A gym needs punchy music to keep the workout pace, but each area needs a different level and the group class studio must hear the trainer clearly. This article explains how to divide the areas and choose the Ecler loudspeakers and central equipment, with photos of gyms that have been installed.
Music is part of the workout experience. With a weak system the gym lacks energy; with a system played too loud in the wrong place, reception cannot hear customers and members complain. The challenge in a gym is enough punch in the training areas, a moderate level in the reception area, and clear speech in the group class studio.
Photo: On Air Gym (Lyon, France), a gym using Ecler ARQIS loudspeakers, KICK-SB28 subwoofers and the VIDA-24Q networked amplifier. Photo credit: Ecler.
Divide the areas before choosing equipment
- Reception, juice bar: soft background music, with priority on speech intelligibility.
- Treadmill and cardio area: steady music, at a medium to high level.
- Free weights and strength machines area: powerful music, bass is needed.
- Group class studios (yoga, cycling, dance): a separate music source and a microphone for the trainer.
- Changing rooms, corridors: quiet background music.
Photo: a Snap Fitness gym (the Netherlands), a project using the Ecler MIMO88 matrix for zoning. Photo credit: Ecler.
Choosing the loudspeakers
- Main training area: wall-mounted cabinet loudspeakers from the ARQIS series. ARQIS106i (6-inch, 120 W RMS) for low ceilings; ARQIS108i (8-inch, 150 W RMS) for medium-sized rooms; ARQIS112i (12-inch, 500 W RMS) for large rooms. The high-frequency driver can be rotated to adjust the coverage when the loudspeaker is mounted horizontally or vertically.
- Bass: the ARQISSB12i subwoofer (12-inch, 300 W RMS) or the KICK-SB28 (2 x 8-inch drivers, 700 W RMS).
- High ceilings with no walls for mounting: the DROP6i pendant loudspeaker (6.5-inch, 75 W RMS).
- Reception, changing rooms, corridors: IC8 or IC6i in-ceiling loudspeakers.
- Outdoor training areas: eMOTUS5OD, rated IP65.
Group class studios and trainer microphones
A group class studio should be a zone of its own: the trainer chooses the music (through a WPaBT wall-mounted Bluetooth receiver or a cable connection) and uses a headset microphone. The central equipment needs to lower the music when the trainer speaks and to provide feedback suppression, because the loudspeakers and the microphone are in the same room. The MIMO88 matrix has a priority function and a frequency shifter for feedback suppression on each input channel.
Photo: ceiling-mounted Ecler loudspeakers at a Fitness First gym in Dubai, a project using DROP6i and ARQIS loudspeakers, VIDA amplifiers and the PULSO-4 touch panel. Photo credit: Ecler.
Central equipment
- Gyms with up to 8 areas: MIMO88 or MIMO88SG, or the HUB1408 zone manager.
- More areas or multi-site chains: HUB1616, or VIDA networked amplifiers with built-in matrix, signal processing and Dante.
- Control: wall panels at reception and in each class studio, so staff do not have to go to the equipment rack.
Photo: the Orange Palestre gym (Turin, Italy), a project using ARQIS108i and ARQIS112i loudspeakers, ARQISSB10i subwoofers and the MIMO88 matrix. Photo credit: Ecler.
Design considerations
- Use many evenly distributed loudspeakers rather than a few high-power ones: members standing near a loudspeaker are not hit by harsh sound, while those further away still hear enough.
- Place subwoofers close to the floor or in a corner; neighbours on the floor below and next door need to be taken into account.
- Set a maximum level limit in the processor so that staff cannot turn the system up beyond the threshold.
- Hang loudspeakers with the manufacturer's original brackets and safety cables, and avoid positions where they could be struck by training equipment.
Photo: GymMaxx (Kiev, Ukraine), a sports complex using the HUB1616 zone manager, the MIMO88SG matrix and IC8 in-ceiling loudspeakers. Photo credit: Ecler.
Liza Trading is the Ecler distributor in Vietnam. Dealers and contractors can send their gym floor plans for advice on zoning and loudspeaker selection, and for support with bills of quantities.
