Stockholm’s SPR Athlete Factory is a premium gym in the heart of the Swedish capital, specialising in physical performance training and high-level martial arts. Founder Waldo Zapata was keen to create the best possible environment for his athletes, both during their training sessions as well as before and after, including a sound system based on Genelec’s 4000 Series installation loudspeakers installed by systems integrators, MA Ljud & Bildmontage – who had already installed a Genelec system into Zapata’s first gym in Södermalm.
‘As with the first venue, our primary objective was to ensure a consistently good audio performance throughout the building,’ says Morgan Askeholt, owner and founder of MA Ljud & Bildmontage. ‘One of the main reasons for selecting Genelec initially was the impeccable sound quality, and the fact that you know that they will continue to deliver that quality for many years to come. I particularly appreciate the Directivity Control Waveguide technology which enabled us to deliver a flat frequency response for excellent sound both on- and off-axis. This was important for the Södermalm installation which, as a retro-fit, meant that the positioning of some of the speakers was not perhaps as we would’ve liked. However, for the city venue, we were able to integrate the audio design into the build, which means our results were better still.’
Nevertheless, the acoustic environment in any gymnasium is a challenging one, and the new city centre SPR Athlete Factory was no exception with a large amount of hard, reflective surfaces, including stone. ‘My goal was to fill the respective sound zones with the right number of speakers to ensure that the system can be heard everywhere, even at low levels, despite the challenging environment,’ Askeholt explains. ‘The best sound is what you feel and experience without it being an intrusion or a distraction.’
A total of nine zones have been set up on the premises, facilitated via Sonos Connect players. Mono summing adapters were used with every Sonos player in order to provide a mono signal to all the Genelec speakers. As the Sonos units don’t have a designated subwoofer output, Askeholt used the bass management feature of Genelec’s 7040A subwoofer to resolve the issue. The result is that music can be easily streamed and played in different zones through the entire Genelec speaker set-up, providing outstanding audio clarity and precision.In the larger areas such as the gym and the MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) combat area, Askeholt opted for Genelec’s powerful 4040A active loudspeakers, and thanks to their low frequency performance there was no need to install additional subwoofers – saving space and ensuring a more streamlined set-up. The 4040A’s phoenix-type connectors made installation straightforward, allowing them to be daisy-chained together.
A combination of 4030C and the slightly smaller 4020C loudspeakers are used throughout the rest of the facility including the juice/coffee bar, the locker rooms, and reception – which also features a Genelec 7040A subwoofer to reinforce the low end. ‘The volume in the reception area needs to be at very low levels, so the addition of a subwoofer helps to improve the sound considerably,’ Askeholt explains.
‘In addition to their excellent sound quality, Genelec’s 4000 Series installation loudspeakers offer a number of other benefits,’ he continues. ‘The fact that they are all active is a big bonus as it simplifies installation and saves space, since we don’t have to find room for an amplifier rack. There is also a very wide choice of mounting accessories making it very easy to adapt the installation to the constraints of the room. The results across both gyms have been excellent, both from an audio point of view, and also the experience of working with Genelec equipment. I shall definitely be specifying Genelec loudspeakers much more for commercial projects in the future.’
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