A new Italian retail chain has recently opened five clothing stores across Italy, all featuring Yamaha audio systems. A subsidiary marque of multinational clothes retailer Piazza Italia, IntelliGent shops have better and more flexible sound that those in the parent company’s higher specification outlets – and have shoppers dancing.

Piazza Italia has nearly 200 stores across Europe, Asia and Africa, and has now opened IntelliGent Store outlets in Aprilia (Rome), Afragola (Naples), Crotone (Calabria region), Beinasco (Turin) and Udine (Friuli region), with more to follow. The stores needed a high impedance audio system to distribute ‘disco style’ sound, but work seamlessly with a voice evacuation system, be easily controlled by non-technical personnel and fit within the development budget.

‘Systems integrator AVL agreed that a Yamaha system would be the best solution. So I prepared a demonstration Piazza Italia’s technical team at AVL’s offices and they were immediately convinced,’ says Wouter ‘Tony’ Verkuijl of Yamaha Music Europe’s Italy branch.

The solution specified for each IntelliGent Store features an MTX3 matrix mixer, with XMV series amplifiers driving up to 12 VXS10ST subwoofers for the club-style music, each powered by one amplifier channel at 200W, 100V line. A dedicated remote server routes the music to the MTX3, with local feeds coming from cashier microphones and a wireless paging system carried by each store manager.

Music is distributed to both the VXS10ST subs and the voice evacuation loudspeakers, which deliver the mid-highs. If an announcement is broadcast, the MTX3 automatically mutes the subs and reduces the music volume in the other loudspeakers by 30dB. If the evacuation system is activated, music to all loudspeakers is muted.

An important function of the MTX3 control is that different volume levels for the music are applied, making the environment both as appealing and as comfortable as possible for different types of shopper. At weekends the system runs at full power, but on weekdays it runs at half power and a quarter power at lunchtimes. From 9pm until 9am every night the MTX3 mutes the outputs and the XMV amplifiers are in standby mode. When the store opens each morning, the MTX3 opens its output channels and wakes the amplifiers.

All of this is pre-programmed to happen using the MTX3’s internal scheduler, but the store manager can override the settings at any time via a DCP1V4S wall mounted controller. On/off switches are provided for the music, with the volume also able to be overridden via the DCP1V4S rotary controller.

‘The Aprilia store was the first to be completed, with the installation and setup of the audio system a great success. Piazza Italia then asked for the other stores to be equipped with the system, one by one,’ says AVL owner, Paolo Formisano. ‘The customer is very happy because, although IntelliGent Store is a more budget-conscious brand of clothing than Piazza Italia, the stores sound better than those branded Piazza Italia – most of which have a considerably more expensive audio system by a different manufacturer.

‘They are delighted with the ease of operation and to have fulfilled their aim of creating an enjoyable atmosphere for their customers. It’s great to see some people dancing in the stores.’

More: www.yamahaproaudio.com