Genelec provides the music for Combo hostels
- Details
Far more than the hostels of old, Combo bills itself as a cultural hub for citizens of the world, combining hospitality with music. The hostels in Turin and Milan boast their own radio booths, which broadcast full time in the hostels and online, and all sites offer rooms equipped with AV technology to host talks, screenings, live sets, listening sessions, art workshops and more. The AV systems across all three sites were conceived by Italian AV specialists Advicted and supplied by local Genelec AV distributor Prase Engineering.
Combo’s reception, restaurant, bar and public areas all boast a Genelec sound system based on the ubiquitous 4000 Series installation loudspeakers. These active loudspeakers were specifically requested by Advicted founder Salvatore Brigaglia for their combination of clean Nordic design and characteristic crystal-clear sound, and welcomed by architect Ole Sondresen. Dozens of 4030 and 4040 loudspeakers were chosen in black, whilst a number of smaller 4020s were selected in white.
"Genelec was an all-around quality choice,” says Salvatore Brigaglia. “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. Moreover, choosing an active speaker translates into significant cost savings and optimization 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 utilised a total of 23 compact 4020s, 55 4030s and 41 of the 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 AV 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,” clarifies 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.”
