Nestled along the Indian Ocean on South Africa’s east coast, Durban is the country’s third-largest city and the vibrant heart of KwaZulu-Natal. It’s a place where warm weather, stunning coastline, and rich culture come together. Perched above the iconic Golden Mile beachfront, Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse has been the centrepiece of thoroughbred racing in the region for generations. Horse racing in KwaZulu-Natal stretches back more than 150 years, with the first recorded meeting held in July 1844 near the site of the current track. Today, the 2.8-kilometer (1.75-mile) course plays host to Africa’s greatest horse racing event — the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
After years of operation, some of the audio infrastructure began to fail. The venue recognized it needed a new distributed public address system capable of covering a large, multi-zone venue and providing clear, reliable audio for announcements, race-day commentary, background music, and emergency paging. The Race Coast team, which manages the venue, contacted Prosound to recommend system upgrades, who immediately included LEA Professional amplifiers as part of the redesign. “The main challenge was delivering consistent audio across a large-scale venue with varied acoustic spaces — outdoor stands, indoor restaurants, hospitality suites, and public areas,” said Dwaine Schreuder, Head of Broadcast of Prosound. “The system needed to be network-based, reliable, and easy to control from a central location or even remotely. LEA’s growing global reputation as an innovator in networked amplifier technology and remote monitoring made them the obvious choice.”
Prosound deployed several Connect Series 354D amplifiers and Connect Series 168D amplifiers across the race track to power all the PA zones. The 4-channel CS354D provides 350 watts per channel, while the 8-channel CS168D delivers 160 watts per channel. Both IoT-enabled amplifiers are equipped with 96 kHz-capable Dante and AES67 connectivity options and support Hi-Z (70V or 100V) and Lo-Z selectable by channel. Connect Series also includes 96kHz DSP, standard across all models, offering a range of benefits that significantly enhance audio performance and system versatility.
A Connect Series Touch PoE-powered wall controller was also installed at the race track to provide a tactile controller for the system. The wall-mounted, touch-enabled control panel is designed for simple, intuitive control of LEA amplifiers, including source selection and individual-zone volume adjustments. The Connect Series delivers an industry-first professional amplifier family to feature cloud connectivity, a revolutionary advancement and a significant benefit for anyone maintaining the systems. With LEA Cloud, AV companies like Prosound can remotely control and monitor amplifiers from anywhere, at any time, and with no subscription model or hidden costs. It’s completely free to use.
The Race Coast team noted improved clarity and coverage, as well as the ease of remote monitoring and configuration, which makes day-to-day operation smoother and more reliable. “The combination of Dante and cloud connectivity proved to be a gamechanger for us for large, complex installations,” said Schreuder. “Dante integration simplified distribution over such a large venue, while cloud monitoring and remote access gave peace of mind and reduced the need for on-site troubleshooting. We definitely plan on using LEA amplifiers in future projec
