The Opportunity
Located in Tallinn's Old Town, the Tallinn City Theatre is one of Estonia's most significant performing arts institutions, occupying a complex of 16 interconnected medieval merchant houses. Home to seven performance venues—including traditional stages, black box theaters, rehearsal rooms and an outdoor performance space—the theatre presents a diverse repertoire ranging from classical drama to contemporary productions and serves as the host of the international Midwinter Night's Dream festival.
As part of a comprehensive renovation, the theatre sought to modernize its aging technical infrastructure while preserving the character of the historic venue. The project required an audio system capable of delivering consistent performance across multiple spaces with different acoustic and production requirements, while providing the flexibility to support daily repertory productions and complex theatrical performances.
The Solution
Working with EW Sound & Light OÜ, Tallinn City Theatre implemented a HARMAN Professional audio system built around JBL Professional loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers, BSS Soundweb London processors and Soundcraft digital mixers.
The installation includes JBL Professional VTX A6 line arrays for the larger performance spaces, supported by JBL Professional VTX B15 and VTX B18 subwoofers for low-frequency reinforcement. JBL Professional VTX F12 and VTX F18S loudspeakers provide additional reinforcement, while JBL Professional VTX M20 stage monitors support performers on stage. Across secondary venues, JBL Professional AE Series loudspeakers—including AC16, AC18/26, AC18/95, AC28/26 and AC28/95 models—deliver consistent coverage, complemented by JBL Professional AM5212/26 loudspeakers and ASB6112 and ASB6115 subwoofers for larger rooms.
A networked infrastructure based on BSS Soundweb London BLU-806 and BLU-50 processors, BLU-DAN interfaces and BLUCARD modules enables flexible Dante and BLU link networking throughout the facility. Crown DCi Series and I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers power the loudspeaker system, while Soundcraft Ui16 and Ui24R digital mixers provide flexible mixing for productions, rehearsals and events.
The Result
The completed installation provides consistent audio performance across all seven performance venues while allowing the technical team to adapt routing, processing and system configuration to the needs of each production. The networked architecture simplifies system management, enabling efficient operation across multiple theaters without extensive reconfiguration between performances.
“The Tallinn City Theatre required a system that could support a wide range of productions while maintaining consistency across multiple spaces,” said Karl Erik Laas, Senior Sound Technician for Tallinn City Theatre. “The combination of JBL loudspeakers, Crown amplifiers and BSS processors provides the flexibility and control needed for both daily operation and complex performances.”
By integrating JBL Professional loudspeakers with Crown amplification, BSS processing and Soundcraft mixing, the renovation has equipped Tallinn City Theatre with a unified audio platform that supports its expanding repertoire while preserving one of Estonia's most important cultural landmarks.
