After ending a 53-year wait to claim the NBA championship by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals, the New York Knicks returned home to a historic celebration in New York City.
An estimated two million people lined the streets along the Canyon of Heroes parade route to welcome the champions, in an unprecedented celebration that culminated with the symbolic presentation of the keys to the city at New York City Hall.
For an event of this scale, delivering powerful, reliable and crystal-clear sound for speeches, music playback and live performances was essential.
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Eastern Stage Productions of New York (ESP) was entrusted with the audio production for this prestigious celebration—which featured a live performance by superstar Alicia Keys—and selected a CODA Audio system to meet the demanding requirements of the event.
ESP owner Bill Danilczyk explained the choice: I chose the CODA Audio system for the Knicks celebration because of its clean and coherent sound, outstanding phase alignment, high output and compact footprint, among many other advantages. These features made it the perfect system for an application like this.
A system designed to cover a large audience
To provide coverage for the wide stage and the extensive audience area in front of City Hall, ESP deployed a CODA Audio system comprising both flown and ground-stacked elements.
The system was built around AiRAY, CODA Audio's flagship compact line array. Part of the VCA family of seamlessly compatible loudspeakers—which also includes ViRAY and CiRAY—AiRAY combines the high output of a large-scale system with the flexibility of a compact array, making it an ideal solution for a wide range of applications.
At City Hall, the two main arrays each consisted of 4 AiRAY and 6 CiRAY modules, supported by 2 sensor-controlled SCP-F 2 x 18-inch subwoofers per side.
The system was complemented by seven ground stacks, each comprising 3 AiRAY modules and a sensor-controlled SC2-F 2 x 15-inch bass extension.
The configuration was completed with:
- 4 HOPS8T high-output point source loudspeakers covering the main dais.
- 2 HOPS8 loudspeakers for backstage coverage.
- 2 HOPS12 loudspeakers as centre fills.
- 8 ultra-compact N-RAY line array modules covering the side seating area.
- 10 additional SCP-F subwoofers to ensure even low-frequency coverage.
- 6 three-way CUE FOUR stage monitors for on-stage monitoring.
The entire system was powered by 12 CODA Audio LINUS14D four-channel DSP amplifiers.
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Impeccable sound for a historic celebration
The Knicks' championship parade was an overwhelming success from both an organisational and technical standpoint. Among the many tributes paid to the team, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivered a memorable speech, followed by an uplifting performance from Alicia Keys that captivated the massive crowd.
The CODA Audio system ensured that everyone in attendance enjoyed premium sound quality, according to Bill Danilczyk:
The AiRAY loudspeakers, combined with the SC2 bass extensions, keep the PA warm while allowing the articulation of the mid-high drivers to shine. The sensor-controlled SCP-F subwoofers are incredible—they deliver deep, tight bass that allows the entire system to lock together seamlessly. Sonically, they are exceptionally smooth to the ear. CODA Audio continues to exceed my expectations time and time again for large-scale, high-profile events.
