The Asia-Pacific headquarters of Volvo in Shanghai was recognized as one of the "Shanghai Industrial Tourism Attraction Service Quality Standard Units" in 2022. As the largest automotive company in Northern Europe, Volvo has consistently maintained high standards of quality, extending to its audio systems. PCI Company was responsible for the design and calibration of the audio and control components in the Show Room and VR Cinema at the Shanghai Volvo Asia-Pacific headquarters.

Show Room

The Show Room is positioned by the owner as a versatile venue, combining meetings, vehicle displays, explanations, and corporate-themed events. Given the diverse functionality requirements, meticulous considerations were made. After on-site inspections, PCI engineers opted for 2 sets of Sennheiser 4-channel SpeechLine wireless microphones, complemented by 1 gooseneck microphone, 2 handheld wireless microphones, 2 lavalier microphones, and 2 head-worn microphones—providing a total of 8 wireless microphones for varied applications. The processing is handled by the Q-SYS flagship product, the Core 110f networked processor. The amplification utilizes a Q-SYS CX-Q 4K8 8-channel network amplifier, driving 2 Q-SYS AD-S162T column speakers and 21 AD-P6T ceiling speakers. These speakers are evenly distributed in 7 rows across the entire showroom, seamlessly integrated with the interior design through concealed installation, ensuring both sound quality and aesthetic appeal.

VR Cinema

The requirements for the VR Cinema go beyond movie playback, encompassing lectures, meetings, and the ability for rapid real-time mode switching. The cinema's specifications follow standard cinema construction. Input sources include 5.1-channel sources from Blu-ray DVDs with a decoder, as well as custom-made 5.1-channel sources from a PC server connected via USB to the Q-SYS Core 110f sound card. Real-time mode switching is facilitated based on source types.

In lecture mode, microphone selection aligns with the configuration in the Show Room, featuring Sennheiser SpeechLine series wireless microphones. Additionally, the cinema is equipped with 2 wall-mounted HDMI inputs and wireless screen-sharing devices for presentations such as computer-based slides. The VR Cinema employs 2 Q-SYS CX-Q 4K8 8-channel network amplifiers, driving left, center, and right speakers (Q-SYS AP-5102), a subwoofer (AP-212sw), and surround speakers (SR8101). This setup accommodates the diverse needs of a professional cinema environment. For daily convenience, PCI engineers installed a touchscreen controller for quick switching between cinema, lecture, and meeting modes. In cinema mode, the controller allows real-time switching of playback modes for different types of sources.

The overall project construction proceeded smoothly and has been successfully delivered for use. The owner expresses great satisfaction with the audio effects and system functionality in both the Show Room and VR Cinema. The owner also acknowledges that the overall outcome of the project has exceeded expectations, commending PCI Company for its solution and the professionalism of its engineers.