When we played dialogue with no picture, the voices felt as if they were in the room with me. I’d never felt that before; it almost felt like the space between me and the screen disappeared.”
Richard MartinezVice President of Academy Theaters
Meyer Sound is proud to be featured at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ premier screening venue, which recently completed a significant upgrade to its sound system. This upgrade includes five Meyer Sound ASTRYA‑140 screen channel loudspeakers and reinforces the theater’s longstanding reputation as a leading reference environment for film presentations in the motion picture industry.
The Academy’s 1,000-seat Goldwyn Theater is regarded as one of the world’s most technically accurate screening rooms. Since opening in 1975, the venue has undergone just two other major screen channel upgrades, each marking a milestone in the evolution of cinema sound. The new Meyer Sound system continues that tradition, advancing the Academy’s commitment to presenting films exactly as their creators intend them to be heard.
“Our mission is to ensure that the Samuel Goldwyn Theater remains the gold standard for cinematic presentation,” says Brendan Connell, Jr., Chief Operating Officer of the Academy and General Counsel for the Academy Foundation. “Every upgrade is guided by a single principle: fidelity to the filmmaker’s vision. This latest installation reflects our continued investment in that ideal.”
Richard Martinez, the Vice President of Academy Theaters, emphasizes that maintaining the Goldwyn’s status as a leader in cinematic technology requires constant focus. “Consistency and evolution are considerations we evaluate daily,” he says. “The Goldwyn has always epitomized the state of the art, and we must continually address that. Technology doesn’t remain static, and neither can we.”
That commitment to progress was underscored during system evaluation and tuning. “When we played dialogue with no picture, the voices felt as if they were in the room with me,” Martinez recalls. “I’d never felt that before; it almost felt like the space between me and the screen disappeared.”
For Meyer Sound President and CEO John Meyer, the project carries both personal and professional resonance. “My fascination with cinema sound started early,” he says. “My uncle worked on Fantasia, and hearing that film as a child showed me how sound could bring storytelling to life. Years later, collaborating with Francis Ford Coppola on the theatrical presentation of Apocalypse Now proved to me how far that idea could go. Experiences like these shaped my belief that sound should reach audiences exactly as the artist intended. That’s the essence of linearity, and it’s what we’ve achieved at the Goldwyn.”
Linearity—consistent, accurate reproduction of sound across its entire range, at any amplitude—has defined Meyer Sound’s design philosophy since its founding. In cinema, where the mix is fixed and every dynamic and timbral detail must translate perfectly from the dub stage to the theater, linearity is essential.
The new system features five ASTRYA-140 screen channel loudspeakers positioned behind the projection screen. The front array delivers wide dynamic range, exceptional clarity, and seamless tonal consistency across the full width of the screen, forming the foundation for the theater’s immersive playback environment. The installation also marks the first use of Meyer Sound’s new USW‑121P high-power subwoofers. Eight units reproduce the low-frequency effects (LFE) channel, and another two units supplement surround bass management.
“ASTRYA was developed through close collaboration with Hollywood’s leading post-production engineers,” says Meyer Sound Senior Vice President John McMahon. “Its installation at the Goldwyn confirms that what mixers hear in their studios can now be experienced by audiences with the same precision and balance. It delivers a consistent, truthful sonic experience from creation to exhibition.”
For Meyer Sound, the installation at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater represents both an honor and an act of stewardship, notes Director of Cinema Marketing Mark Mayfield. “This is where filmmakers, mixers, and Academy members evaluate the work that defines cinema itself, and being entrusted with that environment sets an extraordinarily high bar. For Meyer Sound, meeting that expectation is not only a point of pride but a responsibility to deliver tools and technology that uphold the standards of the art form and help shape its future.”