The Lyseon Lukio, or upper high school, in Jyväskylä, Finland, has invested in a total of 116 Genelec 4000 Series Installation Loudpeakers as part of a major upgrade of all their AV systems. The establishment has the distinction of being the oldest Finnish-speaking school in the country, given that the primary language in education was Swedish until a couple of generations ago.
With the emphasis firmly on quality and, above all, clarity and intelligibility of the spoken word, specialist AV education technology integrator, Edutaito Oy, had no hesitation in specifying Genelec loudspeakers throughout. Every classroom, meeting room and teacher’s/principal’s office has its own pair of compact Genelec 4010A 2-way active loudspeakers that work with the newly installed touchscreens and other interactive technology. With over 1000 students in the school, there were a lot of rooms to equip, meaning that a total of 102 4010A loudspeakers were installed across the complex. The bigger rooms and in particular the music rooms, benefitted from the much larger 4040A speakers.
“Nowadays, a large proportion of learning material is web-based,” explains Edutaito’s Sebastian Räisänen who designed the AV system. “There are a lot of videos, audio material and music. The most important aspect is language teaching and learning, which means listening to a lot of recordings, making your own recordings and listening to the playback. Sometimes the sessions are even conducted in meeting rooms using Skype or Google Hangout sessions, so crystal clear audio is critical.”
Asked why Genelec speakers were chosen over any other brand, Räisänen says, “Firstly, Genelec is made in Finland – this was important for the teachers and principals who are proud to support a Finnish brand. Secondly, my own interest in the purity of vocal reproduction led me to Genelec thanks to the clarity and crystalline sound quality of their products, which is perfect for this type of application where intelligibility of the spoken word is so important. You can’t learn a language properly if you can’t distinguish sounds clearly and hear what people are saying. A clear voice is paramount for both teachers and pupils, and this is why we work with Genelec.”
In the case of Jyväskylä high school, about half of the classrooms had previously been equipped with interactive whiteboards with integrated speakers that were stripped out to make way for Genelec speakers and touch screens. The other half were using passive speakers with external amplifiers. “The teaching staff love the new, active Genelec systems with integrated amplification,” says Räisänen. “They find it much easier to use and it works every time. They are delighted because now the teacher does not have to raise his voice, and neither does audio and video need to be played at high volumes, but everyone in the room can hear every syllable. Finally, the build quality and reliability of Genelec speakers means that staff know that once the systems are installed, they will have zero problems. It might be twenty years before they even need a service! Genelec speakers are an ideal partner in enhanced interactive learning environments.”
