We asked DJs and audio experts from all over the world to tell us about their favorite systems and what they look for in exceptional sound.
When people talk about a legendary night out, they usually name the DJ, the club, or perhaps their favorite track of the night. But often the unseen star of the show, the one who helps all of the above shine but rarely gets its due credit, is the soundsystem.
Soundsystems are the difference makers. A DJ could be packing a heavenly music collection, but without a decent soundsystem it just won’t translate to the audience. Often without even realizing it, the standard of the system determines how long we spend on a dance floor and, to some extent, how we assess the quality of that experience. A poor system fatigues our ears and, in turn, our bodies and minds. Conversely, the best systems allow us to hear familiar music in new and unexpected ways while being completely absorbed in sound.
Virtually everyone who enjoys music would, given the choice, prefer to hear it reproduced in the best way possible. And yet it’s also true that exceptional sound is rare and it requires many stars to align—the acoustic environment, the sound engineer, the playback system, and many other details besides. We’re also now in an age in which music consumption is tailored for convenience rather than audio quality. Tiny phone speakers and bluetooth devices have replaced the home stereos of old, lowering the baseline for playback quality across the board. In this climate, high-grade club systems arguably become more valuable than ever.
All of which is to say, the best soundsystems are worth identifying and celebrating. We asked a range of respected DJs, club owners, and sound / acoustic engineers to tell us about their favorite systems of all time and what they look for in exceptional sound. A love for and dedication to quality sound is obvious throughout their responses, and in some cases, their words take on an almost spiritual quality.
I have a few favourite soundsystems from over my 40-plus years of nightclub and dance music sound. For permanently installed systems I loved Twilo, Womb (v2), and Cocoon Frankfurt, all for very different reasons.
Twilo was one of the first systems that was built using the latest technology, as well as some classic speaker designs. The speakers were positioned in each corner of the dance floor and down the front, back and sides to immerse you in sound. The room also resonated in a very pleasant way. Womb Tokyo had almost the identical system to Twilo but on their 10th anniversary we upgraded the mid-high section of the stacks to modern d&b speakers that created a hybrid of the warm classic sub and bass with the clarity and crispness of modern speakers.
Cocoon Frankfurt was a very odd-shaped room that needed a lot more speakers to get the coverage right than would be normally needed in a regular shaped room. This meant there was so much headroom in the system that you could create a lot of pressure in the bass range that would compress your lungs but not overwhelm your ears. That system, operated by a good DJ, was something else.
As for event-based systems, the sound of the old Clair S4 speakers pretty much shaped my idea of what club sound should sound like in portable applications.
Dance music is very much driven by bass and percussion so musical and articulate sub and bass is paramount. And given parties usually span for hours, for an excellent system I’d want something that is not too bright and aggressive on the ears.
The room plays a major part of the sound system’s performance. You can make an average system sound good in a great acoustic space but a great sound system will never sound more than average in a poor room.
I have so many fond memories of so many club nights and events but one is at the opening weekend of Cocoon in Frankfurt and Victor Calderone was DJing. He was playing a tribal NYC-style set with the tight kick drum sounds that were punching me in the chest while the sub was shaking my trousers and the crisp highs of the tweeters were creating an acoustic atmosphere that felt amazing.
There are a few sound systems on which I love to musically host and DJ. David Mancuso’s Loft party, which was my first experience of a true audiophile soundsystem when he first started inviting me to play with him in the 1990s. Also the London Loft party, Precious Hall in Japan, Last Note in Italy, and our travelling audiophile dance sound system Love Dancin’, that I designed and curate with Daddy Ad from Trojan Sound System and host at We Out Here festival each year.
When we started our Loft parties with David in London, we bought our own soundsystem based on David’s own Loft soundsystem template and equipment. Precious Hall’s owner Satoru Ogawa did the same and brings it in for special guests like David and myself. The London Loft soundsystem is straightforward and honest, and features high-end audiophile equipment such as Koetsu moving coil cartridges, customised turntables, matched Class A amplification (original Mark Levinson or the newer Sugden), the classic Mark Levinson ML-1 preamp, and Klipschorn loudspeakers. There is no compression or EQ, and it’s set up in stereo with a hard left and a hard right and a center mono with the side channels delayed. It’s very pure and allows the music to sing without the soundsystem getting in the way.
Our Love Dancin’ soundsystem is set up in a similar way but is better suited for bigger rooms (and tents!) and has both digital and vinyl capabilities to suit our guest DJs. We use modern Synergy horn speakers by Danley Sound Labs set up in Loft soundsystem formation along with Danley subs to fill out the bottom frequency range. On the front end we have an Isonoe 420 DJ Mixer, high-end Audio Technica moving magnet cartridges, Chord cabling and power conditioning as well as dCS DACs and Master Clocks for the CDJs. Klipschorns and Danley loudspeakers are incredibly efficient and don’t require a lot of power, so they sound effortless rather than pushed.
Dynamics is one of the most important factors for my ears—I like to hear the full spectrum. When I play on other soundsystems I always bring my own Audio Technica AT-VM760SLC moving magnet cartridges. They track at a hi-fi cartridge level (1.8 to 2 grams) and this lighter touch and the higher components within the cartridge allow the music to sparkle and shine as opposed to the traditional heavy-tracking DJ cartridges, which in my opinion dull and dumb down the sound.
Sadly, I find many club soundsystems have an overwhelming level of sub-bass, which sucks much of the sonic energy out of the music, so I have it dialled down. From my experience I have found people will dance for a longer period of time when the frequencies are in balance and the music is presented with a truer reproduction of the artists’ original vision.
Wherever I DJ, I first level out and isolate the turntables, then set my own cartridges up correctly with the ideal tracking force and then adjust the anti-skate so that the stylus sits in the grooves properly. Once the turntables and cartridges are set up correctly, I ensure that mains and audio cables are separate so there is no interference. I also check out the loudspeaker position and balance, and I usually have to dial down the sub. Most importantly, I make friends with the sound person and promise not to redline the mixer so they can take off the compressor. If they do a good job, I give them some of my rider at the end of the set. People are the greatest investment and I love working with people who really care.
What elements do I consider essential in an excellent soundsystem? It starts with room acoustics—that is the most important factor. You can have all the fanciest and most expensive equipment in the world, but if it is set up in a room that sounds awful, it will sound awful. Harsh surfaces like metal reflect the sound while more porous materials like wood absorb; sometimes just by looking at a photo of a room I can get an idea of how it will sound. Room dimensions are important (avoid true squares) and so is the height as very high ceilings usually mean there will be too much reverb. You can hear the sound of a room as soon as you walk in and start talking before any music is actually played. I can’t overstate the importance of room acoustics.
I believe that audio technology was fundamentally developed to serve the purpose of accurate sound reproduction and the ability to recreate live environments. It is through this capability that sound has the power to inspire the human brain, spark imagination, and evoke emotion. This, I realized through years of listening to music from a young age, is the essence of cultural and artistic expression through sound.
It is my conviction that helping others understand and experience this essence is crucial for any venue that uses sound as its medium. This is why I am dedicated to providing a space where people can encounter and connect with the true power of sound. First and foremost, I believe that applying any form of arbitrary filter to the cultural and artistic work created by an artist is, in itself, an act that undermines the artist’s worldview and method of expression.
Furthermore, by improving factors such as distortion and signal-to-noise ratio for accurate sound reproduction, we are able to preserve the purity of the sound without muddying it, much like the clarity of the ocean. Each sound can be distinctly presented, allowing its beauty to shine through.
Dancing, in my view, is not just a physical reaction but a mechanism deeply ingrained in human DNA, where the heart dances before the body does. The sound that makes the heart leap, the sound that evokes various imaginations, is the most important aspect. Depending on the philosophy of each venue, there are those who may pursue a distinct identity or accessibility by sacrificing sound fidelity, or by emphasizing certain frequencies. However, I believe such choices lead to a fixed, unchanging worldview that stifles the diverse, dynamic perspectives that sound can offer, ultimately making it dull.
Moreover, I see it as essential to communicate the magnificence and emotional power of sound to those who have fewer opportunities to listen to music in high-quality environments. By doing so, we can convey the concept of good sound and its beauty.
Additionally, to express the inherent strengths of Japanese culture—such as beauty, gentleness, simplicity, precision, speed, and power—through music we must have the right tools. High-quality sound systems capable of accurate sound reproduction are essential for creating dance music that embodies these values, emerging from the DNA of the Japanese people.
Not only at Shinjuku Bridge, all of the venues operated by our company are equipped with soundsystems that pursue accurate sound reproduction and the ability to evoke emotion. For this reason, the soundsystems at our venues are built on the foundation of REY AUDIO.
We created a mixer with REY AUDIO because existing, currently available DJ mixers are unable to fully unleash the capabilities of the REY AUDIO soundsystem. The sound reproduction capabilities that embody “beauty, gentleness, simplicity without excess, precision, speed, and power,” as well as the way the volumes of each channel blend, the curve settings, the thickness of the easy-to-use knobs, and the layout of each volume control.
Some of my favorite soundsystems that I’ve played on around the world… To be honest, I know the clubs, but not necessarily the systems. I would say one was when Mr. C used to own The End [in London]. The DJ booth was implanted within the sound. It was a soundsystem that would make your heart rumble. I remember that distinctively, you didn’t need the monitors. That’s one of the best soundsystems that I think I’ve ever played on. I’ve always liked Ministry of Sound when I played there, and I like the fabric sound systems. I played on some great sound systems in Tokyo as well.
The essential elements of a great system? Clarity. Being able to get it loud. To hear everything, the warmth of the soundsystem, being loud without piercing my ears. Having a good monitor system to support the soundsystem when you do need monitors. How they situate the system in the room, the size of the room—this all plays a role, too. You can play big festivals, big venues, let’s say even concert venues, but it’s hard to get a great sound and soundsystem because of the room. So the room plays a big role.
The best memory I have is when I played at The End in London, and I did a live show there with E-Dancer, on some of my early E-Dancer tours. It was just off the chain. It was off the hook. The soundsystem was… it almost made you rumble. You felt shaken, you know, it moved you. It moved you like you were within the system.
I’d definitely have to say that my favorite soundsystem of all time is Robert Johnson in Offenbach. Nothing beats it for me. Perfectly tuned, intimate, and it always delivers. Some of the best nights of my life have been at Robert Johnson. Playing there, dancing there… there’s just a purity to it. When the booth sounds as good as the floor, you know the club cares.
A great soundsystem needs to be warm and clean, not just loud. You want to feel it but still hear every detail. And it has to serve the music, not overpower it. A lot of systems forget that.
The space around the system is everything. You can have the best system in the world, but if the room sounds like a tin can or the vibe’s off, it won’t matter. The system and the space have to work together.
I lived in New York for about 10 years from 1989, and it was during that time that I discovered the Loft, which was run by David Mancuso. I was really impressed by the soundsystem there.
I think there were seven Klipschorn speakers being used in that system at the time. Klipschorn is a speaker manufacturer that is held in such high esteem in America that it is mentioned in the same breath as Bell and Edison. They were developed in the late 1940s or 1950s, so they are very old speakers, but they are still being made to order as current products. There are no other speakers like them. I think they are a masterpiece.
The experience at the Loft was really something special. When I first listened to the sound I thought it was surprisingly quiet. It wasn’t the kind of massive sound you’d expect from a club. But after a while I felt a kind of awe, or perhaps even a sense of dread, at the intensity of the people’s “music love” and “love.” It was a wave of psychedelic music love. What I learned was that there is music that you can dance to and have a conversation in a place where there is no stress, and you can have fun for a long time. The music was floating around in the space, and it really seemed to be talking to me. It had an emotional resonance, and it was elegant.
I’d never even studied audio, but the Loft had a really big impact on me. When I came back to Japan I happened to come across a place owned by someone called Tora, and he was also an audio enthusiast and had all sorts of huge speakers. I thought that the fact that two audio geeks had appeared meant that it was a sign that I should do something.
When I’m doing a sound check, for me it’s a case of whether or not it “gets me.” Whether the vocals are a little bit erotic, or whether the music “talks” to me. That’s the answer. There are times when I think, “If this song doesn’t get me, then what?”, or “The vocals should really be more piercing.” This song is music that takes you to heaven—but I’m not in heaven.
Of course we also do technical digital measurements. And of course the infrastructure is a prerequisite. But is the final tuning, a matter of fine-tuning to the 0.01 decibel level, or something more sensory? This is something I learned well from Mr. Mizoguchi of SHeLTeR.
With the room acoustics… you have to get the equipment, the selection of equipment, the power supply, and the infrastructure really in order. But first of all you need to make sure that the speakers are placed so that they don’t rattle.
What I want to say about club music is that the recorded music is made with great care, so let’s listen to it properly. When you put it through a processor, the sound becomes more even; I think it’s better to just let it be as it is.
Clubs are an unexpectedly important place. In urban life, they are a place for community and a place where people meet. In the midst of this, in nightclubs and on dance floors, everyone is just getting into the mood with the music, without any chain of command. It’s a space where people can be human and happy, like an ideal place. The key points are “in the mood” and “not bothering other people”, those two things.
The kind of sound I think is good is a sound that is free of stress. It’s a sound that you can talk to and dance to. I’ve realized that this kind of sound is good, and I want to create a place like that.
My favorite sound system? The Loft, Ukrainian Community Centre, New York, 2010. The system typically consisted of Klipschorn speakers, Klipsch Cornwalls, Klipsch Heresys, McIntosh amplifiers, and AR turntables. The elements I’d consider essential in an excellent sound system: Perfect clarity between the frequencies and not harshly loud, perfectly balanced for emotional impact and warmth, allowing the music to breath and envelop the dancer.
The room and space around a sound system plays a big role, the size of the space and acoustics make all the difference. Club spaces are never usually custom-built these days, so it’s a big job for the sound tech and engineers to get it right. The Cause in London is a great example of this, with constant tweaking and dialogue between the tech team and the DJs to work out how to treat the room and postion everything.
One of the last Loft parties before David Mancuso died, being on that dance floor felt like you were floating in sound. They would typically set up the system days before, acoustically treating the room and placing the speakers, testing the sound. You really felt it in your bones, emotionally and physically, while on that dance floor!
My reference point started far from any club: Genelec’s listening room at their Iisalmi factory in Finland, where I interned during my acoustics studies. Hearing full-range studio monitors in a well-tuned space showed me how warm, clean and honest sound reproduction can feel when the room stops fighting the speakers and both the playback and the listening feel completely effortless. Ever since, I’ve looked for that same studio clarity at higher SPL (sound pressure level) in messier dance floor environments.
I’ve heard many many systems since then, but Plastic People in Shoreditch in London really came closest. The dance floor was small, but this was in part because all the walls were lined with deep layers of rockwool. The club worked through more than one loudspeaker era until the room felt more like a studio that just happened to let 200 people dance. Seeing Floating Points or Theo Parrish play there was always a treat and a full-body experience.
On the big-room side, Berghain’s Funktion-One shows you can scale that intimacy to a concrete cathedral. What’s at play here is the ratio of direct to reverberant sound—the room is nowhere near as acoustically damp as a recording studio, but you’re nearly always in the speaker’s direct field when on the dance floor, so the room reflections don’t have as big of an impact and the sound wraps tightly around you.
Many more (probably too many!) systems deserve a mention. I’ve had some great experiences with Kirsch and Void in some of my favourite clubs. d&b are great at keeping the festival stages loud out front but calm on stage. L-Acoustics: object-based and even coverage. And I couldn’t not mention HOLOPLOT, where I worked for a significant period of time. The new beamforming tech raises the bar of how much control you have over how you “place” the sound around the room. The Sphere in Vegas is next level immersive, and at a huge scale—two things not combined before.
The elements I consider essential in excellent sound? First comes intention. I want the sound to land in my chest yet stay transparent enough that I forget there’s hardware doing the work. It should be rich, full-bodied but clear and effortless. And although a well-designed system won’t get rid of the need for ear plugs, it can certainly stop adding to needless damage.
The key elements therefore are:
Although often unattainable in the real spaces where we DJ these days, I love to set the target towards “studio clarity at club energy” as something to aim for. Warm, deep and clean sound to wrap around your body.
My favorite sound system of all time. It’s very difficult to choose only one. There are different situations where I’ve been completely in shock with the soundsystem. I remember this in Mexico with the first Cerwin-Vega system that I played with in [Playa Del Carmen venue] Santanera, and also the soundsystem that one guy brought to BPM Festival back in the day, and it blew my mind. It was amazing. It was like the best experience from a crowd perspective into a sound system. I was very impressed how the monitors of Pioneer work at the Ibiza Sonica Radio studio. It was just perfect. We had amazing moments in the studio with all this equipment, it was just perfect for the moment.
And lately, for me, the soundsystem at Akasha is just perfect. I’m getting too used to it [laughs], so right now it’s difficult to play on other soundsystems. In terms of brands, I’m a really big fan of The Sound, L-Acoustics and d&b, they are my favorites right now.
The element that I consider essential in a soundsystem is a good balance between the bass and the highs. And also that frequencies are not being lost. The music that I play has a lot of detail, it’s not just rhythm, and basically has much more of a landscape feeling. So I really consider it essential for a soundsystem to get into details. That’s what I feel when I play on the monitors at Akasha. It sounds to me like a studio—for good and for bad. This sensibility needs to have the technical guy constantly adjusting the sound. But I love to listen to the small details, it’s like the full journey.
The role of the space in the room, the context around the soundsystem is, for me, crucial. The system wouldn’t sound the same if you were in the open air, or if you were in the open air with trees, or in a big, flat room with windows. Also the floor and the ceiling, I think, are super important. So everything needs to be designed, sound-wise. It needs to be part of the full experience.
Fond memories about being immersed in a great system..? The first time that I put on a Sony Walkman. I remember my parents brought one from the States back in the day, I think it was in the ‘80s. It came with a demo of a car race or something like this, and it was like, wow. That was the first time that I listened in stereo. Also at Burning Man, I had an amazing experience of an art installation where you were hanging by fabric in the middle of a sphere, all completely surrounded by speakers. That was completely mind-blowing. It was absolutely amazing.
