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HOLOPLOT delivers audio for newly-built Egyptian mosque

Flagship X1 Matrix required only nine loudspeaker arrays for complete coverage, managing an existing reverberation time of 6s, caused by both the marble interior and 60m high dome

HOLOPLOT, the Berlin-based pro audio company behind the X1 Matrix Array, has announced the successful installation of its flagship technology inside Misr Masjid, a newly-built mosque of incredible scale, central to the development of Egypt’s new administrative capital outside of Cairo.

As one of the largest mosques in the world, the Misr Masjid project presented the unique challenge of delivering clear, intelligible speech to a congregation of thousands in a space of over 10,000sqm – without compromising the architectural integrity of the building’s mainly marble interior.

Integrator Audio Technology chose HOLOPLOT to provide audio coverage throughout the mosque, requiring only nine loudspeaker array positions. According to HOLOPLOT, conventional sound systems may require upwards of 30 positions to achieve sufficient coverage and intelligibility within such a space.

Each array is mounted up to 23m above the floor, concealed at a significant distance from the listener behind painted cloth or metal. The X1 handled an existing reverberation time of 6s, caused by both the marble interior and 60m high dome, managing not to excite the reverberant field – directing energy away from reflective surfaces and preventing the need for large amounts of acoustic treatment.

“This grand mosque is an exemplar of X1’s technological capability,” said Emad El-Saghir, fellow at HOLOPLOT. “We introduced several brand new system concepts that are not attainable with any other technology. The X1 Matrix Arrays utilise advanced optimisation algorithms to generate uniform coverage in tightly defined zones with minimal spill to dedicated quieter areas or reverberant surfaces.

This way, speech transmission and the direct-to-reverberant ratio were increased to record values. A steerable-line-array-based solution would have required the deployment of far more arrays to achieve anything comparable.”

Emad Shenouda, projects director at integrator Audio Technology added: “I’m pleased to say that together with HOLOPLOT, we met the client’s brief of creating a fully integrated system that satisfies all stakeholders. The project was full of challenges, starting from the size of the mosque, the room acoustics and of course project deadlines. Thanks to X1’s ability to not only control sound in the vertical but also horizontal it achieves unbelievable intelligibility, thought impossible in a space clad in marble and featuring a huge dome at its centre. HOLOPLOT exceeded our expectations in both the quality of sound, and in hiding the equipment in such a way that it blends in seamlessly with the interior.”