The Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition park is the largest in France, and hosts upwards of 120 trade shows each year including the Paris Motor Show. With a diverse and high-profile array of exhibitions to accommodate, the venue’s sound system needs to be equally capable and, when the venue’s largest pavilion – the 7,000sq-m Hall 1 – required an upgrade, APG’s Uniline Compact was chosen as the key component.

The audio system in the venue was devised after as an electro-acoustic study undertaken by LM Ingénierie Audiovisuel (LMI AV), with the equipment supplied and installed by Belgian company Inytium. Partner and LM Ingénierie Audiovisuel Project Manager Tristan Hoël-Bâcle collaborated with Project Manager Charlotte Brassart on the installation.

‘Our diagnostic work began with an audit of the existing set-up in Hall 1, which consisted of an acoustic (noise and reverberation time) and electroacoustic (sound pressure level and intelligibility) measurement process,’ says Hoël-Bâcle. ‘Following this diagnosis, we created a calibrated digital acoustic model, allowing us to propose what we deemed to be the best possible solutions. This modelling approach allowed us to differentiate ourselves and explore both the technical and financial requirements of the project.’

The system had to be discrete, but still be able to guarantee a high level of intelligibility with regard to the acoustics of the rooms, as well as a sufficient level of musicality when necessary. To achieve this, the team specified 48 APG UC206W boxes to be arranged in 12 clusters of four speakers.

‘The Uniline Compact boasts a number of advantages that were critical to the success of this integration, including its low weight and compact dimensions, along with the excellent level of intelligibility, not to mention the performances of the system which helped us to achieve a homogeneous result all across the venue,’ says Inytium Project Manager, Xavier Goffin.

This system is complemented by 12 Ray-On column speakers from APG sister company Active Audio, which are to be used primarily as a VA and evacuation voice message system: ‘LM Ingénierie Audiovisel and Inytium have both done a remarkable integration job. Hall 1 has very large dimensions – 120m x 60m x 25m (height) – and features a lot of reflective concrete surfaces and a canopy ceiling,’ says APG Support & Sales Manager, Maxence Castelain. ‘The Uniline Compact system is able to combat this in a number of ways, including its outstanding control of the acoustic opening throughout the entire frequency spectrum.

‘The box also features a three-way acoustic speaker, which is well-suited to music at low frequencies, and a speaker dedicated to the medium bandwidth, so high-definition sound can be achieved in the vocal spectrum. Between LM Ingénierie Audiovisuel’s study and Inytium’s integration, the results achieved have surpassed everyone’s expectations regarding the acoustics and the characteristics of the room.’

‘We had the option to either rig the speakers from the ceiling or the pillars, but the first option was quickly rejected for mechanical reasons such as floor vibration and load stress,’ says Hoël-Bâcle. ‘The second option allowed us to define a perimeter diffusion. With this in mind, two proposals were made to Viparis, a sonic diffusion by either four clusters (range of 80m and 40m) or 12 clusters (range of 30m). They decided to opt for the latter due to its homogeneity and greater level of intelligibility.

‘There were other complexities during the install, such as the requirement to interface with the venue’s fire safety system, while the installation of all the speakers, including hundreds of ceiling ones, was also carried out in a very constrained time and with an empty hall, which complicated the settings.’

On top of the performances offered by the Uniline Compact, APG stood out from the competition by making its resources available to the integrators. Xavier Goffin explains: We really appreciated how reactive and flexible APG were. They provided us with the speakers and configured the Powersoft amps in a record time.’
‘The rigorous engineering work we undertook helped to forge a trusting relationship between us and Viparis,’ Hoël-Bâcle closes. ‘This allowed us to choose the offer that best suited the needs and the constraints of the project, rather than choosing another brand based only on its fame or reputation. We couldn’t be happier with the result.’