JBL SRX Series powers Hyrox’s high-energy fitness competition tour

When HYROX, the global fitness racing competition, launched its U.S. tour in 2021, the production setup was modest: a few events, smaller venues and one JBL VRX rig. But just four years later, HYROX has exploded in popularity, with events spanning multiple days and filling over 250,000 sq ft of convention space, drawing in thousands of fans and elite athletes from around the world.

"We started that gig in the spring of 2021 when COVID was still lingering, and we only had a few events in the U.S.," said Daniel Nickleski, COO of Vantage Production Group by Sound Works and lead on the project. "Now it’s a global brand, and HYROX U.S. events alone take over massive convention centres. We needed an audio system that could scale with that growth while staying reliable and consistent."

To meet those demands, Nickleski and his team turned to the JBL SRX900 Series. The compact size, networked control, and full-range response made the SRX906LA the perfect solution to cover wide open floor plans filled with spectators, competitors, MCs and DJs. As the show scaled up, so did the rig. From just two tower lifts in the "rock zone" (where the competition happens) to now six tower lifts with four SRX906LA loudspeakers per lift, covering up to 300,000 sq ft of space with clarity.

Two of the largest HYROX events this season underscored the system’s scalability and performance. At Pier 76 in New York City, an open-air venue posed environmental challenges and required precise directional control and robust output - tasks the SRX906LA handled with ease. The HYROX World Championships 2025 at Navy Pier in Chicago pushed the system even further, transforming the sprawling convention space into a high-energy arena with powerful audio coverage throughout multiple zones.

"The client immediately noticed the difference when we switched to JBL SRX," said Nickleski. "They started saying, 'these sound great' and pointed to the towers we were using so they asked for even more.”

The team deployed JBL VRX932LA-1 loudspeakers at the finish stage and four JBL VRX918S subwoofers to energise the final moments of competition, while JBL SRX906LA towers handled the majority of the event space. With minimal acoustic treatment in large, boomy rooms, the team avoided deploying subwoofers elsewhere, instead relying on the SRX906LA’s extended low-end capabilities. "I was walking through the venue and thought I was standing near a sub," said Nickleski. "But it was just four JBL 906s on a tower 50 feet away. That’s a testament to the product."

System design was handled in JBL Venue Synthesis by systems engineer Brian Rutter, who received venue layouts from HYROX and used the software to best plan speaker positions and coverage zones. "We get Vectorworks or PDFs of each space," said Rutter. "I drop them into Venue Synthesis and figure out the best coverage without blocking sight lines or pathways. The delay finder is probably the best I’ve used, we’re within five milliseconds of perfect from the first push."

Once the system is mapped, everything is exported to JBL Performance Manager, where Rutter and the team tune each zone in real-time. The system is powered via networked Crown amplifiers and connected using Dante, with remote access to make adjustments during the event.

"With JBL, it’s not just the sound, it’s the ecosystem," said Nickleski. "JBL Venue Synthesis and Performance Manager talk to each other. We don’t have to jump between platforms like we do with other brands. It’s accurate, scalable, and makes a huge difference."

HYROX events span multiple zones, including seating for thousands, walk-around spectators, and MCs covering hundreds of feet via RF mics connected over fibre. The team’s four-person crew travels with the tour and integrates with local labour to set up audio, video and wireless coverage.

"The whole system scales beautifully," added Nickleski. "If we have a bigger room, we just send another case of JBL 906s. It clicks onto the lift and we’re up and running. And the coverage…what we model is what we hear in the venue. That’s what our client hears too."