HARMAN Professional Solutions unveiled the newest generation of JBL Professional Intellivox Active Digital Beam Shaping Column loudspeakers at ISE 2026 in Barcelona. Now upgraded with Dante® networked audio capability, the 13 refreshed models replace all previous loudspeakers in the Intellivox DSX, DS, and HP DS series, delivering stronger performance and broadened functionality. Designed for large or acoustically challenging environments—including transportation hubs, houses of worship, parliaments, theatres, atriums and museums—the new arrays offer superior intelligibility and precise coverage control.

At the core of the redesigned Intellivox lineup is JBL’s Digital Directivity Synthesis (DDS) Beam Shaping technology. By combining premium drivers with sophisticated DSP and integrated multi‑channel amplification, the systems allow users to define exact coverage zones while minimising sound in unwanted areas. This approach significantly improves the direct-to-reverberant sound ratio, ensuring clarity and speech intelligibility even in spaces with difficult acoustics.

“These new Intellivox columns expand our offering with Dante® audio networking, adding even greater flexibility,” said Steve Mathis, Senior Product Manager, Installed Acoustics, HARMAN Professional Solutions. “They preserve the precision, sound quality, and industry-leading beam shaping that Intellivox has long been known for. We’re excited to introduce these models and see how they support innovative projects worldwide.”

JBL INTELLIVOX WITH DANTE HIGHLIGHTS:

PRECISION BEAM CONTROL FOR ANY SPACE
JBL Intellivox Active Digital Beam Shaping Columns use Digital Directivity Synthesis (DDS) to precisely shape sound, delivering unlimited coverage possibilities and ensuring every listener experiences the utmost in clarity.

BALANCED FREQUENCY RESPONSE FOR MAXIMUM INTELLIGIBILITY
Advanced DSP algorithms balance frequency and SPL across listener planes, producing natural, intelligible sound even in acoustically challenging environments.

DISCREET DESIGN THAT PRESERVES ARCHITECTURE
Slim, unobtrusive enclosures blend seamlessly into any space. With custom colours and recessed installation options, Intellivox preserves architectural aesthetics while delivering powerful performance.

NETWORKED AUDIO WITH BUILT-IN RELIABILITY
With Dante® I/O, analogue inputs, automatic switchover, and onboard monitoring, Intellivox integrates easily into networked systems while ensuring reliable, worry-free operation.

MODELS FOR EVERY VENUE
Available in a wide range of sizes, Intellivox provides the pattern control and SPL needed for spaces of every size—from intimate lecture halls to expansive arenas.

SMART CONTROL AND DESIGN TOOLS FOR PROFESSIONALS
Free WinControl software simplifies setup and monitoring, while DDA (Digital Directivity Analysis) empowers system designers to simulate, optimise, and fine-tune coverage with confidence.

PRODUCT INFO & SPECIFICATIONS:

• JBL Intellivox Active Digital Beam Shaping Column Loudspeakers
• JBL Installed Loudspeaker Portfolio

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Intellivox References New Zealand

Here is a reference list of some of the venues in New Zealand where JBL Intellivox beam shaping loudspeakers are used to enhance the audio experience for the listener. (updated January 2025)

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The Opportunity

Opened in 2021, UBS Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Long Island, New York. Home to the NHL’s New York Islanders, UBS Arena has a capacity of 19,000 and hosts basketball games, concerts, corporate events and professional wrestling broadcasts in addition to Islanders’ home games. To provide world-class audio experiences for fans and attendees of a wide range of events, the newly constructed facility required a state-of-the-art arena audio solution.

The Solution

Designed by consultant group Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams, Inc. and installed by integrators Diversified—consists of over 950 JBL loudspeakers, including eight main bowl arrays of JBL VTX A12 speakers and S28 subwoofers, and a variety of PD Series, AWC Series, VRX Series, Series loudspeakers in balcony, concourse, back-of-house and delay positions. The entire system is powered by Crown I-Tech Series and DCi Series amplifiers, with network control and signal processing provided by BSS Soundweb London devices.

System Features

• 96 JBL VTX A12 loudspeakers
• 32 JBL VTX S28 subwoofers
• 8 JBL PD764i loudspeakers
• 270 JBL Control 47C/T loudspeakers
• 138 JBL Control 24CT loudspeakers
• 43 JBL Control 25-1 loudspeakers
• 75 JBL Control 65P/T loudspeakers
• 18 JBL Control 328CT loudspeakers
• 17 JBL Control 16 C/T loudspeakers
• 2 JBL Control 26CT loudspeakers
• 12 JBL Control 47HC loudspeakers
• 9 JBL PD566 loudspeakers
• 24 JBL AWC82 loudspeakers
• 10 JBL CBT1000 loudspeakers
• 24 JBL Control126WT loudspeakers
• 31 JBL PD595 loudspeakers
• 72 JBL Control 226C/T loudspeakers
• 18 JBL AM7212/64 loudspeakers
• 8 JBL VRX932LA-1 loudspeakers
• 9 JBL Control 47LP loudspeakers
• 6 JBL Control 328C loudspeakers
• 2 JBL Control 128WT loudspeakers
• 4 JBL Control SB2210 loudspeakers
• 11 JBL Control 28-1 loudspeakers
• 8 JBL PRX818XLFW subwoofers
• 6 JBL PRX812W loudspeakers
• 2 JBL 306P MKII loudspeakers

• 56 Crown I-Tech 4X3500HD amplifiers
• 12 Crown DCi 8|600N amplifiers
• 41 Crown DCi 4|600N amplifiers
• 10 Crown DCi 4|1250N amplifiers

• 13 BSS BLU-806 signal processors
• 15 BSS BLU-BIB break-in boxes
• 5 BSS BLU-120 I/O expanders
• 33 BSS BLUCARD-IN mic/line cards
• 10 BSS BLUCARD-OUT output cards
• 20 BSS EC-8BV-BLK-US ethernet controllers

The Impact

“We are the multifunction arena here on Long Island, New York—hosting everything from hockey to basketball, large concerts, corporate events, meetings,” said Brian Jones, AV Systems Engineer In Charge, UBS Arena. “We’re trying to provide the top level experience for all those, whether its thousands of fans here for a concert, making a memorable night, or a small group of people having a meeting here in one of our great spaces. In the bowl, we have our line arrays filled out with VTX Series speakers which is filling the arena with amazing sound for sporting events, pumping up the crowd, and delivering crisp and clear PA announcements.”

“One great thing about this system is its all in one family of products,” said Jones. “Everything talks to each other well and integrates well. We have all our JBL speakers powered by Crown amplifiers with signals driven by BSS products. They all work together really well—using the HARMAN Audio Architect system, we’re able to orchestrate all of that.”

“When good sound hits you it’s a physical experience,” said Jones. “The JBL system here can really drive that sound to our fans, and give them that experience. It’s not just loud. Loud can be painful and uncomfortable. This system delivers volume along with clarity. You can still hear it and understand it, and you can still feel it.”

“We specified the A12s for a variety of reasons,” said Scott Bray, Consultant, Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams, Inc. “It met a size mark, because scoreboards are getting bigger all the time. They’re getting taller and wider. We had a limited amount of space we had to fit into the rigging grid. The versatility of the JBL system met the requirements in terms of budget, SPL, performance and fitting into the grid.”

“The ownership group wanted the sound quality to be as good as Madison Square Garden,” said Bray. “We went above and beyond that. The main array system is in stereo. We have eight clusters so we can do left-right configuration all the around the scoreboard. Delays are individually powered so that concert crews can come in and tie into those delays and have a completely time-aligned system all the way back to their main stage arrays.”

Since its Oct. 2021 opening, Seattle’s 17,000-seat Climate Pledge Arena has set its sights on becoming the most progressive, responsible, and sustainable arena in the world, with a net-zero carbon status, no single-use plastic, water conservation, and zero waste as some of its initial ambitions.

Originally opened in 1962 as part of the Seattle World’s Fair, the arena, first known as the Seattle Center Coliseum, was renovated in 1995 as KeyArena and then completely rebuilt in 2020-2021 with a reported $1.15 billion in private investment.

As Idibri senior consultant David Battershell notes, the latest upgrade wasn’t just a simple renovation. The original arena’s roof, for starters, “is a historic landmark and couldn’t be torn down, so it had to be lifted off for work to begin. The rest of the building was then completely dismantled, the floor was lowered 20 feet, and the new arena was built up to where the original roof would eventually be replaced.”

Along with naming rights, where it opted for “Climate Pledge” to raise awareness of the venue’s unique sustainability initiatives rather than simply tout its own company brand, Amazon is featuring its contactless Amazon One and Just Walk Out payment systems to eliminate checkout and payment delays at stores and food concessions within the arena.

While architects Populous and general contractor Mortenson met client Oak View Group’s need to preserve the iconic roofline, new upgrades changed the undercarriage, adding dozens of vertical lapendary baffles.

A perforated metal panel on both sides of the upper deck lets fans maximize the noise in the bowl, providing home venue advantage for basketball or hockey games. Adjustable acoustic features include retractable 40-foot acoustic curtains, which help open up the bowl and make it louder during games while muting the echo during concerts.

The main arena sound system is based around JBL Professional VTX A series (VTX A12 and VTX A8 line arrays, with VTX S28 subs) all powered by Crown amplifiers. JBL Control Series and AE Series speakers are used throughout the public areas and are powered by a variety of Powersoft amplifiers.

Idibri’s Battershell credited Powersoft’s Mezzo, in particular, for use in the arena’s suites, behind the televisions. “We used them to provide an audio input for local TV audio, amplification for local speakers and IP audio connection to the bowl audio feeds,” he notes. “Powersoft heard our design requirements and delivered exactly what we needed.”

Dave Curry, vice-president of technology for Climate Pledge Arena, also credited the audio setup in the suites. “The feedback from guests has been very positive.”

• Capacity: 17,200 (Concerts), 18,100 (Basketball)

System Features

• JBL VTX-A12
• JBL VTX-A8
• Crown amplifiers
• JBL Control Series
• JBL AE Series

The Opportunity

Organised by Pato Entertainment and the sister festival of the One Love Festival, the Good Vibes mUSIC Festival 2020 features an array of local artists, embracing the New Music as international borders were closed and setting the scene for summer reggae vibes. Wanting to elevate the event and treat fans to an unforgettable concert experience, the festival required a state-of-the-art audio system that delivered pristine sound with consistent coverage across the audience.

The Solution

To achieve its audio goals, the fesitval organizers hired New Zealand’s leading event production company, NZ Sound Reinforcement, which designed and installed a world-class HARMAN Professional networked audio solution. The impressive system features an arsenal of JBL Professional VTX A8 dual 8” compact line array loudspeakers, including a ground-stacked system as well as 12-speaker arrays flown on each side of the stage. With 110º dispersion, high-frequency transducers and JBL’s proprietary woofers and waveguide technology, VTX A8 loudspeakers deliver unmatched sound performance with even distribution across the venue.

While the venue offered acoustic challenges, NZ Sound Reinforcement overcame these obstacles with their design and deployment of more JBL VTX speakers. The system includes VTX A12 and VTX A12W dual 12” line array loudspeakers, while sub-arrays consisting of VTX G28 dual 18” and VTX B18 single 18” subwoofers offer authoritative, accurate low-frequency response. Rounding out the sound system, NZ Sound Reinforcement also deployed VTX M22 professional stage monitors, SRX835P loudspeakers and SRX828SP subwoofers. Designed and configured with JBL’s Line Array Calculator 3.5 and Performance Manager 2.7 software, the system is powered by Crown VRack 4×3500HD amplifiers.

The Impact

“We had multiple venues that demanded a specific combination of audio systems, so we used an assortment of JBL VTX loudspeakers. We also had tight SPL restrictions in most venues, whilst keeping the system sounding energetic and full, which we managed to deliver perfectly,” said Juan Soothill of NZ Sound Reinforcement. “We also had very tight load-in times, but with the easy and quick rigging of JBL’s VTX A-Series, we managed to get each system up and running extremely fast.”

“We required a high-fidelity audio solution for the festival, as we were looking to enhance the festival’s sound and provide an immersive atmosphere,” said one of the event’s organisers. “We needed a partner to set up a unique networked audio system with exceptional sound to support some of the world’s biggest artists performing at the festival, and NZ Sound Reinforcement delivered exceptional service.”

Local and International artists including Peking Duk, Sticky Fingers, London Elektricity, Shapeshifter, Ladi6, Tash Sultana and rapping superstar Cardi B formed part of the line-up.

In only four years, Bay Dreams has fast become one of New Zealand’s best summer festivals. The event began in 2016 with 5,000 attendees to over 30,000 in 2019 for the North Island event. A second South Island location has now been added to the itinerary in the city of Nelson.

NZ Sound Reinforcement, a full-service production company deployed a stunning JBL Professional audio solution for the second stage with a combined audio output of 500,000 watts RMS that included the innovative JBL VTX A12 and new VTX A8 line array elements.

Having recently become part of the JBL VTX A-series family in New Zealand, NZ Sound owners Ray and Brenda Ward are exceedingly happy. “We are blown away; Bay Dreams was pretty epic. The JBL VTX A12 and A8 systems have performed even beyond our expectations – they sound amazing. JBL certainly helped the artists to put on some of their best performances and the crowd loved it,” says Brenda Ward.

Ray Ward adds: “The new JBL VTX A-Series systems have provided an amazing experience for all involved, from the artists to the spectators. The systems have shown impressive coverage outdoors, providing a very smooth and natural top-end. We look forward to providing incredible sound for the summer festivals and international artists making their way to New Zealand in the coming months. We thank organisers Pato Alvarez and Mitch Lowe for putting on another sold-out masterpiece.”

System Features

NZ Sound deployed a complete JBL Professional audio system featuring 24 VTX A12 line array loudspeakers on the main hang and 18 of the all-new smaller format VTX A8 line array loudspeakers on side hangs. Due to the nature of the performances, 24 ground shaking VTX G28 subwoofers provided tight, powerful bass coverage. Infills comprised of 8 VTX F12 12” biamplified loudspeakers.

Stage monitoring was equally impressive, allowing for exceptional audio for all performers with 16 JBL VTX M20 dual 10” and 4 VTX M22 dual 12” tour monitors for DJ and drum wedges. 2 VT4883 subwoofers took care of the drum subs with side-fills consisting of 2 VTX F35 dual 15” 3-way enclosures and 2 G28 subs.

All amplification was provided by Crown V-Racks with Crown iTech 3500 amplifiers, totalling in excess of 500,000 watts of sound power. Audio System management and control were handled through JBL HiQnet Performance Manager software and system set-up made easy with JBL’s Line Array Calculator.

The Impact

“Performance Manager and Line Array Calculator has helped save time and energy as we were able to pre-configure settings and system alignment before the event,” says Tim Robertson from local JBL distributor JPRO, who provided technical support and system design for the event. “System predictions have been very accurate and minor tweaks were needed once the system was loaded in and set up.”

NZ Sound is set to bring exceptional audio coverage to the Summer Festivals and international artists such as Bryan Adams, Toto and UB40 who are making their way to New Zealand in the coming months.

At the time of writing, with the new Bay Dreams location on his mind, organiser Mitch Lowe can hardly contain himself. “This is easily the most impressive event we have ever put together, I am ecstatic. Its off to Nelson we go!”

Production company NZ Sound provided the audio for the event that featured Pendulum and Home Brew as some of the headline acts. The main PA system consisted of JBL Professional’s latest line array system, the VTX A12.

“It was my first time mixing on the VTX A12 system by JBL. As soon as we turned the system on, I was blown away. Detailed and crisp high end, beautiful mid-range and deep, defined lows,” says Pendulum’s FOH Engineer Owen Charles. “The system threw an extremely long way back and I was more than happy with the coverage.”

The main PA system featured a total of 24 JBL VTX A12 line array elements, with a ground shaking 18 JBL VTX G28 subwoofers. 4 Vertec 4888 were used as front fills and a number of JBL VTX M22 and M20 tour wedges were used for stage monitoring.

“Definitely my PA of the Day,” quips Tim Robertson, Tour Sound Manager for JPRO the NZ distributor for JBL Professional. “We are proud to have supported an event such as Ohakune with JBL VTX A12. “The system continues to impress locally and our aim is to have it added to more technical riders in the NZ market.”

All loudspeakers were powered by Crown V-Racks, which included I-Tech 12000HD and I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers, while system management and control were handled with JBL HiQnet Performance Manager software.

Featuring BSS OMNIDRIVEHD processing with linear phase FIR filters and the acclaimed LevelMAX Limiter Suite, both models provide crystal-clear amplification with ample headroom. Network connectivity via HiQnet and Ethernet protocols provides a high degree of control and real-time diagnostics.

The Impact

Owen Charles who currently mixes for Yungblud & Pendulum, has previously mixed audio for international artists such as Macy Gray, D’angelo, MF DOOM and Jay Electronica, adds: “When I was mixing on the Waves LV1 console, the JBL VTX A12 translated perfectly – what the artist and I were hearing in the studio during pre-production came out better than we could have hoped for on the day. Let’s just say the JBL VTX A12 line array and A-Series line array systems are now going straight on my rider.”

In September, 2010, Mother Nature dealt a cruel blow to the southern region. The roof of Southland Stadium collapsed under the heaviest snowfall seen in decades, causing extensive damage to the main arena and seven community courts. From adversity has sprung a new stunning multi purpose venue, capable of conducting a wide range of event modes from large scale concerts to sporting events and exhibitions.

The main SBS Sports Arena in the stadium has a capacity of 4,500, with retractable seating. The stadium also has eleven other community basketball, netball and volleyball courts, four rebound Ace tennis courts, four squash courts and several business / function rooms.

The audio equipment is installed in two racks. The first, in the main plant room, consists of three BSS BLU series processors – a BLU-800 for processing, two BLU-120’s for input and output expansion, and two Crown CTS8200CN multi-channel, Cobranet amplifiers.

Minimizing cable run lengths was an important aspect of the stadium system design, so the second equipment rack was located on the gantry level above the stadium floor. This rack houses a second BLU-800 processor, a BLU-BOB and eleven Crown MacroTech HD amplifiers. Audio transport between the two rack locations is via Cobranet digital networked audio.

Twenty two JBL Precision Directivity PD5322 speakers cover the main arena seating. These are switchable in pairs for maximum flexibility and level matching through the stands, and to allow areas to be turned off when not in use.

The Community Courts and foyer are covered by JBL CBT-70J speakers, and other areas supplemented by JBL Control 47C/T in-ceiling speakers and Control 67HC-T high ceiling pendant speakers.