Museum of land speed

m

Museum of Land Speed

Location: Wales

Audio Systems Integration by: D J Willrich

Overview: When the Pendine Museum of Land Speed opened on the South Wales coast in 2023, it promised to immerse visitors in the dramatic history of British land speed record attempts. With a stunning natural backdrop—the iconic seven-mile Pendine Sands—the museum blends breathtaking visual storytelling with equally arresting sound design. The challenge: make the roar of a V-12 aero engine echo authentically through time, without letting speakers distract from the historical exhibits.

The Challenge

Pendine’s vision required a high-impact audiovisual installation that would:

Deliver immersive, cinematic audio to match widescreen video presentations.
Seamlessly integrate into the museum’s sleek, minimalist exhibit design.
Maintain historical authenticity by ensuring audio components remained completely invisible to visitors.
Provide powerful yet clear sound across a wide audience area without overspill between exhibits.

The Solution

New Forest-based AV specialists D J Willrich (DJW) partnered with 2B Heard to specify a discreet, high-performance K-array audio system.

Key Features:

6 x Lyzard-KZ14 Line Arrays: At just 10cm in length, these ultra-micro speakers were hidden behind exhibit fascias, with only subtle horizontal slots indicating their presence. Their wide vertical and narrow horizontal dispersion patterns ensured consistent coverage without audio interference between adjacent exhibits.
3 x Truffle-KTR25 Subwoofers: Compact, omnidirectional subwoofers with dual 5.25″ drivers were concealed within the exhibits, delivering powerful low-end energy that brought high-speed engines to life.
3 x Kommander-KA02 Amplifiers: Each exhibit was powered by a dedicated four-channel Class D amplifier with onboard DSP, ensuring precise tuning and minimal cabling. All content is controlled centrally via Showmaster software.

The Results

The museum welcomed over 5,000 visitors within its first few months of opening—an impressive figure for its rural South Wales location.

“They’re clearly impressed with the clarity and range of the soundtracks and how well they convey the visceral excitement of these extraordinary high-speed achievements,”
— Andrew Sellick, Commercial Operations Manager, Pendine Museum of Land Speed

Feedback praised not only the immersive sound but also the seamless integration. The K-array system delivered the power and clarity needed for an adrenaline-filled audio experience—without ever being seen.