Joining the Finnish health and wellbeing scene, XO Center is a versatile new sports and fitness hub in Kerava. Offering everything from personal training to padel courts, a traditional gym, group exercise, relaxation floating, massage and a restaurant and café, Genelec’s Smart IP networked loudspeakers have been installed in all areas of the facility.
Finnish integration company Praecom Oy was responsible for designing XO Center’s A/V platform. ‘The solution covers different zones and individual class spaces, all of which required different audio content at different playback levels,’ explains Praecom’, Account Director, Mika Mäkelä. ‘Genelec is a company renowned for excellence and sonic quality – so we knew that their loudspeakers would deliver exactly what we needed.’
The XO Center is a huge facility that’s divided by its different services. It offers the latest equipment for individual training, whereas group classes – including cross-training, dance and yoga – have their own dedicated rooms. The padel courts are state-of-the-art panoramic fields complemented by innovative lighting and acoustics, and there’s also a spa comprising hot tubs, a cold pool, steam room and traditional saunas.
Praecom chose five Genelec 4420 Smart IP loudspeakers, 13 4430 models and two 4435 in-ceiling loudspeakers for zones across the site. ‘The padel courts are huge rooms that posed reverberation issues, which we considered when designing the system,’ Mäkelä says. ‘We decided to install three compact 4430 loudspeakers to provide clarity, uniform coverage and reduce echoing. We were worried that it would be difficult to achieve because of the size of the space, but it wasn’t a problem with the 4430s.’
Next to the padel courts is a restaurant and cafe that serves hearty Finnish meals for post-workout nutrition; three 4420 loudspeakers are installed here, all connected to a Crestron C2NI keypad that provides simple control for all the A/V elements inside the store and the padel courts. Additional 4430 Smart IP loudspeakers are distributed across the fitness and conference rooms, as well as in the gym and the Skill XO room – a new fitness concept that is gaining popularity in Finland.
Similar to a fitness bootcamp, Skill XO is a dynamic way to train, combining fast-paced muscle fitness with aerobic workouts using modern, high-intensity gym equipment. The 4430s deliver high-quality background music, with a Crestron C2NI used for control and an Audiophony Mi3 for mixing.
‘In the spa areas we opted for two of Genelec’s in-ceiling 4435 models, mainly for their ease of installation,’ Mäkelä says. ‘We could integrate them discreetly without compromising on sound quality. In both the male and female changing rooms we also installed a single 4420 loudspeaker. The Smart IP series is a dream to use, with power, audio and management all running off a single Cat cable. There are so many benefits, from sustainability to uncompromised performance and ease of installation. Using Smart IP made the whole installation seamless.’
Genelec’s Smart IP Manager software also helped Praecom to address specific system needs. From device discovery to equalisation, the software configures the system so that each individual Smart IP loudspeaker performs at its best. ‘It’s a great tool to use,’ Mäkelä says. ‘It offers a detailed overview of the system, and it was extremely helpful in the padel courts, which posed many acoustic challenges. The sound system has completely reinvented the fitness centre – without it the facility would be very different.’
Since it opening, XO Center has proven popular with locals for its comprehensive training and well-being services. The Genelec loudspeaker system provides uniform sound across all areas of the facility, delivering dynamic soundtracks to training sessions and relaxed soundscapes post-workout, offering an indication of how gyms of the future will look.
More: www.genelec.com
