ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Packaged arena PA system

Coliseum PA

Sunn · 1969–1971

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

Sunn, founded in 1964 by Norm and Conrad Sundholm, worked with Illinois dealer Bob Heil, who helped design and hand-build the first Coliseum PA mixer for large auditoriums. The Who switched to Sunn Coliseum PA for their US tour, debuting it in Boston on 7 August 1971.

Introduced
1969–1971
Category
Packaged arena PA system
Intended use
Arena touring sound
Production
Sunn Musical Equipment, Tualatin, Oregon, with Bob Heil

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    One of the first US packaged PA systems built to fill arenas rather than clubs.

  2. 02

    Heil's work on it launched Heil Sound's touring business.

Engineering record

Mixer development
First 8-channel Coliseum mixer hand-built by Bob Heil with Sunn engineering[2]

Original pricing

No reliable period price located

2026 equivalent

Not calculated without a reliable original price.

Public price evidence was not sufficient to publish a defensible original figure.

Use in the field

The Who debuted a Sunn Coliseum PA in Boston on 7 August 1971[1]

Manuals & original documents

No authoritative manual or original document has been located for this profile.

Sources

  1. 11971–1972 | The Who's PA & FoldbackWhotabs · archive
  2. 2Heil Sound history commentary from Bob HeilProSoundWeb forum · interview
  3. 3HistorySunn Amps · archive

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