long Room

Widely known as the Home of Cricket, Lord’s Cricket Ground is a 31,000-capacity sports destination that’s played host to some of history’s most iconic matches.

Since 2006, RH Consulting and RG Jones have provided Lord’s with bespoke audio solutions both on and off the pitch. This time round, a new Genelec loudspeaker system supplied by UK distributor Audiologic brought unrivalled and sophisticated audio to Lord’s members-only Long Room.

The Long Room, once referred to as “the most evocative four walls in cricket”, is known worldwide for its opulence. It sits as part of the Grade II listed Pavilion and frequently hosts elegant dinners, lunches and wedding receptions.

For 130 years The Long Room has been an important part of Lord’s. On match days, it welcomes Members to their favourite sport, whilst also providing the walkway for players coming down from their dressing rooms and out onto the pitch.

We needed a first-class solution that wasn’t going to compromise on quality, which led us to Genelec.

The brief was for an enhanced entertainment system that could accommodate the events held in The Long Room. The space can quickly go from hosting grand lunches and dinners to jazz performances, small conferences and speeches. RH Consulting and RG Jones continued their partnership at Lord’s by designing and installing a system to keep up with these demands.

“Spending a day in The Long Room is a cricket fan’s dream,” began Roland Hemming, project manager at RH Consulting. “Therefore, we needed a first-class solution that wasn’t going to compromise on quality, which led us to Genelec. Prior to the Genelec system, Lord’s was using a combination of in-house and temporary systems, which was very disruptive.”

“The Pavilion at Lord’s is a listed building so aesthetics were very important. We were also restricted on where we physically positioned the loudspeakers,” added Richard Northwood, design consultant at RH Consulting. “It’s a really busy room, so the audio solution we installed had to ensure everyone could be heard.”

Lord’s wanted a system for The Long Room that was able to play high-quality music, but it also had to serve as part of the evacuation system. The system includes redundancy so that should part of the system fail, the rest carries on. Genelec’s Smart IP loudspeakers are driven individually – offering a high degree of redundancy.

The system uses 12 Genelec 4430A Smart IP models in a custom RAL9001 cream colour. Known for its exceptional sound quality and networked convenience, the 4430A uses PoE to deliver uncompromised SPL and acoustic performance and is fully compatible with both Dante and open streaming standards such as AES67.

“The Genelec Smart IP loudspeakers are sustainably made, flexible and can be customised in a wide range of colours,” commented Hemming. “Another advantage of using this series is that the loudspeakers are run and controlled on a single CAT cable. We were able to cable the system from the basement, which meant that there was little disruption caused.”

For 130 years, the room has hosted sports legends, and now Genelec joins that legacy.

The loudspeakers are controlled by Genelec’s Smart IP Manager software. This targets specific audio installation problems, saving installation teams time by ensuring that all of the loudspeakers are performing at their very best – even in challenging environments.

RG Jones also installed six 7040A active subwoofers. The Lord’s Estates’ department extended the room’s radiator covers so that these are invisible. The sub’s onboard bass management technology enables it to filter low-frequency information from the main channels and take responsibility for handling it. Additionally, room compensation controls also allow users to optimise the 7040A for any environment. All of this was connected into the existing site-wide DSP network.

The new Genelec system can be controlled via a touchscreen on the wall, but The Long Room is also equipped with a couple of mobile mixing consoles that can be plugged in – giving the room the flexibility required for bigger events.

For 130 years, the room has been graced with some of the sport’s biggest stars, and now Genelec becomes part of that legacy – delivering a bespoke audio solution to a sporting venue that’s high on the list of any avid cricket fan. “Genelec is a reliable brand with an excellent track record,” remarks Northwood. “The sound in The Long Room has gone from being an afterthought, to one of the stand-out features of the Pavilion.”