In order to improve audio intelligibility within Sweden’s Gotherburg Central Station, Soliflex Svenska AB has deployed a Renkus-Heinz Iconyx loudspeaker system to combat its acoustically challenging surfaces.
Gotherburg Central Station is Sweden’s second busiest railway station with more than 27 million passengers using the station each year.
The starting point was a general desire to improve intelligibility – a requirement that was firmly underlined when Fredrik Setterberg, audio lead and programmer at Soliflex Svenska AB and his team undertook intelligibility measurements in the two main halls.
“The tests showed that there were some very uneven STIPA values, so we went on to build two EASE models and experimented with numerous different column speakers and placements in order to produce a solution that would guarantee consistent coverage everywhere,” said Setterberg. “After careful consideration of the various available brands, we concluded that Renkus-Heinz Iconyx digitally steerable line arrays would be the ideal fit.”
The resulting solution draws on a total of eight IC8-RIIs, each featuring eight 4in coaxial transducers with three HF tweeters, eight amplifier and DSP channels, and beam control down to 800Hz. Also included are eight IC24-R-IIs, incorporating 24 4in coaxial transducers with three HF tweeters, 24 amplifier and DSP channels, and beam control down to 250Hz. The configuration is completed by a single IC16-RII, delivering 16 4inh coaxial transducers with three HF tweeters, 16 amplifier and DSP controls, and beam control down to 400Hz.
Logistical considerations added to the challenge. “In one of the halls, the nature of the building was such that the loudspeakers could not be positioned where we wanted them,” stated Setterberg. “But thanks to the beam-steering capabilities of the Iconyx loudspeakers, we have been able to deliver the sound exactly where it is required – in other words, to where the passengers are waiting or walking. We will continue to do some fine-tuning to the system, but the improvement has already been dramatic.”
