After a warehouse A/B test against its existing rig, the national production house has put 24 VTX A8 elements to work at Hyrox and the AFL Grand Final Toyota Footy Fest.
Harry the Hirer Productions has added JBL’s VTX A Series to its audio inventory, buying 24 VTX A8 line array elements, 20 VTX B18 subwoofers, and four Crown VRack amplifier systems through MadisonAV, JBL Professional’s Australian distributor. Each VRack is fitted with three Itech 4x3500HD amplifiers.
The purchase adds a second line array brand to Harry’s offering rather than replacing an existing one. It also came after a more rigorous process than most PA buying decisions, which tend to rest on a reputation, a spec sheet, and a demo in someone else’s room.
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The conversation started within Harry’s audio team, which had been weighing a new line array and flagged the VTX A Series as worth a proper look after meeting the MadisonAV team at ISE this year. Senior account manager Rob Nickels called MadisonAV’s head of tour sound, Peter Kubow, and a demo rig was in Victoria within two days.
“He flew down and tuned it with us, basically flat out of the box, so we could hear what we would be buying,” Nickels said. “We set up and tuned an existing rig next to it. We were both surprised and happy to hear the overall performance when comparing both systems.”
The warehouse test settled the sonic question, but Harry’s wanted a live trial before committing. “We agreed that if we’re going to proceed with this purchase, let’s first get it into a production environment where we can use it, hear it, and get to know it for real,” Nickels said.
That environment was Hyrox at Sydney Showground, a five-day event across six halls plus the Dome that drew more than 28,000 visitors. In Halls Five and Six, Harry’s ran a left/right system of eight VTX A8s per side, with one flown B18 and three ground-stacked B18s per side in cardioid mode, with Kubow on hand for deployment. Nickels was also taken with the rigging. “The JBL design team have taken the time to ask themselves if there’s a better way to hang a PA,” he said. “They’ve really thought about it and made it as simple as possible, which is a massive benefit. The rigging is next level; it’s so quick and easy to use.”
With the trial a success, the order was placed. Six Harry the Hirer Productions staff were then trained and certified on the VTX A Series through HARMAN-approved training led by Kubow and Grant Embury.
A week after the PA and training were delivered, the new stock was bumped in at the AFL Grand Final Toyota Footy Fest. The festival takes over most of Yarra Park around the MCG, hosts around 65,000 people on game day, and is the start and finish point for the AFL Grand Final Parade the day before. Harry’s has provided production for the event for years, and the 2026 brief grew late in the planning process, with more locations needing PA. MadisonAV supplemented Harry’s new stock with a VTX A12 and A8 system for the Main Stage.
The Main Stage ran eight VTX A12s per side, four A8s as front fill, 14 B18 subwoofers, and an eight-element A8 delay hang behind front of house. Two Parade sites, at Grand Slam Oval and Birrarung Marr, each ran six A8s and three B18s per side, handling announcements, presentations, and a performance by The Wiggles.
The Main Stage system went up on Monday. “Within two hours, the whole thing was up,” Nickels said. “Pete Kubow from MadisonAV then joined our team to do some testing and tuning. That was around another hour and a half, and then the whole system was up and running.”
Front of house engineer Will Petts mixed the Main Stage, has worked Footy Fest before, and was in front of the VTX A Series for the first time. “We’ve had background music, a lot of announcements, MCs, and roaming microphones downstage right underneath the arrays,” he said. “We’ve had zero issues. I’ve left the system basically flat since deployment, and it’s been beautiful. The biggest standout for me is that the throw is incredible. Without the delay array on, we went for a walk, and how far it carried was beautiful.”
Nickels said the A8 fits into Harry’s inventory exactly where it’s needed. “It’s a good-looking, neat and tight box. It’s very clean, and it’s very discreet, and it’s precisely the right price point.”
For MadisonAV, Embury, its national performance audio sales and business development manager, pointed to Harry’s process as the model. “Put it next to what you already own, tune both flat, and listen. Then take it to a real show,” he said. “VTX A Series holds up to that scrutiny, and our job is to make sure the customer gets to apply it.”
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