Case Study: LOHAS Mall STNet Installation

A SoundTube Entertainment Case Study: SoundTube’s STNet builds and manages record Dante-enabled system with 325 IP speakers in Hong Kong

Located next to Junk Bay in Tseung Kwan O’s Area 86, is a former landfill that has evolved into a highly desirable Hong Kong neighborhood. The LOHAS, Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, Park initiative was how the government mitigated the territory landfill that at one time created environmental and health problems because of the smell, noise, and dust.

LOHAS Park is a beautiful seaside community that houses over twenty-thousand families in its fifty-some residential towers. It includes an immense shopping and entertainment destination in the center of the neighborhood that features chic shops, global restaurants and even a huge indoor ice-skating rink. Nearby, The Park offers koi ponds, tree-lined walkways, contemporary artwork, and an indoor playground. It’s open 7-days/week from 10 am to 10 pm and is a destination for both locals and visitors.

When Justin Fong of Sound Classy in Hong Kong was approached by LOHAS to create a high quality, reliable background music and paging system for the sprawling shopping mall, the customer was envisioning a traditional audio system for the building. Once Justin and his team learned more about their specific needs, he proposed that the system be upgraded to a SoundTube STNet IP-enabled digital audio system.

Justin expounded on the benefits that SoundTube’s STNet IPD Dante®-enabled speakers offered which included easy installation and maintenance, flexibility and scalability, centralized control, high-quality sound, and integration with other systems. Although there were no other malls in Hong Kong that used IP-enabled multi-zone audio distribution, LOHAS understood the benefits the STNet IP-enabled system would bring them. In addition, the STNet system would be very cost effective for their application.

Sound Classy brought Vega Technology Limited in for the installation which consisted of 292 SoundTube IPD-CM52s-BGM and 33 SoundTube IPD-CM82-BGM IP-enabled speakers with 26 STNet-Switch-II. The system also included an AKG CGN321STS table-top paging microphone and SurgeX SEQ1213i power sequencer.

“We appreciated the variety of SoundTube IP-enabled speakers available - there is virtually every format available in IP from in-ceiling and surface-mount to pendants and garden speakers. There’s even an IPD soundbar,” said Justin Fong, Project Manager. “With easy installation and setup, IPD’s monitoring allows us to easily check system status. The full monitoring system benefits our client as it easy to manage and that reduces maintenance costs.”

“Our clients are quite happy with the IPD BGM system. The audio enhances the customer’s shopping experience which increases the customer’s time at the mall and their willingness to spend more,” continued Fong. “LOHAS loves the flexibility to change sources for different zones while maintaining high-performance. In fact, the like so much that they are installing a similar system in another shopping mall.”

The Technology

SoundTube Entertainment® offers a plethora of Dante-enabled endpoint speakers that are available for virtually any commercial sound function including paging, conferencing, background music, foreground music and outdoor. SoundTube IPD Dante-enabled speakers have optimal physical formats including open-ceiling, in-wall, surface mount, pendant, in-ceiling and outdoor audio models. With timbre-match sound to ensure the same tone and sound quality, the IPD end-point speakers can be mixed and match in format and consistently deliver high-quality audio at every point in the distributed system.

Using our Broadbeam® Ring technology, SoundTube IPD speakers produce a predictable 110° coverage pattern that disperses a much fuller sound to create a wider beam, providing clear vocals and unrivaled balance to a larger area. With such outstanding consistent full-range edge-to-edge coverage, end-users get much better sound for their investment.

SoundTube’s IPD-Hub 2 DSP Amplifier allows integrators to create a complete Dante-enabled audio system using SoundTube RVC-1 controls without using a traditional DSP. Using a local DSP amplifier in each zone rather than a centralized DSP greatly reduces hardware costs making an IPD-HUB 2 networked audio system about the same price as a conventional 70/100V distributed audio system.

All STNet speakers and amplifiers work with our rack-mountable SoundTube STNet Switch II managed network switch, 16-port 40 W per port, audio-prioritized gigabit switch designed for use in Dante networks. In addition to the 16 RJ45 ports, the STNet Switch II also includes two SFP ports for fiber and high-speed Ethernet connectivity. It’s easily wired with CAT5 or CAT6 between the switch, speakers, and all other endpoints, is UL and CE listed and is IEEE compatible.

The IPD-HUB 2 amp and STNet speakers are managed by STNet Control Center, SoundTube’s proprietary setup software. It is used to set levels, EQ, delay, high and low pass, 40W PoE power, and has a pink noise generator. The software also monitors the speaker’s functions. It will report problems with the amp, temperature, and voice coils. In addition to these functions when used with the IPD-HUB 2 and a RVC (remote volume control) it sets up the IPD-HUB 2’s DSP for two sources in up to eight zones with ducking priorities. The IPD-Hub 2 can be linked in a zone to expand coverage and is ideal for small to medium-sized applications, including bars, restaurants, hospitality, education facilities and more.