Lewis CaliburnRelocating to a refurbished commercial bakery in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, Burn Fitness wanted to raise its audio game with a proven solution for its Spinning Room. With sound quality essential, the fitness centre owners selected AV integrator, AVLux, who selected an Optimal Audio sound system for its balance of quality, ease of control and cost-effectiveness.
The brief was to deliver an audio solution with a simple user experience for the spinning instructors, in addition to energy and atmosphere in the room.
Adopting the old bakery’s original layout, the fitness machines dominate what was the storage room, the hand equipment occupies the old oven room whilst the spinning room utilises an adjoining space. The compact room features a low roof at the front – where the instructors’ platform and the video screen are positioned – that slopes upwards to give more headroom at the back.
Hans Andor Johannesen, MD of AVLux, explains, “The sound in this room needed to be better than they had before. With Optimal Audio, we were able to deliver high-quality coverage throughout the space without overwhelming the front-row riders. The WebApp made zone control intuitive, and the whole system just works.”
Familiar with various commercial audio systems, the team at AVLux opted for Optimal Audio due to its performance-to-price ratio and its ecosystem approach and simplicity of integration. Whilst other systems were considered, Optimal Audio’s clarity, consistency and smart control options won out.
To accommodate the sloping roof in the spinning room, Hans Andor specified four Optimal Audio Cuboid 8 loudspeakers, positioning two at the front, either side of the large screen and instructor platform, and two further back to fill the back half of the room.
He clarifies, “We needed the two extra speakers for the back as the sound from the front, with its low roof, didnt reach. With this layout all the customers in the room enjoy even audio coverage.”
An Optimal Audio Zone 8P provided the necessary multi-channel amplification. The channels were bridged strategically to power the left and right front speakers, the rearfills, and a Martin Audio SX110 low-profile subwoofer tucked beneath the instructor’s stage.
Conveniently situated by the instructor’s lead bike, an elegantly wall-mounted Optimal Audio ZonePad 1 hands full control of the system to the instructor, so the class is run just as it should be. An Audio Technica wireless headset microphone is plugged in via the local control panel which allows the instructor to easily balance voice and music levels in real time.
The control system features Optimal Audio’s WebApp, enabling intuitive sound management directly from the instructor bike. Music playback comes via an Argon Audio streaming box, while HDMI connection from the wall-mounted screen delivers immersive ambient audio – including virtual cycling routes with road and environmental sounds – straight through the system.
The team at AVLux appreciate the practicality of Optimal Audio and its straightforward installation. Hans Andor confirmed, “We’ve worked with a number of commercial audio systems and while some offer more features, Optimal Audio gives you what you need at a price that makes sense. The system was easy to configure, the client was happy immediately, and we haven’t had a single issue since installation.”
AVLux takes its measure of success, however, from another happy customer. With the audio system at the gym running smoothly since installation, Hans Andor confides, “The client remarked on the dramatic improvement in sound quality and usability compared to previous systems. They’re thrilled. And when you compare price and performance, Optimal Audio delivers more than expected. It’s modern, simple, and sounds great, exactly what this space needed.