Malaysia - Set within 13 acres of tranquil gardens, the National Mosque of Malaysia (Masjid Negara) Kuala Lumpur is an oasis of calm in the centre of the bustling capital city. With a 240ft minaret, a 16-point star on its roof, and space for up to 15,000 worshippers at any one time, the mosque is one of the best-known in Malaysia.
Since its construction in 1965, the mosque has seen several upgrades to its PA system, in both the indoor and outdoor prayer spaces, but has continued to struggle with poor intelligibility, inadequate coverage and a system that was difficult for mosque operators to manage. It wasn’t until the fourth and most recent refit using steerable loudspeakers from Renkus-Heinz and the brand’s innovative OmniBeam technology that the sound issues were fully resolved.
Leading the project was specialist AV integration and acoustic consultancy firm, Acousticon Sdn Bhd, reputed for their work in mosques and other worship spaces. “This was a highly complex project that we implemented in two phases due to scale and budget,” notes Azizi Bin Ala, Acousticon founder and technical director. “The grand design was developed in 2019 with the consultant, the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Federal Territory, utilising AES67 audio networking for improved interoperability. We opted for a Renkus-Heinz solution throughout based on the company’s strong track record of installations in Malaysia, notably at the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque in Putrajaya. Renkus-Heinz is known for performance and reliability and is endorsed by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM).”
Delivered in 2020, Phase 1 focused on bringing clear yet unobtrusive sound to the mosque’s outdoor prayer area. This was a complex task due to the narrow 80m-long covered terrace, 48 supporting pillars, and the mosque’s proximity to residential and commercial properties. To address previous system shortcomings – such as ineffective beam-steering, lack of zoning control, and overheating issues – Acousticon designed a distributed audio system from Renkus-Heinz based on 12 passive Iconyx ICX7-II mechanically steerable line arrays.
These were installed using the fixings of the previous system to comply with strict heritage regulations that prohibited further mountings on walls or pillars. Properly optimised with the help of EASE Focus 3 software, the new system provides clear, intelligible and properly contained audio throughout the prayer area.
The upgrade also introduced a Q-SYS digital control system, replacing complex manual controls with an intuitive touch panel interface – an essential improvement for staff with minimal audio training. Notably, this became the first mosque in Malaysia to implement AES67 networking, making the system both scalable and future-proof.
Phase 2 of the project – which was completed in 2024 – concentrated on improving sound within the main prayer hall, a 50m x 50m indoor space notorious for its challenging acoustics. This phase required an advanced solution: active steerable loudspeakers capable of overcoming the hall’s high reverberation time (RT60) while complying with the strict heritage preservation regulations.
Following extensive EASE modelling and sound measurement testing, active Iconyx IC24-RD digitally steerable line arrays from Renkus-Heinz proved to be the solution. Furthermore, as the IC24-RDs support multi-mode connectivity including Dante, RHAON and AES67, the integration into the digital network ecosystem implemented in Phase 1 was seamless.
“The biggest challenge was the ceiling height limitation, as it directly affects the sound throw distance,” explains Bin Ala. “As a rule of thumb, the higher a loudspeaker is mounted, the further the sound can travel. To compensate for the 5.4m ceiling height limitation inside the mosque, a loudspeaker with a movable acoustic centre is essential, ensuring that sound projection can still reach up to 50m. Restoration restrictions also meant that we couldn’t mount anything on the walls or pillars as most of the surfaces are decorated with unique imported marble.”
