After sight and smell, hearing is our next most important sense – so our auditory environment has a significant impact on our behaviour. A sub-standard audio experience can have a serious impact on any business, while premium audio – especially when combined with a visually pleasing environment – will encourage people to stay longer, and to return. So we’re now starting to see more integrators prepared to spec higher quality audio systems – and businesses increasingly realising that this is, literally, a ‘sound investment’ in their future!
From studio to installation
Although Genelec’s origin as a loudspeaker manufacturer was firmly rooted in the worlds of music recording and broadcast, the demand for better quality audio in AV led the company to create a range of active loudspeakers aimed directly at the installation market.
The attributes of a great installation loudspeaker and a great studio monitor are much the same, so Genelec approaches the design in the same way. For instance, in the studio, a truthful and transparent sounding loudspeaker is essential for creating accurate mixes – and in an installation environment this yields a clarity and intelligibility that’s highly desirable.
The lack of distortion and colouration in a good studio monitor means an engineer can work for many hours without experiencing listening fatigue, and in a commercial installation this means visitors or employees can also experience audio for long periods without it distracting or annoying them – in effect, the loudspeaker becomes ‘invisible’ and the listener is simply able to enjoy the sound, without being distracted by what’s producing it.
Another key attribute of a great loudspeaker is its uncoloured response both on and off-axis. So whether in the studio or in an installation, you should still be able to experience uniformly high quality, neutral sound – irrespective of where you as a listener are located.
Designed to adapt
The sound from any loudspeaker will be influenced hugely by its acoustic environment, and so Genelec’s goal has been to minimise the room’s influence on the sound, through a combination of good design and the use of room compensation technology.
Cabinet design is crucial, so you’ll see the elegant curves of Genelec’s MDE (Minimum Diffraction Enclosure) employed across their studio and installation ranges. This unique design avoids the sharp corners and front baffle discontinuities that cause diffractions and secondary reflections, and features the DCW (Directivity Control Waveguide), all of which reduce colouration and improve on-and off-axis response, even in challenging acoustic spaces.
Additionally, the rear panel room EQ controls and loudspeaker calibration software options found throughout Genelec’s ranges allow the integrator to analyse each loudspeaker’s response in the room, and then further tailor the response to suit the space.
Reliable and sustainable
In music and broadcast, customer demand for reliability, power efficiency and long term spares support has helped shape Genelec’s design philosophy – and its approach to sustainable design has obvious appeal in the AV market too.
So, Genelec encourages customers to consider both sound quality and the lifetime cost of a product – and think about longevity and low power consumption when making any AV investment decision. After all, we all have a part to play in looking after the planet!
www.genelec.com