An immersive multimedia component leveraging current A/V technologies at The Four Domes Pavilion in Wrocław, Poland utilizes Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers and subwoofers as key elements in the system approach.
Built in 1921, the pavilion serves as home to the Museum of Contemporary Art branch of Poland’s National Museum housing more than 20,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, glasswork, ceramics, photography, and conceptual works. The “See it, hear it, touch it” multimedia screenings at the museum offer an integrated approach to experiencing art. Components considered traditional to art museums – framed paintings and statues – are augmented using projections, light and sound, including immersive audio.
“We have set up a Renkus-Heinz system in a room with sensors that trigger set experiences depending on where the listener is in the exhibition,” says Paweł Francuz, product manager at the M.Ostrowski integration firm, which provided the system at the museum. “This provides an experience that connects with the same impact as the visual side of things.”
The installation includes 48 Renkus-Heinz CA81-RD point source loudspeakers and two Renkus-Heinz CA118S-RD subwoofers. All of the components are painted white to blend in with the aesthetic of the space.
The Complex Conic constant directivity waveguide of the loudspeakers is designed to ensure consistent coverage across the exhibit space. Dante networking capabilities and RHAON II control and monitoring provide additional advantages in terms of performance and flexibility.
In the Four Domes Pavilion, the loudspeakers are positioned on the side walls and the ceiling to create a dense grid of sound sources. The number of sources and the distance in between them was carefully designed to provide the expected immersive experience.
“It’s a pure joy to be in the room where the Renkus-Heinz system is deployed,” says Francuz. “High-quality sound and the best immersive experience was our goal. We achieved it thanks to the Renkus-Heinz offerings.”
With 50 loudspeakers in one room, environmental aspects had to be considered as well. The Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers have passive cooling and smart energy control that allows them to run silently while consuming very little to no energy on stand-by. One CA81-RD loudspeaker consumes as little as 3.5 watt on idle. The SA amplifiers at the heart of the loudspeakers convert the PCM input data directly to PWM data that drives the output stage.
The loudspeakers also use Audinate’s Dante for AV-over-IP connectivity and are driven by a Barco Iosono 3D sound processor, which outputs 50 independent channels. Once installed, programming was completed seamlessly through Dante and Renkus-Heinz’ RHAON II software, said Francuz.
“It’s a rewarding moment when configuring the system takes a few clicks rather than hours of rewiring signals to the speakers, bearing in mind there are 50 independently working loudspeakers,” said Francuz. “That saves a ton of time when commissioning the system. It allowed us to focus on the end-results from the moment the speakers were deployed.”
“Everybody is very pleased with the end results,” said Francuz. “This is a perfect example of bringing the creatives of the world together with AV professionals and creating something truly extraordinary.”
