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PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media, Inc.
Tel: (615) 662-1616
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Villa Heftye, a Michelin Guide bistro, offers Oslo’s diners a slice of Genelec
— Acclaimed eatery opts for an atmospheric soundscape —
NATICK, MA, October 24, 2023 — When dining at a Michelin Guide restaurant, the focus isn’t usually on the audio – more often everyone’s eyes are focused on intricate plates of well-crafted food. However, Villa Heftye – a laid-back bistro in the heart of Oslo – recently took the focus away from revamping its ever-changing seasonal menu to renovate its listed restaurant with a custom Genelec sound system.
Villa Heftye began life as a bank back in 1864. Commissioned by Jorgen Haslev Heftye and designed by Norwegian architect Georg Andreas Bull, it was bought in 2018 by local investor Runar Vatne for NOK 80 million. In 2021 the villa became restaurant Villa Heftye, an elegant yet casual bistro with an emphasis on French-inspired cuisine that uses seasonal Nordic ingredients.
“The brief was to build an audio system with the best possible sound,” began Henning Dyngvold, founder of Appletify who installed the new Genelec system. “The loudspeakers had to look good and complement the design of the restaurant. Villa Heftye is located in a listed building and is also in the Michelin Guide, so the system that we installed had to maintain this high quality. It had to be Genelec.”
The system comprises sixteen Genelec 4020 installation loudspeakers, along with eight of the larger 4030 models, two powerful 4040 models and two AIW26 active in-wall loudspeakers. This was the combination needed to ensure Villa Heftye could accommodate live performances, while also offering an ambient background soundtrack for diners. “The 4020s were chosen for their compact size and the 4030s and 4040s for their powerful performance at a high event volume. All of this together has given Villa Heftye a crystal-clear audio atmosphere,” said Dyngvold.
Genelec’s 4000 series offers premium performance, a choice of 120 RAL colors and round-the-clock reliability. The 4020 is compact and can squeeze into any installation, whereas the 4030 is the natural choice for small to medium-sized commercial installations. The largest of the family, the 4040 is designed for environments which require higher playback levels.
“Since the building is listed, we had to take extra care where we were physically placing the loudspeakers,” said Dyngvold. “The 4000 series was the perfect choice because the loudspeakers are available in different sizes and custom colors – and there is also a wide range of mounting accessories – which meant we could place them discreetly in the restaurant, without affecting the overall sound. As they’re active designs, they’re also incredibly easy to look after and control. You don’t have to find room for external amplifiers, which is especially important in a building like Villa Heftye where aesthetics are important and space is at a premium.”
Villa Heftye is split into four main rooms. The first three are each equipped with four 4020s and the fourth has four 4030s plus two AIW26 in-wall loudspeakers. Control comes from an Allen and Heath AHM 64 audio matrix processor. “Villa Heftye wanted a sound that felt relaxing for their customers,” explained Dyngvold. “The AIW26 active in-wall speakers were intended to be used together with the 4030s when there is an artist playing live. In fact, the restaurant now leaves them on all of the time because it gives the background music a warm feeling and improves directivity, making the sound more precise – both at low volume and at event level.”
The walls of Villa Heftye are covered with a rich red fabric which improves the sound and style of the system and adds to the restaurant’s aesthetics. The fabric reduces the sound reflections in the room, resulting in a smooth, ambient atmosphere in which the music is clear without overpowering dinner table conversation.
Dyngvold concluded: “It sounds amazing and it’s all thanks to Genelec’s excellent product range. We were able to meet the client’s needs thanks to the quality and versatility of the brand. The restaurant has some of the most talented local chefs, and now its Nordic neighbor Genelec has added to the quality that people have come to expect from the Michelin Guide bistro.”
For more information, please visit www.genelec.com.
...ends 660 words
Photo file 1: Villa_Heftye_PR_Image_1.JPG
Photo caption 1: Oslo’s Villa Heftye bistroPhoto file 2: Villa_Heftye_PR_Image_2.JPG
Photo caption 2: Oslo’s Villa Heftye bistroPhoto file 3: Villa_Heftye_PR_Image_3.JPG
Photo caption 3: Villa Heftye’s sound system is based around Genelec 4000 series loudspeakers.PDF file: Villa_Heftye_Genelec_Case_Study_FINAL.pdf
PDF caption: Genelec Villa Heftye case studyGenelec, the pioneer in Active Monitoring technology, is celebrating 45 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 15 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/.