The Institute of Sound Recording (IoSR) at the University of Surrey now offers access to a new 22.2 listening facility based on 8330A SAM studio monitors and 7350A SAM subwoofers. HHB supplied the IoSR with the necessary technology as part of a Genelec sponsorship program for the IoSR and the University's Music and Sound Recording degree (Tonmeister).
The ITU-R BS.1116 listening room (designed and built by Munro Acoustics) is used by students and researchers to carry out experimental work in audio measurement and subjective listening tests. ITU-R is the most critical international standard for listening rooms, with very strict criteria regarding low noise, control of reflections, ratios between room dimensions and reverberation times.
The Surrey listening room is equipped with a flexible range of playback systems, in both stereo and multichannel formats, including elevated loudspeakers. This makes it possible to carry out multichannel surround sound listening tests very effectively.
The room includes a loudspeaker mounting system that allows a large number of units to be arranged. The system includes bass management, as well as time alignment and level and frequency response equalization. The system is usually configured for 22.2 playback, although the IoSR has a total of 72 Genelec 8020A studio monitors that can be used to expand the system even further.
"Genelec's SAM monitors were the perfect choice for the listening room; their ability to align time, level and frequency saves many hours of work," says senior lecturer Dr. Russell Mason. "We plan to research a wide range of multichannel playback configurations, and it's essential to be able to quickly reconfigure the loudspeakers in each new position."
Also available are five Genelec 1032A studio monitors and a 1094A active subwoofer, which the IoSR uses specifically for 5.1 surround sound. The center also has a wide range of test and measurement equipment that can be used both inside the listening room and anywhere else on campus.
In addition to the 22.2 listening room, the Genelec sponsorship program also includes discounts on studio monitor purchases, an electroacoustics seminar, a postgraduate award and internships at the company's headquarters in Iisalmi, Finland.
Taught by Aki Mäkivirta, Genelec's R&D director, the inaugural two-day seminar was held on June 13 and 14. It included a general introduction to acoustics, as well as a practical project devoted to specifying and commissioning studio monitoring systems. After completing the seminar program, student Alistair Bolt received the award: a pair of 8320A SAM studio monitors, a GLM 2.0 user kit and a 9310A volume controller.
"The seminar is a great contribution to the Tonmeister program," says Mason. "Students learn the theory of room acoustics and loudspeaker design and calibration as part of the course, but having an internationally renowned expert like Aki show us how to put the theory into practice, based on his many years of experience, is a fantastic opportunity."
