---

• Download Press Release

• Return to Index

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Genelec brings sound quality and sustainability to the Embassy of Finland in Tokyo

NATICK, MA, February 18, 2021 — The Finnish Embassy in Japan is located in the chic, cosmopolitan district of Azabu in Tokyo. The area has a distinctly global feel, due in part to the large number of foreign embassies that have chosen to make Azabu their home. The Finnish Embassy has recently renovated part of its buildings to bring them up to the modern standards that are representative of the best that Finland has to offer. A Genelec Smart IP loudspeaker solution was installed as part of the project, to ensure that the technology matched the exacting standards of the rest of the renovation. Mikke Kinnari, Vice Consul and 3rd Secretary of Administrative Affairs at the Embassy, was in charge of the renovation project. “We wanted the best possible experience for our guests, ideally using Finnish products,” he explains. “Having studied several options from a variety of suppliers, we decided that the Genelec Smart IP solution, with its easy, single-cable installation and extremely high-quality audio, offered the best possible solution for our requirements.” The buildings of the Finnish Embassy – like many in Japan – are constructed with very thick reinforced concrete in order to withstand the earthquakes that are common in the region. Kinnari reveals that the impracticability of drilling any more holes than necessary in order to run cables was a major factor in the decision to adopt a Smart IP solution, which delivers audio, power and loudspeaker management over a single CAT cable. However, he points out that this wasn’t the only criteria: “The physical elegance of the solution was also important because we have a lot of very high-level visitors here – we have received the Imperial family of Japan, the President of Finland, and many other ministerial and high level visits. The elegance of the room, with beautiful Finnish furnishings that project the image of Finland, was important. The Genelec speakers are very aesthetic in their own right, and the fact that we could totally hide the cabling contributes to the high class feel of the space.” The Embassy appointed AV integration specialists Astro Serve Ltd., who installed a total of nine Genelec 4430 and two of the smaller 4420 Smart IP loudspeakers across four separate zones in the newly renovated guest facility: the entrance, the conference room, the dining room and an informal lounge area. Astro Serve’s Michinari Sato notes that the Smart IP concept facilitated a “clean” installation with no compromise on quality. “We were specifically requested to make the installation as neat as possible with no visible cables anywhere. Normally, you need a power supply to set up an active speaker, but the Smart IP concept delivers power over Ethernet (PoE), and so only one LAN cable is required. This made it much easier to deliver impeccable results. We were able to precisely tailor the audio response to each room via the Dante® network using Genelec’s Smart IP Manager software, which is a big advantage. Finally, an IP networked solution enables us to easily manage and reproduce high-quality audio across a number of locations seamlessly. Control is managed via a Crestron touch panel controller that non-technical staff or guests can easily handle. Alternatively, they can select content from their own devices connected to the network, or mirrored from the PC.” Sustainability was another important factor in the decision-making process. Pekka Orpana, Finnish Ambassador to Japan, relates, “In Finland, sustainability is important to us. Genelec’s speakers are made of 95% recycled aluminum and produced with renewable energy, making them an obvious choice for our renovation. Not only are they produced in a sustainable way, but they are very long-lasting and can be easily calibrated to any space again and again if we decide in the future that we’d like to use them elsewhere. Finally, they are very beautiful. Finnish design is well known and appreciated in Japan. The grace and natural look of these speakers fits tremendously well with each room.” However, whilst design is important, Orpana emphasizes that the most important element is the sound. “The Smart IP solution has made it possible to have perfect sound quality,” he says. “When I heard them for the first time, it felt as though we had a live pianist in the room. The sound is really clear and natural.” Kinnari agrees: “We now have at the Embassy a fantastic loudspeaker system that brings all our events to a level of quality that we have never had before. This includes the webinars, teleconferences and virtual events that have become so essential during the pandemic – from an audio perspective, it really feels as though the person speaking is right there in the room with you. It was perfect timing for us to invest in a Genelec system, and we’re proud to represent the essence of Finland to our guests.” For more information please visit www.genelec.com.

...ends 800 words

Photo file 1: Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_1.JPG Photo caption 1: Lounge area at the Finnish Embassy in Tokyo, featuring Genelec Smart IP loudspeakers Photo file 2: Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_2.JPG Photo caption 2: Conference room at the Finnish Embassy in Tokyo, featuring Genelec Smart IP loudspeakers Photo file 3: Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_3.JPG Photo caption 3: Dining room at the Finnish Embassy in Tokyo, featuring Genelec Smart IP loudspeakers Photo file 4: Finnish_Embassy_PR_Image_4.JPG Photo caption 4: Genelec Smart IP loudspeaker, in use at the Finnish Embassy in Tokyo PDF file: Finnish_Embassy_Tokyo_Case_Study.pdf PDF caption: Genelec case study for the Finnish Embassy in Tokyo Genelec, the pioneer in Active Monitoring technology, is celebrating over 40 years of designing and manufacturing active loudspeakers for true and accurate sound reproduction. Genelec is credited with promoting the concept of active transducer technology. Since its inception in 1978, Genelec has concentrated its efforts and resources into creating active monitors with unparalleled sonic integrity. The result is an active speaker system that has earned global acclaim for its accurate imaging, extremely high acoustic output from small enclosures, true high-fidelity with low distortion, and deep, rich bass. Genelec is also celebrating over 10 years of its Smart Active Monitoring™ technology, which allows studio monitors to be networked, configured and calibrated for the user’s specific acoustic environment. Each Smart Active Monitor or subwoofer is equipped with advanced internal DSP circuitry, which tightly integrates with the GLM (Genelec Loudspeaker Manager) software application, running on Mac or PC. GLM’s reference microphone kit allows the user’s acoustic environment to be analyzed, after which GLM’s AutoCal feature optimizes each Smart Active Monitor for level, distance delay, subwoofer crossover phase and room response equalization, with the option of further fine tuning by the user. By minimizing the room’s influence on the sound, Smart Active Monitors deliver an unrivalled reference, with excellent translation between rooms. Other brand and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. —For more information on the complete range of Genelec Active Monitoring Systems, contact: Genelec Inc., 7 Tech Circle, Natick, MA 01760. Tel: (508) 652-0900; Fax: (508) 652-0909; Web: http://www.genelec.com/.