Akukon DemoLab relies on Genelec Smart IP speakers for its research

This Finnish installation of Akukon Oy is a pioneer in acoustic innovation and noise reduction in order to improve living conditions, what you use the speakers for Genelec 4430 Smart IP and subwoofers 7350 Smart Active.

Akukon Oy, based in Helsinki, is a company focused on acoustic design and planning, noise and vibration reduction, as well as in audiovisual design, in order to create better living conditions by protecting people from environmental noise and promoting the safety and operability of the facilities.

The company inaugurated a new facility a few months ago, Called Akukon DemoLab, a pioneering room to model and listen to the acoustics and noise of spaces before their construction, which has been fully equipped with speakers Genelec 4430 Smart IP, complemented by a couple of subwoofers 7350 Smart Active.

"Acoustic design is an essential part of modern construction and environmental projects," says Akukon's acoustician and project manager., Perttu Laukkanen-. DemoLab takes acoustic design to the next level".

specifically, Akukon DemoLab was designed to allow the auralization, a technique by which a virtual sound environment can be reproduced with multiple speakers to provide a realistic impression of the acoustics or sound environment of a space.

"For example, DemoLab allows us to compare the effects of different levels of sound insulation between rooms-explains Laukkanen-; understand the effect of a room's acoustic design on a given space or set a design goal, such as the entry of train noise into residential or office buildings".

"Trying to explain these differences using numerical values of decibels and hertz is extremely difficult.. However, when customers can really hear the difference for themselves, suddenly it becomes something real rather than abstract, allowing them to make informed decisions about cost versus acoustic quality".

The company selected Genelec's Smart IP speakers as the optimal audio solution for its new installation. "To achieve a realistic reproduction of the simulated sound field, the auralization requires speakers that provide absolute neutrality and do not color the sound. Javier Gomez Bolaños, Akukon acoustic-. We were interested in a speaker setup that could grow and be easily manageable., with minimal installation effort. For this reason, we were looking for audio over IP speakers".

The choice of speakers 4430 Smart IP "offered us an ideal solution. They offer the high quality and fidelity inherent in Genelec studio monitors; are easily configured with the software Smart IP Manager, and thanks to PoE+ capability, more speakers can be installed just by laying additional CAT cables, says Gómez Bolaños.. Its active design means there are no external amplifiers (or amplification cables) to worry about, so the installation is exceptionally simple".

Akukon's DemoLab configuration consists of nine 4430 in the horizontal plane, five 4430 additional speakers such as ceiling speakers and two subwoofers 7350 for the extension of low frequencies. All speakers were calibrated with Smart IP Manager software to deliver flat frequency response in the listening area.

"We are very satisfied with the results," says Laukkanen.. We have created a room that is particularly quiet and neutral in terms of the acoustics of the space, that allows to listen and compare with precision diverse acoustic phenomena".

Sound environments created in DemoLab can be calibrated to match almost exactly with actual sound conditions using the most advanced calculation methods to reproduce acoustics and surround sound.

"Thanks to the powerful subwoofers, we can even model and experience the effects of low-frequency vibrations in a space. Auditory acoustics offer invaluable added value for solving complex problems. DemoLab is a unique installation, in which Genelec has played a fundamental role, which adds a new dimension to the understanding of acoustics", concludes Laukkanen.

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