Hear me, see me, feel me: The future of superyacht sound and vision

From £1.5 million art-piece loudspeakers to immersive cinema experiences that transform a yacht’s saloon into a concert hall, audio-visual technology at sea is entering a new golden age. Steve May explores the world’s most extraordinary superyacht sound and vision systems – and the innovations pushing the limits of luxury entertainment...

A yacht may let you explore the world, but peerless sound and vision can let you escape it entirely. Music and movies are able to move you in ways that waves simply can’t. Combine the two, and you have the best of both worlds.

While quality AV systems are becoming increasingly common at sea, true reference-grade setups go far beyond multi-deck background music and weatherproof speakers. We’re talking about music speakers more objets d’art than hi-fi and amplification that makes an Aston Martin look positively cheap.

Based in Geneva, audio auteur Goldmund shares the same passion for precision as its neighbours, luxury watch brands Patek Philippe and Richard Mille. Goldmund specialises in jaw-dropping loudspeakers like the Gaia (£500,000 per pair), and Apologue (£1.5 million).

The latter is its most famous creation. There’s a set in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and its most recent iteration is a collaboration with luxury French trunk maker Pinel et Pinel and street artist Cyril Kongo. Limited to just 20 pairs, each Z-frame speaker features unique hand-applied artwork.

Rather more modest, the Gaia is a collaboration with French designer Cécile Barani. Each tower stands 2.1 metres tall, weighs 395 kilograms and houses eight drivers, including dual 12-inch woofers, able to drop bass notes to a punishing 18.5Hz. Powered by Telos amplification, the Gaia devotes 300W for midrange and tweeters and 350W for bass woofers. That’s more than enough to fill even the grandest of sky lounges.

Danish loudspeaker maker Audiovector also courts the elite. Its R 10 Arreté (£127,500 per pair) balances form and function with an exotic teardrop-shaped cabinet, innovative Air Motion Transformer tweeters able to create an ethereal sense of presence and a bruising bass array comprising eight rear-facing five-inch cones.

I listened to a system, partnered with carefully curated amplification from fellow Swiss brand Soulution, totalling more than £140,000, and, yes, they do sound sensational.

If you’re worried that such towers may claim too much space on the upper deck, Audiovector also has the more compact Trapeze, which features a distinctive lop-sided cabinet, for a tad less, £17,500 plus electronics.

Alternatively, if high gloss is your jam, Danish luxury audio brand DALI has just revamped its flagship KORE hi-fi speaker with some fabulous new high-gloss finishes, including Velvet Red, Navy Blue, Steel Grey, and (my favourite) Racing Green. Priced at £100,000 a pair and fabulously over-engineered, each KORE speaker weighs 160 kilograms apiece (34 kilos of which is just for the resin plinth). 

Reassuringly, behind all the fancy lacquer is some leading-edge engineering. That includes Balanced Drive SMC technology, said to dramatically lower harmonic distortion and boost dynamics, a custom-built seven-inch midrange driver and the EVO-K hybrid tweeter that combines a 35mm dome with a new ribbon element for exquisite high-frequency detail.

If your yacht has a more classical aesthetic, then consider the latest addition to JBL’s flagship Summit Series. Taking its name from a Himalayan peak, the new Makalu is more 1970s retro (think Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin and the Eagles). The three-way floorstander is built around a 12-inch woofer and an eight-inch midrange driver.

As is JBL’s wont, the Makalu features a patented D2 compression driver mated to an HDI (High-Definition Imaging) Sonoglass horn, designed to maintain precision and detail even at high volumes. The cabinet is offered in deep ebony veneer and gold accents or a high-gloss piano black finish paired with platinum detailing. Decisions, decisions. More importantly, the sound they make is fat and juicy. They’re priced at £36,998 a pair.

Of course, installing high-end sound and vision at sea is often no simple task. Glass, steel and space-saving stairwells can conspire against audio visual nirvana.

I stepped on board a wallywhy200 upgraded with a bespoke AV system designed by Italian loudspeaker specialist Sonus faber and legendary audio American electronics brand McIntosh, famed for its retro-inflected VU meters and blue LED accents. The project is an inspirational showcase of what’s possible when design and technology meet, regardless of relative space constraints. This 27-metre vessel has windows everywhere. It offers big views and an abundance of natural light and features a one-piece laminated carbon staircase linking the decks. The solution? Seamless integration into furniture, walls and cabinetry.

The yacht boasts three distinct cinema zones. In the master cabin, a pop-up 4K TV is flanked by five Sonus faber in-ceiling speakers, a hidden subwoofer and McIntosh amplification. The upper saloon offers a 65-inch Sony OLED that rises from custom cabinetry, paired with bulkhead-mounted speakers. Blinds help combat glare and reflections. On the main deck, two imposing custom Sonus faber towers anchor a fully cinematic 5.1 system, their presence matched by seven channels of McIntosh power.

As it wasn’t possible to place a centre speaker on the main deck, virtualisation tech was used to manipulate the output to make it sound like there is one. I sat back for some Top Gun: Maverick action. It was so effective, you’d never know   there was no actual speaker handling dialogue. The full installation? Somewhere north of £300,000, I was told.

Marine integrator Videoworks recently equipped the Custom Line Navetta 38 Telli, owned by Alberto Galassi, CEO of Ferretti Group, with an all-bells-and-whistles AV system, but took a rather different approach. It opted for an £8,300 Bang & Olufsen Beosound Theatre soundbar, the gold standard when it comes to all-in-one sound systems. 

This bar is an 800W powerhouse with 12 drivers and ship-inspired styling. The team partnered this with an eye-catching Beolab 19 dodecahedron-shaped subwoofer (£3,500), with TV services served by a Sky Italy streaming decoder and Smart TV app.

Because the brief mandated that the system should not require satellite TVRO domes, the team opted for twin Starlink Maritime antennas and 5G modems, able to offer the crew network speeds up to 220Mbps.

Delivering a genuinely big-screen cinema experience at sea invariably requires considerable invention. As Stefan van Hamburg of ONEXP told me, while video walls can be spectacular, they need to harmonise with designer interiors. 

“A video wall that is turned off is just a large black surface,” he says. “Currently we see more and more foldable mechanisms suitable for 140-inch screens and up – but it always remains a close collaboration with the shipyard and designer to truly make a lift mechanism part of the surroundings.”

This led ONEXP to develop the Daybed, after a client requested an open-air cinema experience at night that didn’t block the view by day. When the screen is folded away, the housing doubles as the perfect sunbed.

Choosing the right technology for high-end AV is crucial, says van Hamburg. “Outdoor brightness and contrast can make the difference between a screen that is only usable in the evening and night, and a screen that also allows daytime viewing,  for example when watching the Monaco F1.”

Of course, some boat owners might want something even more remarkable. L-Acoustics hopes to change the immersive entertainment game with Hyperreal Immersive Sound Space (HYRISS) technology.

The company has found success in the marine market with its deployable Syva range of sound systems. These sleek, modular systems are popular for beach club use and deliver high-quality audio poolside, but HYRISS is far more ambitious.

Using discreet speakers and adaptive processing, the technology can change a room’s acoustic character in real time. Shut your eyes and it can turn a dining area into a jazz lounge or even a symphony hall by altering the very characteristics of sound and room acoustics. It may not quite emulate Star Trek’s holodeck, but HYRISS comes close, at least from a sonic point of view.

This isn’t the same as placing a few in-wall speakers for background music, stresses the inventor. HYRISS uses a grid of precisely mapped loudspeakers, often concealed within architectural details. As Nick Fichte, L-Acoustics business development director, home & yacht, explains: “With HYRISS, you can move a stereo or immersive source to anywhere in space without limitations.

“We know there are recording studios on board some yachts,” Fichte says. “By being able to change the acoustic properties of a space, it could become a place for listening to live musicians performing, making it sound as if they are performing in a concert hall.” L-Acoustics says it is currently working closely with clients to develop HYRISS systems for superyacht use.

Headquartered in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, ONEXP, is on a similar track. This self-described boutique integrator of AV and IT systems has carved a niche when it comes to delivering state-of-the-art sound and vision systems on new builds and refits.

But even more innovative ideas are brewing. Currently in development at ONEXP is a fully immersive proposition with high-res video displays, surround sound and reactive sensors to simulate ocean life, art galleries or even daylight in lower-deck cabins.

While it has yet to execute its full vision (which I’m told could be something like the Sphere in Las Vegas), a spokesperson confided that it had already installed a fully immersive corridor on one of its projects, complete with interactive LED screens on the walls and surround sound.

Whether your idea of escape is a private concert in the saloon, a cinematic evening around the pool or a lounge able to transform into a symphony hall, today’s AV technicians are ready and able to oblige. Perhaps ultimately, indulgence isn’t just about opulence, it’s about experience. No compromises accepted.

First published in the August 2025 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.