7050C Studio Subwoofer

Located on the bustling boulevard of the Avenida de República in the Saldanha district of the Portuguese capital, Mercantina Bistro 37 is the third Mercantina restaurant to open in Lisbon. The elegant building was formerly home to Café Cubana, the favourite watering hole of a coterie of Portugal’s most famous surrealist artists. Seven decades later, the interior with its striking murals and rich colours designed by architect Tiago Silva Dias, offers echoes of the building’s surrealist past. Leading Portuguese distribution and AV integration specialists, Garrett Audiovisuais, designed and installed a sophisticated zoned audio and control system across all areas of the bar and restaurant, based on Genelec 4000 Series installation loudspeakers.

According to Garrett’s Alain Pierre who managed the project, Mercantina’s owners were frequent clients at JNcQUOI – a prestigious Lisbon restaurant already equipped by Garrett using Genelec loudspeakers – and were very impressed with the audio system. “We were approached by José Bartolomé Duarte, one of the founding partners of the Mercantina brand, who asked if we could deliver a similar experience to JNcQUOI in their own new, high class Italian restaurant,” explains Pierre. “We responded to the tender with a Genelec solution which convinced the client to award us the AV contract.”

The brief was to create a multi-room, zoned solution to deliver high quality ambient sound throughout the various spaces of the restaurant, as well as the glamourous cocktail bar. The owners also wanted the possibility to create more of a ‘club’ atmosphere when required, either for Friday and Saturday nights or private parties.

The 4030s sound amazing at low levels and great when you turn it up for more of a party atmosphere.

Four zones were designated in all: firstly, the bar which is served by four powerful 4030 loudspeakers supplemented by a 7050 subwoofer. Garrett also supplied a pair of stereo audio inputs that could be fed from the DJ booth. “The 4030s sound amazing at low levels for the daytime and early evening crowd, but they are powerful enough and have sufficient low end that they sound great when you turn it up for more of a party atmosphere,” says Pierre. “When you add the sub into the mix, the whole place starts jumping!”

Garrett opted for six compact 4020 loudspeakers in the main dining area, plus a further 7050 sub for low-end extension when handling DJ performances or other sources. Single 4020 speakers have also been supplied for both Mercantina’s semi-private dining area and the private VIP room. A Xilica Neutrino A0816 audio matrix was deployed to define the zones, and level is controlled from a Xilica 7-SM touchscreen. All the other parameters have been pre-defined and locked out to ensure that neither the matrix nor the speaker system will ever be overloaded or overdriven.

“Our biggest issue was dealing with the challenging acoustics, as the restaurant occupies a beautiful old building with high ceilings – it looks good, but it’s quite hard to make it sound good!” recalls Pierre. “Ceiling height was definitely an issue, especially in the semi-private area, so we made some EQ adjustments within the audio matrix to correct the acoustic defects in the room. Combined with the room compensation controls situated on the rear panel of each loudspeaker, and of course the exceptional sound quality inherent in all Genelec loudspeakers, we have achieved excellent results.”

We have a reliable audio system that complements the aesthetics of the space.

Mercantina founding partner, José Bartolomé Duarte, confirms that the results are indeed all that he’d hoped for. “We loved what Garrett had achieved at JNcQUOI. The whole installation just oozes quality – both aesthetically and from an audio perspective. I wanted the same thing for our new Mercantina restaurant which is aimed at a similar clientele, and I’m pleased to say that Garrett has done a great job. We have a reliable audio system that complements the aesthetics of the space, sounds excellent, and is flexible and easy to use. The results are exactly what we’d hoped for.”

Nordic Choice turned to leading Swedish integrator, Informationsteknik, to design, supply and install the AV systems throughout the hotel. With offices in Stockholm and Malmö, Informationsteknik is one of Sweden’s leading suppliers of customised solutions of audio, lighting, and video technology for meeting and conference spaces. Informationsteknik had no hesitation in specifying Genelec throughout to meet the hotel’s exacting quality and aesthetic requirements.

The conference rooms are all named after the various spices that are sold at the famous Möllevångstorget market nearby. As a result, each room benefits from its own rich colour scheme according to the spice after which it is named. Cocoa, saffron and cinnamon are just some of the names that have inspired the décor.

“We deliberately chose to invest a little extra in technology in our meeting rooms as we wanted the best possible experience for our guests”

Gustav Rue from Informationsteknik’s installation sales department explains that of all the requirements specified in the brief, the need to match the technology with the décor was perhaps the most challenging. “When we were asked to find a comprehensive solution of very high quality, it emerged relatively early on that a decisive factor would be how the technology could be colour-matched to match the interior,” notes Rue. “Genelec proved to be the perfect solution, both in terms of quality and aesthetics.”

“We selected a variety of models from the 4000 Series of installation speakers depending on the size of the room,” he continues. “As far as quality is concerned, their clarity and vocal intelligibility is second to none. They are also incredibly reliable, which is important for a busy hotel conference environment. However, what really made the difference for this project was the fact that we could custom paint the speakers in absolutely any shade to precisely match the colour palette of each space. As you move from room to room, the feeling is completely seamless.”

Hotel manager Burim Sumiq is thrilled with the results. “We deliberately chose to invest a little extra in technology in our meeting rooms as we wanted the best possible experience for our guests,” he reveals. “We’re right in the centre of Malmö and only 30 minutes from Copenhagen so we’re ideally placed as a business hub.”

“We wanted to focus on sound and speaker experience, but with a special proviso: our conference rooms are really something quite special, each with a unique and carefully designed colour scheme, so it seemed important to us to find a company that could deliver a solution that could match the interior without compromising on sound quality. Our local integration partner, Informationsteknik, recommended Genelec, which I already knew to be a brand that stood for quality and fantastic sound. However, once the speakers were installed and we heard them for the first time, I was literally blown away. The sound was quite simply amazing. Best of all, it didn’t need to be excessively loud, the clarity and intelligibility at low volumes are superb, and that is really important for our guests – they don’t need to hike up the volume in order to have a great sound experience.”

Gustav Rue is delighted to have a happy client. “It’s always satisfying when the customer is happy, and in this instance it’s not just about the technology – which, in any case, is of top quality – it’s about the whole aesthetic experience, and Genelec really came through for us at every level. They are a great partner to work with – always helpful and engaged in our customer’s project, and of course, they make great-sounding loudspeakers!”

The loudspeaker sphere is based around a 3 metre diameter frame, constructed within an anechoic chamber, and utilises a network of thirty-five Genelec 8320 monitors, five 8331 three way coaxial monitors from The Ones series, plus four 7050 subwoofers to create instantly recallable sound fields ranging in format from simple stereo and 5.1 up to 22.2. The result is a one-of-a-kind environment which allows the listener to experience the acoustic conditions specific to a particular concert hall, car interior, living room or other acoustic space.

At the heart of the research project is the understanding and analysis of reverberation – what it is, how sound reacts with reflective surfaces, and how it can benefit - or detract from - the listener’s experience.

“We wanted to bring real life into the lab,” says Dr. Neo Kaplanis, a Tonmeister and lead scientist at B&O. Along with an EU-FP7 consortium, Kaplanis examined whether it is possible to compensate for reverberation effects with the goal of aiding B&O’s R&D department.

“Our acoustic memory is extremely short, and that makes it hard to remember for any length of time exactly what a particular loudspeaker sounds like,” he continues. “And when auditioning loudspeakers in a store, you have no idea what that same model would sound like in your own living room. We knew that the same loudspeakers don’t sound the same in different rooms, we just didn’t know what was different. So the idea of this project was to investigate and record the acoustics inside various spaces so that they could be easily simulated in a controlled environment.”

Kaplanis developed a new type of recording that captures the unique acoustic fingerprint of a space, and then designed a computer program that plays back sounds from those precise locations in the sphere.

The collaboration between Genelec and B&O is long-standing, according to Kaplanis’ adviser, Søren Bech, B&O Director of Research and professor at Aalborg University.

“Genelec is a highly engineering-based company with a similar philosophy to our own. We listened to several models, and decided that their SAM studio monitors would be perfect for what we are doing – recording the sound of a room, and then reproducing it so the listener can switch between either the same loudspeaker in different rooms, or the same room with different loudspeakers.”

Kaplanis adds: “We wanted a loudspeaker that was as transparent as possible – so when we send something to it, we expect it to come out exactly the same. Genelec are without doubt one of the best studio monitors you can get, and their super-controlled, wide-frequency directivity is a significant benefit for the type of work we are doing here. They are also very light and very small, and easy to place in the sphere.”

The integration of SAM monitors with Genelec’s own GLM software was central to the project, he continues: “It’s super convenient because you can update filters, select and mute individual speakers, group them, and control the volume of all of them at the same time. It’s easy to try different set-ups at the click of a button.

“Being able to test the sound of a loudspeaker in different acoustic environments in exacting detail - without physically going there - is of obvious benefit to us because we don’t have the knowledge of an individual listener’s living room conditions – but is now possible to simulate those conditions with a high degree of accuracy thanks to Genelec’s expertise in acoustic design and the precise reproduction of sound,” he concludes.

Genelec’s Senior Technologist Thomas Lund added: “With two world-class sphere facilities now within short driving distance of each other – the other one being at the University of Aalborg – Denmark has really geared up for new research and verification of results within the booming field of immersive audio. Binaural and in-room research both benefit from the point source radiation of The Ones series and GLM calibration, thereby limiting potential confounders.”

As Denmark’s oldest town and home to Maren Spliid, the country’s most famous witch, the setting is ideal for a museum that aims to tell the stories of these witches - who they were, why they were so feared, and the myths and superstitions that surrounded them. In order to create the best possible visitor experience, HEX! turned to the exhibition designers and museum technology experts - led by Johan Ahrenfeldt - at the famed Moesgaard Museum. Having recently used Genelec’s Smart IP technology with great success on one of their own recent exhibitions, Ahrenfeldt had no hesitation in recommending it for HEX!

“We wanted to create a complex soundscape for the various stories being told in each of the nine exhibition rooms,” explains Ahrenfeldt. “However, the building itself posed a few challenges as it’s an old listed building in the centre of Ribe. While this definitely adds to the atmosphere, it’s not ideal for audio-visual installations! Many of the rooms are quite small with low ceilings, so it was important that the technology remained as unobtrusive as possible, whilst nevertheless delivering a high quality experience. Genelec’s Smart IP loudspeakers were therefore an obvious choice.

Smart IP technology is a godsend to those of us who work in architecturally sensitive environments.

“Smart IP technology provides power, audio and control all over a single network cable, and is a godsend to those of us who work in architecturally sensitive environments - HEX! is a case in point,” he continues. “Furthermore, we know that Genelec is a guarantee of superlative audio quality, even at low levels, which was a requirement in this instance due to the intimacy of the environment and the proximity of the loudspeakers to the audience. Our aim was to provide linear and detailed sound reproduction that allows visitors to lose themselves in the experience without feeling overwhelmed.”

The sound design was created by the composer Søren Bendixen of Audiotect, who specialises in creating soundscapes for exhibitions. The design was prepared in the studio but mixed on-site in an iterative process. The onsite use of the Spat Revolution software engine in the mixing process made it possible to map the sound designs and adapt and benefit from the specific speaker placement in the exhibition rooms - independently of standard audio formats. Ahrenfeldt utilised a total of thirty-six 4420 Smart IP loudspeakers across the exhibition rooms supplemented by six 4020 and four 4010 installation loudspeakers and a compact 7050 active subwoofer.

“Each of the nine rooms is set up as a separate zone,” explains Ahrenfeldt. “The zones are managed and controlled via the Smart IP Manager software, which has proved both easy and efficient. We’re using QLab software and a Dante-compatible RME Digiface interface to control the 47 discrete channels and feed them to the Dante network. The playback by QLab is triggered by the main show control.

“As the rooms are all adjacent to each other with open doors, the audio separation between the zones is very poor. We needed to turn this obstacle into an opportunity. By considering the overall sound design as a composition of nine separate yet interconnected designs, the result is an auditive experience that both facilitates the mood in each individual room as well as providing a more holistic listening experience throughout the museum as a whole.”

Sonically, their superb definition and crystalline intelligibility offer a truly immersive experience.

Ahrenfeldt believes that the best audio in this type of visitor attraction is the audio that registers almost subliminally. “The last thing you want is for the soundtrack to start playing and people’s attention being instantly drawn to the source. Ideally, we don’t want people to even notice that there are loudspeakers in the room at all. Genelec’s Smart IP loudspeakers help us achieve that thanks to the minimal cabling infrastructure which reduces cost and makes for quicker, tidier and more flexible installation. Also, Smart IP’s harmonious design enables them to blend into any environment, with the useful ability to dim the on/off LED indicator on the front of the loudspeaker. Sonically, their superb definition and crystalline intelligibility enable us to create audio designs that offer a truly immersive experience and bring the exhibition to life. For HEX!, the Smart IP series was an obvious choice that helped us overcome a number of obstacles and deliver a world-class audio experience.”