Samsung KX, London

The Opportunity

Situated in the recently-developed Coal Drops Yard shopping district in King’s Cross, London, Samsung KX is a destination for the public to experience Samsung’s range of innovative connected technologies working seamlessly together. The 20,000 square-foot space features a 32-foot Screenmax LED display wall, connected “smart kitchen,” immersive augmented reality experiences and an ever-changing list of temporary installations. To further enhance the futuristic experience, Samsung KX required a facility-wide immersive AV, lighting and control system with enough flexibility to serve any current or future needs.

The Solution

Audio-visual integrator Snelling Business Systems and lighting integrator Cosmic Electronics collaborated to outfit the space with state-of-the-art JBL, Crown, BSS, Martin and AMX solutions.

The centerpiece of Samsung KX is the Screenmax video wall, which features tiered seating for presentations, panel discussions, movie nights, gaming sessions, interactive experiences and other events. To provide cinematic sound for any application, Snelling installed JBL CBT1000 line array column loudspeakers with CBT 1000E extensions on either side of the screen, which deliver full-range audio with focused coverage. Along the top of the screen, four JBL AC16 compact loudspeakers provide additional center coverage, with proprietary Coverage PT waveguides for consistent 90-degree vertical and horizontal dispersion. Two JBL VTX F18S subwoofers complete the Screenmax sound system, delivering impressive bass response in a compact enclosure. Snelling also supplied four JBL 708P powered reference monitors, which can supplement the system to create a temporary surround-sound setup.

The opposite side of the space features a Samsung The Wall Professional LED display in a comfortable living room-style environment. Two soffit-mounted JBL Synthesis S3900 speakers provide ultra-dynamic, high-fidelity sound thanks to dual 10-inch low-frequency drivers, a 1¾-inch high-frequency transducer and a dedicated ¾-inch ultrahigh-frequency transducer for crystal-clear treble detail. JBL AC115 subwoofers provide additional bass, delivering full-range sound that brings the latest movies and games to life with incredible depth and impact.

To provide seamless AV control and easy reconfiguration of the space, Snelling equipped Samsung KX with BSS signal processors, Crown amplifiers and AMX control systems. BSS Soundweb London signal processors provide a high-bandwidth, fault-tolerant digital audio bus that can route up to 256 individual channels over standard Cat-5 cable. The BSS signal processors feed network-connected Crown amplifiers, which provide crystal-clear amplification to the many speakers throughout the showroom, as well as advanced DSP via HiQnet Audio Architect software. An AMX Netlinx NX-1200 integrated controller, Modero MD-1002 touch panel and multiple Samsung tablets loaded with the AMX TPControl app provide seamless control over the audio, video and lighting systems.

To further elevate the Samsung KX experience with dynamic lighting effects, Cosmic Electronics deployed a variety of Martin lighting fixtures and LED video elements. In the Screenmax area, three Martin MAC Encore Performance fixtures provide bright, natural-looking spot lighting for presentations and events, while seven MAC Aura XB fixtures provide rich, vibrant washes with superb color mixing. Additionally, Cosmic Electronics highlighted the unique architecture of the bridge that joins the two wings of Samsung KX using Martin VDO Fatron 20 LED video blades. Mounted vertically at intervals along the floor-to-ceiling windows, the fixtures feature a 20mm pixel pitch and 16-bit color mixing, providing dazzling video effects when mapped with Martin P3 control.

The Impact

“In terms of design, we didn’t approach Samsung KX like any other traditional shop,” said Tanya Weller, Director, Samsung Showcase. “It was very much about creating an incredible space to bring the latest innovations to life and showcase our products working seamlessly together, but also a flexible environment that we could invite the community into for various events and experiences. The beauty of it is that it’s incredibly adaptable. If we’ve got an event in one zone, we can ensure the sound is great in that area, or we can have total takeover of the space.”

“In order to deliver mission-critical performance with a versatile and robust AV infrastructure, we turned to HARMAN’s technology,” said Steve Royans, Director, Snelling Business Systems. “The BSS signal processors allow for highly flexible deployment of DSP over two ‘wings’ of the store, as well as full audio routing to independent zones. Using Dante networked audio, we were able to configure all 52 speaker channels individually, which enabled us to ‘move’ audio around the space. The AMX NX-1200 integrated controller, Modero touch panel and AMX TPControl app give Samsung KX staff complete control of the space at all times. From simple volume and display control to full video and audio routing, the AMX NX-1200 is what holds the store together day to day.”

“MAC fixtures are used in theaters and TV studios all over the world, so we knew that the refresh rate was going to be fine for any sort of camera work and not conflict with anything on the screens,” said Mark Damon, Director, Cosmic Electronics. “They’re also ultra-reliable. Since they’re mounted very high up, they’re not the easiest to get at and we can’t access them during the day, so it was very important for us to have very high-quality lights up there.”