Genelec Smart IP loudspeaker have been installed at the sleek and modern new headquarters of Eidra, a Stockholm-based consultancy collective that brings together a group of 17 leading companies and over 1,200 consultants, creatives and engineers in the Swedish capital.
Following significant growth, the company required a new HQ that would better reflect its identity. Specialist corporate technology solutions specialists, Ximple AB, were contracted to design and deliver the AV solutions throughout the building – including a the Genelec Smart IP loudspeaker solution for the common and social areas.
Ximple installed a total of 51 Genelec 4430 Smart IP loudspeakers across 15 zones. Once installed, the Ximple team used Genelec’s Smart IP Manager software to configure the system over the Dante network.
Genelec’s Smart IP Manager allows the configuration of almost any number of rooms, zones, loudspeakers and audio channels, and includes device discovery, room EQ, system organisation and status monitoring. Once each space has been defined and each loudspeaker optimised to that space, a public API command set allows Smart IP loudspeakers to be integrated with third-party control systems – which is exactly what Ximple did for Eidra.
Ximple selected a Q-SYS control system with a straightforward user interface that can be controlled from an iPad or similar, and allows Eidra staff to manage level control and source selection across any zone.
Andreas Savela, co-founder, Ximple, said: “We used the 4430 model throughout, as it’s sufficiently powerful to deliver high-quality, crystalline audio even at higher SPLs – including special events or evening functions needing a bit more buzz – yet still sufficiently compact and discreet to blend harmoniously with the Eidra aesthetic. For even more seamless integration, most of the speakers were finished in RAL 7047 – an elegant shade of grey-white which looks beautifully understated.”
The challenge for Eidra, he says, was to find a product that worked in all types of environment, especially in open areas where acoustics and aesthetics needed to harmonise. The audio also needed to be zoned to suit different applications in different areas. For example, the entrance area isn’t playing the same kind of music as the bar, which is different again from the espresso bar or indeed the training room lounge or the board room lounge.
Savela added: “Genelec was a natural choice for us, and in particular the PoE-powered Smart IP series. In addition to the long lifespan and high-quality audio, the ability to deliver power, audio and control through a single network cable massively simplifies installation. Smart IP is also a perfect fit for Eidra’s sustainability goals with its environmentally friendly build process, long life span and significantly reduced power consumption.”
