Cinema comes in many shapes and sizes, but one constant that transcends genres, directors, and venues is audio. It’s the invisible force that carries emotion, builds tension, and brings stories to life. Yet without high-quality audio, even the most visually stunning film can fall flat. Since 1928, the Shaw Theatres has set the standard for cinematic excellence in Singapore — a legacy built on exceptional experiences that keep audiences coming back.
Today, Shaw Brothers is one of Singapore’s oldest and most trusted cinema brands, operating eight locations that offer a diverse range of viewing formats. More than just destinations to watch the latest releases, these cinemas are carefully engineered environments where picture and sound work in perfect harmony. For Shaw, the moviegoing experience is multifaceted, from what you see to what you hear to how it makes you feel.
Shaw Theatres Lido and Shaw Theatres JEM, two of the most popular Shaw Theatres locations, decided it was time to upgrade their audio systems and contacted Lee Chew Kai, Director/Business Leader, Goldenduck Asia Pte. Ltd., to select and install new amplifiers to support the individual theaters at both locations. Since the LEA Connect Series of two-, four-, and eight-channel amplifiers is the most feature-rich in the industry, Lee recommended them to help the cinemas achieve their goal of immersive audio.
“LEA’s advanced performance and technology offer the best experience to cinema goers,” said Lee. “Space constraints are also a common challenge in boothless cinema setups, so LEA’s compact footprints are another benefit that helps us significantly reduce rack space without compromising performance.”
Goldenduck installed 9 Connect Series 354, 49 Connect Series 704, and 19 Connect Series 1504 amplifiers to power the 19 theaters across both locations.
The CS354 is a 4-channel amplifier with 350 watts per channel, while the 4-channel CS704 offers 700 watts per channel, and the 4-channel CS1504 provides 1500 watts per channel. All amplifiers in the Connect Series are professional-grade, IoT-enabled smart amplifiers suitable for installations of any size. They support both Hi-Z (70V or 100V) and Lo-Z, selectable by channel, eliminating the need for separate amplifiers to handle different speaker impedances, while streamlining installations and reducing equipment costs. The Connect Series also includes 96kHz DSP as a standard feature, providing a range of benefits that greatly enhance audio performance and system versatility.
Goldenduck’s team used LEA’s free SharkWare software to configure a base profile and push it to all pre-staged LEA amplifiers. SharkWare includes amplifier grouping, offline design, granular user access control levels, locked speaker tunings, and a graphical EQ. SharkWare also allows users to monitor the status of every amplifier connected to the network, as well as the status and performance of individual channels. In addition, the software allows users to view and adjust channel settings, including input settings, signal generator, crossover, equalizer, limiter, and load monitoring, for all LEA Professional Connect Series amplifiers.
The Connect Series delivers an industry-first professional amplifier family to feature cloud connectivity, a revolutionary advancement, and a significant benefit for anyone maintaining the systems. With LEA Cloud, AV teams like Goldenduck can remotely control and monitor amplifiers from anywhere, at any time, and with no subscription model or hidden costs. It’s completely free to use.
WebUI functions as a simple on-site control interface, offering integrators and end users an easy-to-use platform to view and adjust channel settings, ranging from load monitoring to EQ adjustments, through any standard web browser. For AV companies like Goldenduck, WebUI streamlines on-the-spot testing and modifications, enabling efficient system setup and fine-tuning during system installation.
Since upgrading to LEA amplifiers, audiences have enjoyed enhanced sound quality with clearer, more immersive audio at every screening. With real-time monitoring capabilities, the team can actively track system performance to ensure the consistent, high-quality sound that movie-goers expect.
“Our audiences expect the best, and LEA Connect Series delivers exactly that — advanced performance and rock-solid reliability that keep every theater sounding flawless,” said Terence Heng, Vice President, Innovation at Shaw Theatres. “It was the clear choice for elevating audio across our cinemas.”
