The BEST Club Sound Systems In The World
Now you may be thinking; surely all clubs have great sound systems. So how could there possibly be some that are the best? Well, not all club sound systems are created equal.
Simply put, if you want to know if it’s one of the best club sound systems in the world, you’ll know.
These venues are some of the top clubs in the world, and they all have top-tier sound systems. Whether you’re going for techno, funk, disco, or house, you can rest assured that these systems will be the best to grace your ears.
Disclaimer: after attending any of these clubs, you may be subject to irreversible rejection of shitty sound systems (you’ve been warned!).
On a more serious note, these systems can leave you with ringing ears the day after. It’s always a great idea to protect your ear holes. Loop makes a great product that keeps your ear drums insulated but doesn’t compromise on sound quality.
Loop Experience Earplugs
🔇Reduce the noise, keep the quality: Up to 18 dB of filtered noise reduction 🕺 Designed to stay put: No matter how much you dance or move ♻️ Reusable & easy to clean: Use them day in, day out
🏖️ The Block, Tel Aviv
The Block was designed with sound in mind. The entire premise of the club was to be built around a great sound system. You know it’s going to be good when sound is the primary focus.
Founder Yaron Trax was laughed at by club owners in Tel Aviv for wanting to put money into their sound systems. Thus, prompting him to start his own club.
The Block that opened in 2008 was then relocated in 2011 and became The Block Mk II. A former cinema made it the perfect location for European techno and thus put Tel Aviv on the map as a music destination.
What makes The Block so unique is that it has a custom rotary mixer. It works particularly well for house music, but some DJs have chosen not to play at The Block for this reason in the past.
It seems the loss is on them as the likes of Nina Kraviz has called this her favourite venue to play at.
The Block is a shining beacon of how music can connect. In a country like Israel, that’s more often in the news for negative stories; inside The Block, everyone gets along no matter where they’re from.
🚋 Lux Frágil, Lisbon
Portugal’s most internationally acclaimed venue resides in Lisbon’s dock. Since its opening in 1998, it has seen many refits and overhauls of its sound system, supplied by Funktion-One and XTA. So you can expect big names, both in DJs and attendance. It’s a hugely popular spot in Lisbon that you’ll not want to miss.
The upstairs dance floor is another tricky venue for acoustics, but Lux Frágil has managed to accommodate the cement and glass and provide one of the best club sound systems.
After a significant upgrade in 2015, Lux Frágil holds its place firmly on the list.
🏰 Berghain, Berlin
The techno Mecca. While some tourists come to Berghain to gawk at Berliners doing their thing, you know the locals are here for the music.
Berghain’s sound system is one the best in the world – Funktion-one. They also have another system in their Panorama Bar by Studt-Akustik. The reason they’ve chosen to separate systems is for the acoustics in the refurbished power plant. Unsurprisingly glass, tiles and concrete make acoustics a bit tricky. However, they’ve managed to make the sound work in this incredibly epic venue.
It’s unclear what the sound system is in Lab.Oratory (their male-only club), but to be honest, you may be otherwise preoccupied with the other two world-class systems inside blasting techno and house in your direction.
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The Berghian Sound System
💂 Fabric, London
The hallmark venue of the UK’s capital. Fabric has different sound systems for its dance floors.
Room 1 is the Bodysonic dancefloor which has a vibrating floor emitting the lowest frequencies for people to feel them through their feet. You can feel these frequencies through your entire body while you dance. This collaboration with Martin Audio Rig easily makes it one of the best club sound systems in the world.
Room 2 saw the partnership of Fabric with a Pioneer Pro Audio sound system. It’s an impressive set-up including subwoofers, full-range speakers, and Powersoft amplifiers which help fill Fabrics’ space.
🍁 Stereo, Montreal
Primarily featuring house and techno, this staple has become famous for its sound system and, just like Fabric, a loyal following.
Its world-class line-ups have kept the dance floor packed, and any self-proclaimed audiophile needs to ensure they make their way to Stereo. So what’s special about Stereo? It’s an after-hours venue that doesn’t sell alcohol – which means it only attracts people there for the music.
Modelled on New York City’s Paradise Garage, DJ Angel Moraes opened Stereo, with sound being the essential facet. He built and designed the custom sound system, and the rest is history. A club created by a DJ, for the people – what could be better?
🗽 Quantum, NYC
In the industrial area of Brooklyn, New York, you’ll find Quantum. It underwent an extensive sound and visual overhaul before being rebranded as Quantum in 2019.
The sound system overhaul was orchestrated by Brian Wilson and included additional bass drivers. Brian Wilson has been involved in some impressive sound installations over the years, including Womb (Tokyo) and Stereo (Montreal). So you can be sure that Quantum has one of the best club sound systems.
The club has started to bring in some more prominent names from the European techno circle, but it remains committed to its underground roots. Like Berghain, they don’t charge insane door cover or drinks, and its commitment remains to offer excellent sound.
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🗼 Rex Club, Paris
An electronic music institution. The basement of the Grand Rex has been welcoming revellers since the 1930s. However, it wasn’t until 1988 that the club focused its attention on 100% electronic music.
As one of the oldest clubs in the world, this venue has stood the test of time and managed to keep ahead of the curve.
In the basement, you can hear some of the tastiest house offerings through 70 speakers. That’s right, 70!
DJs can blast their sound throughout the entire space, unencumbered. The legendary Laurent Garnier pioneered the setup.
🏝️ Hï, Ibiza
Located on the hallowed ground of the former Ibiza superclub, Space. It was refurbished in 2017 to become Hï. The Ushuaïa group fronted the money for the makeover so that patrons make the short walk from their daytime events to post-midnight shenanigans at Hï
Hï immediately made a name for itself with residencies of Black Coffee and Armin Van Buuren. Only systems worth their salt will bring in big names in their first year of opening.
The main dance floor showcases not only state of the art design but a glorious sound system to match. Prepare to have your senses treated, as everything has been carefully curated to make sure you have a great time.
The owners ditched Spaces’ Funktion-One system and decided to go for the more rounded L-Acoustics system. Hï has the same system used in Ushuaïa, which shows it has plenty of depth; the former being indoors and the latter outdoors, the experience is entirely different.
Undoubtedly, L-Acoustics is one of the world’s top audio manufacturers, with two Ibiza staples showcasing its versatility.
🎶 Despacio, pop up system
Now, this is an exciting one. Arguably leading the pack as a self-proclaimed custom built disco sound system.
Driven by eight McIntosh stacks designed by James Murphy and John Klett and aptly named Despacio (meaning slowly in Spanish) aims to play nothing faster than 120 bpm.
For vinyl only, this is a sonic experience like no other. So for those who don’t know what analogue means, you’re looking at it.
Despacio only appears at very select events that align their sound at a slower tempo. And the quality of sound is never compromised. Instead, its entire inception has been focused on perfecting sound production.
Their first commission was the Manchester International Festival (MIF), which drew inspiration from Paradise Garage. It started with reconstituting McIntosh amps and working from there with the help of fellow audiophile pals.
Thus through determination and commitment to excellence, Despacio has earned its reputation as one of the best and certainly most unique sound systems in the world.
💭 Final Thoughts
And there they are, in no particular order, the best club sound systems in the world. These venues will once again delight your eardrums. Ensure you can enjoy them for years to come by investing in a pair of Loop’s Experience earplugs.
Loop Experience Earplugs
🔇Reduce the noise, keep the quality: Up to 18 dB of filtered noise reduction 🕺 Designed to stay put: No matter how much you dance or move ♻️ Reusable & easy to clean: Use them day in, day out