An ambitious architectural and urban redevelopment project that has already opened its doors in Venice, Milan and Turin and has other Italian cities in its sights, Combo’s modern approach to hostelling offers travellers common spaces, a bar and eatery, and relaxed workspaces with free Wi-Fi, as well as several dedicated event, exposition and meeting spaces. There is also music throughout most of the common areas, thanks to Genelec.
Combo regards itself as ‘a cultural hub for citizens of the world, combining hospitality with musiclow. The hostels in Turin and Milan have their own radio booths, which broadcast full time in the hostels and online, and all sites offer rooms equipped with A/V technology to host talks, screenings, live sets, listening sessions and art workshops. The A/V systems across all three sites were conceived by Italian A/V specialist Advicted and supplied by local Genelec A/V distributor, Prase Engineering.
Combo’s reception, restaurant, bar and public areas all boast a Genelec sound system based on the 4000 Series installation loudspeakers. These active loudspeakers were specifically requested by Advicted founder Salvatore Brigaglia for their combination of clean Nordic design and characteristic sound, and welcomed by architect Ole Sondresen – whose designs are focused on an all-encompassing, holistic approach to sustainable building. In order to give the musical soul of Combo’s philosophy an eye-catching visual form, dozens of 4030 and 4040 loudspeakers were chosen in black, with a number of smaller 4020s were selected in white.
‘The surprisingly clean and minimalist design, combined with solid construction and impeccable audio performance, enhances the interior design choices and translates the Combo philosophy into sound,’ says Brigaglia. ‘Moreover, choosing an active speaker translates into significant cost savings and optimisation of the space in the technical rooms. These are crucial aspects in a project designed to be replicated in several locations.’
Across the three sites, Advicted used 23 4020s, 55 4030s and 41 more powerful 4040 loudspeakers, all on a dedicated Dante network infrastructure built on X440-G2 Extreme Networks switches and a Biamp Tesira Server equipped with a Dante card. Genelec speakers serve all of the conference and multi-purpose event rooms, which are equipped with A/V presentation technology. They also serve as monitors in the radio booths in Turin and Milan, where Combo’s playlist is developed every day by the radio web team and tailored to the time, mood and events of the day.
‘The entire Combo audio system is on the Dante network,’ says Luigi Schiavone, Combo Project Manager for Prase Media Technologies. ‘The result is a building capable of continuously changing shape from a technical point of view, with future-proof flexibility and scalability.’
According to Brigaglia, Genelec fits perfectly into the Combo landscape: ‘From a quality point of view, it’s hard to do better than Genelec,’ he says. ‘That goes for audio quality, build quality and aesthetics. Then there is the issue of sustainability, which is important for Combo – we know that a Genelec solution will last for decades, and still sound as good as the day it was put in. The enclosures are made from recycled aluminium for a low carbon footprint.
‘As active loudspeakers, they are easy to install, and the 4000 Series models benefit from onboard room response controls, which enable us to optimise the sound in each space. Finally, they are easy to integrate into a multi-site, multi-manufacturer, networked solution with centralised control and monitoring. Combo are thrilled with the results and we are looking forward to rolling out new venues in other Italian cities soon.’
