Auri™ Brings Reliable, Inclusive Audio to Birmingham Hippodrome
Birmingham Hippodrome is one of the UK’s leading presenting theatres, welcoming over 600,000 audience members annually to a diverse programme of musicals, dance, comedy and pantomime. The venue also reaches a further 450,000 people through festivals, education and produced shows, and is home to organisations including Birmingham Royal Ballet, FABRIC, Mercury Musical Developments and One Dance UK.
With a mission to deliver extraordinary experiences and a vision to be at the heart of a world-class Birmingham cultural scene, the Hippodrome is committed to accessibility and inclusion.
In 2025, the venue upgraded its assisted listening provision with Auri™, powered by Ampetronic | Listen Technologies.
Challenge
The Hippodrome’s previous assistive listening system suffered from poor audio quality, unreliable coverage and frequent maintenance issues. These problems not only impacted the audience experience but also posed reputational risks and ongoing financial costs for upkeep and repairs.
As part of a wider renovation and accessibility upgrade, the team sought a modern solution that would deliver consistent, high-quality audio, integrate with touring sound equipment and support both venue-provided receivers and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) use.
Solution
In July 2025, Birmingham Hippodrome installed Auri™, the Auracast™ broadcast inclusive audio solution powered by Ampetronic | Listen Technologies. The system delivers show feeds from touring sound equipment for all performances, as well as audio description for select shows. Users can choose which stream to listen to using either venue-provided Auri™ receivers or their own Auracast-enabled devices.
The decision to adopt Auri™ was driven by its audio quality, low latency, Dante compatibility and ease of installation. The system is now in daily use and has significantly improved reliability, coverage
and overall accessibility.
Initial challenges around user familiarity and stream selection were addressed through staff training, clear documentation and careful naming of programme streams. While it is still early for formal feedback, the venue has received positive feedback from audiences and seen an improved maintenance time.
“We chose Auri™ because it offered the right balance of quality, flexibility and future-proofing. It’s already made a noticeable difference to our accessibility offering, and we’re confident it will continue to improve the experience for our audiences. The support from Ampetronic and Sound of Music Ltd has been excellent throughout.” David Reeve, Head of Technical Services, Birmingham Hippodrome
Result
Since its installation, the Auri™ system has become an integral part of daily operations at Birmingham Hippodrome, significantly enhancing reliability, coverage, and overall accessibility. The venue has received positive feedback from audiences and seen an improved maintenance time, indicating a positive shift in user experience and operational efficiency.
