L-Acoustics Soka, Syva, and X Series Bring Concert-Grade Audio to a 177-Foot Superyacht

A 177-foot, 776-gross-ton superyacht designed by Delta Design Group, accommodating up to 16 guests and 14 crew, is not an obvious project for an integrator based in landlocked Montana. But when the owner of that vessel wanted his guests to stay present on the voyage and engaged with the trip and each other, he turned to the team that had already delivered the sound and service that moved him, Montana Pro Audio (MPA). The brief was straightforward in concept and demanding in execution: concert-grade audio across every deck, in a marine environment.

MPA first gained the owner’s attention at a private event in Montana—about as far from the open ocean as you can get. While an initial commission for a 114-foot vessel established a foundation of trust, the owner’s subsequent acquisition of a 177-foot superyacht demanded a significant evolution in hardware. With a track record of success, MPA Director of Business Development Aaron Fisher was assigned the challenge to deliver that signature concert-grade sound in a premiere maritime environment. To accomplish this goal, Fisher specified L-Acoustics, providing the weather-resistant durability, sonic precision, and aesthetic refinement necessary for a vessel of this scale.

Any Deck, Any DJ
MPA has completed Phase One of the installation, focusing on the exterior social and entertainment spaces. The Sun Deck received two Soka inWall, six X4r, and two SB10r subs. The Owner’s Deck was fitted with two X6i, two X4r, and one SB10i sub. On the Main Deck, two Soka inWall, two X4r, and one ceiling-mounted SB10r handle coverage.

In the boat garage at the lower stern, MPA utilized a clever deployment for the beach club experience. A pair of X8i and a surface-mounted SB10i were installed on the underside of the overhead garage door; when the door is raised, the system is perfectly positioned to support water activities off the back of the vessel. “In terms of AV, the goal was to outfit the vessel with discreet, professional-level products that provide a nightclub-level audio experience throughout the boat,” says Fisher.

Supporting all zones is a deployable DJ system consisting of a pair of Syva mains, two Syva Low, a KS21 sub, and an X8 as a DJ monitor, routable to any deck. Patch panels throughout provide left-right sub DJ-fill outputs, a multi-pin input for the DJ equipment, and a port for an Allen & Heath digital stage box. “The DJ can easily patch their system to any patch panel located on the decks, or in the boat garage,” Fisher explains. “The music can then be routed to all audio locations throughout the vessel.”

Phase Two, planned for 2027, will extend the system to the yacht’s interior spaces, including the Main Salon, Dining Room, Media Room, Owner’s Suite, Gym, and Wheelhouse, as well as a deployable system on the bow of the vessel.

Engineered for Exposure
Maritime installations demand a level of durability that many professional audio solutions cannot provide. Fisher notes that L-Acoustics enclosures carry weather-resistant IP ratings that provide immediate practical benefits for outdoor deployments. “L-Acoustics components are engineered for environmental resilience, ensuring they are ready for the deck out of the box,” Fisher explains. “We were able to meet the project’s timeline because these enclosures are built to handle humidity, salt air, and spray as standard manufacturing design.”

Working within the constrained spaces of a luxury interior, Fisher also found value in configuring the systems for extended frequency bandwidth rather than just maximum SPL. “L-Acoustics offering presets that give us more frequency bandwidth that can be traded off in terms of SPL is an excellent feature,” he says. “It’s a good acknowledgment that the max-capable SPL of the product isn’t necessary in intimate spaces like these. In areas where we don’t need max SPL, we can lose a few decibels without losing any of the impact and focus on frequency enhancement for the unique attributes of the space.”

Collaboration and Support
The installation required close coordination with two key partners: the L-Acoustics team and the yacht’s own engineers, two crew members with detailed knowledge of the vessel’s interior structure. “They know every inch of the vessel’s construction. They were able to guide us and provide quality solutions for cable runs, penetrations, and inform us of any structural limits,” says Fisher.

“Our L-Acoustics team has been genuinely helpful. They provided us with highly detailed Soundvision models showing the systems’ performance in each space, giving us multiple options for different performance values. They’ve gone above and beyond in helping us, from the initial designs to the final calibration. Between the IP55 ratings already being part of the products and the support that L-Acoustics provided, we knew from the very start that this was going to be a successful voyage.”