If there’s one place that represents ground zero for competitive fitness, it’s Gold’s Gym Venice Beach. Known worldwide as the Mecca of Bodybuilding, this legendary gym is more than just a place to train—it’s a cultural institution. For nearly 60 years, Gold’s Gym has welcomed elite athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and everyday lifters, all training in a space where history is literally built into the walls. Murals, framed photos, and memorabilia—from Mr. Olympia champions to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic Terminator jacket—make every workout a connection to the gym’s storied past.
When RSG Group, one of the world’s leading fitness companies, acquired Gold’s Gym in 2020, it took on the responsibility of modernizing an icon while preserving its soul. One of the biggest challenges? The audio system. The existing setup was outdated and couldn’t keep up with the high-energy intensity of the space. But replacing it wouldn’t be easy. Gold’s Gym Venice Beach isn’t just iconic—it’s the busiest gym in the world, serving almost 7,000 members. Shutting down for renovations wasn’t an option. And with every wall covered in irreplaceable memorabilia, they needed a seamless solution that wouldn’t interfere with the gym’s visual and cultural identity.
Check out the exclusive video tour of the outstanding AV installed at Gold’s Gym Venice Beach below.
For Tom Breu, Director of Music Programming & AV Integration at RSG Group, the objective was more than just upgrading speakers—it was about redefining the sound experience at Gold’s Gym. “In the fitness space, sound is an essential component,” said Breu. “You want to be fired up. You want to be motivated. Music drives the workout experience. That’s why we took a unique approach—one that required the best technology available.”
With that in mind, the RSG team established three key goals for the new system:
Immersive but unobtrusive audio—Crystal-clear sound that enhances workouts without overpowering the space or causing a distraction.
Seamless aesthetic integration—A design that blends into the gym’s historic environment, avoiding obtrusive speakers or visible wiring.
Even, consistent coverage—No dead spots. Whether inside or outside, members should experience the same motivating energy.
About the Bose Professional Solution
For a project as significant as Gold’s Gym Venice Beach, RSG Group turned to a trusted partner—Mountain Media, a longtime Bose Professional dealer with over 40 years of experience in AV integration. Patrick Carrigan, President of Mountain Media, had worked on numerous RSG Group projects, but Venice Beach was something special. He described it as “the prize.”
“It’s the most iconic gym in the world,” he said. “When we got the chance to design the audio system here, it was an absolute yes.”
Mountain Media had a clear vision—to create a seamless and immersive audio experience using Bose Professional EdgeMax loudspeakers as the foundation.
EdgeMax: The Perfect Fit for Gold’s Gym
The EdgeMax series was the ideal solution for Gold’s Gym’s intense, high-energy environment. Designed to provide the clarity of surface-mounted speakers in a compact, ceiling-mounted design, EdgeMax met both aesthetic and sonic needs. Carrigan explained, “EdgeMax is awesome for so many applications, especially if you know how to properly tune it. In-ceiling speakers used to be for convenience, not to make music sound great. EdgeMax changes that.”
Another advantage of EdgeMax is its directional sound projection, which allowed Mountain Media to tailor the audio experience based on gym layout and member movement. Tom Breu emphasized how crucial this was: “We discovered that the best experience comes when people have the sound coming from in front of them—not behind. If you’re running on a treadmill, you don’t want the music blasting behind you like someone’s chasing you. You want the sound in front of you, leading the way.” By designing the system so that each machine and walkway had even, immersive coverage, the team ensured that music flowed naturally with movement throughout the space.
Adapting EdgeMax for Open Ceilings
But there was one major obstacle. EdgeMax was designed for recessed ceilings, and Gold’s Gym Venice Beach had open, industrial ceilings with no easy way to mount them. “The guys at Mountain Media love a good challenge,” Breu recalled. “They’re so creative in solving problems and coming up with out-of-the-box ideas. They designed a custom box enclosure that allowed us to hang EdgeMax like pendant speakers.”
By suspending the EdgeMax speakers, Mountain Media successfully adapted the technology to an environment it wasn’t originally designed for—and the results exceeded expectations. Carrigan explained how they took the idea even further: “We designed a light, compact, and shippable encasement for EdgeMax. Now, this solution isn’t just for Venice Beach—we can send it to Gold’s and other RSG gyms around the world.”
Power Meets Precision in the Gym’s Iconic Outdoor Spaces
Gold’s Gym Venice Beach isn’t just famous for its indoor training areas—it also features an expansive outdoor workout space. This area allows members to lift weights under the California sun and in front of the iconic “green wall,” creating an experience that few gyms in the world can offer.
For the outdoor areas, Mountain Media deployed Bose Professional AMU series loudspeakers, designed to deliver full-range background sound with outstanding clarity and durability. However, the outdoor location came with another challenge—controlling the volume at different times of the day.
Since the gym is located in a residential neighborhood, blasting music at 5 a.m. wasn’t an option. At the same time, some longtime Gold’s members have a tradition of working out early in a quiet environment surrounded by the sound of birds, crickets, and dropping weights—so music has to be gradually introduced as the day progresses.
Breu, who started his career in music programming at MTV and later at Europe’s biggest radio station, approached this preference in a very mindful way, using Bose Professional ControlSpace Designer software and the ControlSpace EX-1280 digital signal processor to find a solution. “In most gyms, the music just turns on and off,” he explained. “But here, we created an automation system that gradually increases the volume throughout the morning and adjusts it throughout the day. That way, we keep the neighbors happy while catering to different groups of members.”
Precision Tuning and Troubleshooting with ControlSpace Designer
With multiple zones and distinct indoor and outdoor sound environments, the ability to fine-tune and control the system remotely was essential. Bose Professional ControlSpace provided the perfect solution. “ControlSpace strikes a great balance between simplicity and functionality,” Breu said. “It’s still, in my opinion, one of the best tools in the industry.”
To ensure seamless integration and precise control, the audio system at Gold’s Gym Venice Beach is powered by a Bose Professional ControlSpace EX-1280C processor with Dante networking. The setup features an extensive wiring system leading to an air-conditioned amplifier room housing eight PowerMatch PM8500N amplifiers.
With direct Dante wiring and interfaces, the system minimizes extra connections while ensuring reliable, streamlined operation. Additional inputs are strategically placed for flexibility: a microphone input downstairs, an outdoor DJ input at the back, and an indoor DJ input near the front for portable setups—all seamlessly connected via Dante for efficient signal distribution and control.
Mountain Media was able to balance individual speakers based on their placement—ensuring the best possible audio experience throughout the gym. Robert Cacciatore, AV Systems Programmer at Mountain Media, described the approach. “With almost every speaker on its own line, we have incredible control over the system,” he said. “We can walk the entire gym and fine-tune the balance for different areas—walkways, workout spaces, and more.”
The cloud-based control system also allows for remote troubleshooting and adjustments, reducing downtime. Breu noted how invaluable this feature is: “I can be anywhere, and if something needs adjusting, I can just log in remotely and fix it. No need to physically be there—everything is custom-tuned.”
Building the Perfect Soundscape with Bose Modeler
To ensure optimal speaker placement before installation, the team used Bose Modeler software to design the entire system virtually. Cacciatore explained, “As a system designer, you typically use walls, ceilings, and floors to determine speaker placement. But at Gold’s Gym, the walls are covered in memorabilia—we couldn’t just place speakers wherever we wanted. Modeler helped us find solutions without disrupting the space.”
Using Modeler, the team was also able to predict how sound would behave in the space, avoiding issues like excess bass buildup and ensuring even coverage across all areas. This greatly reduced valuable time spent commissioning and tuning the system on site. “For Tom, it needs to sound musical and dynamic, first and foremost,” related Cacciatore. “His top priorities are clear, high-quality sound and seamless, even coverage that doesn't require high volume. With the Modeler program, you can see how the speakers interact and move things around to eliminate problems before anything is ever installed.”
Modeler also helped the team make adjustments in real-time without impacting the gym’s aesthetic. “Using Bose Professional software, between ControlSpace Designer and Modeler, we can design anything,” said Cacciatore. “All we had to do is maybe drop the wattage a little bit and turn the speaker a certain way and we made it work without blocking any of the iconic stuff on the walls.”
“With Modeler, we can literally show the client how their space will sound before we even install a single speaker,” added Carrigan. “It’s a game-changer.”
Working with Bose Professional: A True Partnership
Beyond the technology, the project's success was also a result of the strong partnership between RSG Group, Mountain Media and Bose Professional. “The Gold’s Gym project far exceeded any of our expectations,” said Carrigan. “We wouldn't be doing what we're doing now if it wasn't for the people at Bose Professional,” he continued. “The Bose Professional team works hard to keep our relationship thriving.”
Cacciatore added that Bose Professional’s openness to collaboration made a significant impact. “Dealing with Bose Professional over the years, we push the product to places that they didn't expect it to be pushed to,” he explained. “Even when we’re using Bose Professional products in unorthodox applications, the engineering team is always happy to work with us, and we’ve shared some innovative ideas with each other. You can always get a Bose Professional tech on the phone and things work out great. I’m very happy with the service we get. And that’s been big.”
The Strongest Gym, with the Strongest Sound
Since Gold’s Gym operates 5 a.m. to midnight, the entire installation had to be completed after hours, which required precise execution. “We had to keep the old system in place and operational, and work around all of the existing equipment,” Cacciatore recalled. “Once the new install was completed, we had to switch over in a matter of hours—and it had to sound better immediately.”
And it did. “The sound was perfect right from the minute we turned it on,” Cacciatore said.
With a new cutting-edge Bose Professional system built around EdgeMax, the legendary Gold’s Gym Venice Beach now delivers an audio experience as powerful as the athletes who train there. Breu summed it up nicely: “After remodeling the whole space with Bose Professional products, we don’t just have the strongest people—we also have the strongest sound.”
