The PANTHER system from Meyer Sound leads the Montreux Jazz Festival Miami 2025 with sold-out tickets. As the global official sound partner, it guarantees unparalleled audio quality for the second U.S. edition of this iconic event.
The second Montreux Jazz Festival Miami made a triumphant return this March, selling out its three-day run at The Hangar in Regatta Harbour and offering an electrifying mix of world-class performances.
Featuring a dazzling lineup headlined by Jon Batiste, Janelle Monáe, Chaka Khan, WILLOW, Cimafunk, and a stellar Afro-Cuban jam session, the festival once again transported the essence of Montreux to the shores of Biscayne Bay; this time, with an expanded audience and a new benchmark in sound performance, thanks to Meyer Sound’s large-format PANTHER line array speaker system.
As the global official sound partner for the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and Miami, Meyer Sound delivered a world-class audio experience that met the high expectations set by the festival’s legendary history.
This year’s festival also marked the Miami debut of PANTHER, which delivered powerful and crisp sound at MJF Miami’s official venue, The Hangar. Originally built in 1918 as the first continental naval air base, The Hangar is a vast 1,860‑square‑meter building with corroded metal walls, concrete floors, and expansive windows, posing acoustic challenges.
For the second consecutive year, Peter Diaz Productions collaborated with Meyer Sound’s technical team to design and install a sound system that overcame reverberations, managed bass frequencies, and optimized coverage throughout the venue.
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Initially, we planned to use PANTHER in larger outdoor venues, but this time it allowed us to optimize the system by using fewer speakers without compromising sound clarity, says Peter Diaz, owner of Peter Diaz Productions.
The main system was complemented by six PANTHER speakers per side, along with two cardioid arrays composed of three 2100‑LFC low‑frequency control elements, which delivered deep and controlled bass. Nine ULTRA‑X40 speakers were strategically positioned as downfills and delays to ensure complete venue coverage, including VIP areas. Meyer Sound’s new and versatile ULTRA‑X80 point‑source speakers made their debut at MJF Miami, functioning as side fills, supported by 900LFC low‑frequency control elements used both as side fills and drum fills.
The festival’s outdoor patio area featured vinyl‑only DJ sessions, organized by local bar Dante's Hi‑Fi; the stage was backed by two twin sets of four compact LEO PAR D line array speakers and two 900‑LFC low‑frequency control elements. "And we spread four groups of 900‑LFC low‑frequency control elements paired with ULTRA‑X40 throughout the venue. We transmitted the audio from the interior to the exterior, and vice versa", explains Diaz.
Both the indoor and outdoor stages featured high‑power monitors MJF‑210 and MJF‑212A, and the systems were managed via Galileo's GALAXY 816 network platforms.
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For visiting engineers, mixing with PANTHER was an astonishing experience. Justin Niles, FOH engineer for headliner Janelle Monáe, had the opportunity to mix with PANTHER in two very different environments: outdoors in Montreux and indoors at The Hangar in Miami. The adaptability of the system proved essential in delivering a consistent and high‑fidelity sound in both settings.
In Switzerland, the environment favored my mix, while at The Hangar in Miami the room was very reflective. However, Meyer Sound’s technicians made adapting to these two very different environments easy and hassle‑free, he comments.
Niles praised the clarity, linearity, and ability of PANTHER to reproduce every nuance of Monáe's extensive set.
"From trap and rap beats to trumpet solos, virtually everything expected in a show of this caliber is delivered: from every 808 hit to every whisper that Janelle emits into the microphone. Having a speaker of such high fidelity provides complete transparency and the necessary reinforcement for shows like this; it did so effortlessly. PANTHER is such a small box, yet it has so much power that I will never feel limited. Combined with the 2100‑LFC, that PA system is perfect. Of course, volume is not what makes a speaker sound good up close, but it helps ensure linearity at a distance, which is crucial for every seat in the room to sound the same", he concludes.
The resounding success of this second edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival Miami highlights its growing momentum, with festival organizers already looking toward 2026.
"Meyer Sound is essential to the sonic identity of Montreux, and their partnership ensures that every festival event meets the highest standards of audio excellence", states the co‑president of Montreux Jazz Festival Miami, Jeremy Arditi.
We are thrilled with how PANTHER elevated the sound this year and look forward to continuing to break barriers as the festival evolves. Montreux has always meant extraordinary music and an unwavering commitment to sound quality, and we are proud to have been part of that tradition for nearly four decades. This partnership is not just about technology, but about creating moments where artists and audiences connect on a deep level. We are excited to see Montreux thrive in Miami and look forward to many more unforgettable shows in the future, declares Helen Meyer, Executive Vice President of Meyer Sound.
