AV Interview: Anthony Berry and Patrick Lundin, Genelec
Genelec is more than a studio monitor business. Anthony Berry and Patrick Lundin talk about its Installed Sound pedigree and what the Smart IP range is all about.
11 February 2026
Interview:/ Christopher Holder
Genelec has long been synonymous with uncompromised audio reproduction in the studio. But installed audio? Now, through its Smart IP range, the Finnish manufacturer is making inroads into the broader AV integration market – powered by a single Cat cable that delivers audio, power (PoE/PoE+), and management.
We sat down with Anthony Berry, Sales Support Engineer (Installed Sound), who’s relatively new to the Genelec fold but brings a wealth of AV integration experience, and Patrick Lundin, Sales Manager for Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand, a 14-year Genelec veteran with deep roots in both Melbourne and the Nordics.
AV.technology: Anthony and Patrick, you’re joining forces to run some info sessions on the east coast of Australia. What’s the intent?
Patrick: Primarily to showcase Genelec’s Smart IP range.
Anthony: Globally – outside Scandinavia – people often know Genelec as a pro audio brand, if at all. Many in AV haven’t heard of us, or they associate us strictly with nearfield monitors. We’re working hard to raise the profile of the Installed Sound range, particularly the network-based Smart IP family.
AV.technology: From a sales perspective, Patrick, where is the installation business at in terms of revenue split?
Patrick: It varies hugely by market. In Sweden, it’s roughly 55/45 now between pro and installed – but we’ve been at it for some 15 years. In newer territories like Australia, it’s much smaller, but the potential is enormous.
AV.technology: Where’s the growth coming from in a market like Australia?
Patrick: There’s enormous potential. Just yesterday we were at Melbourne Museum, where they’ve got over a hundred Smart IP speakers installed. The staff there get genuinely excited talking about how flexible the system is. Same story with restaurants: “We need two more speakers for Christmas.” Quick plug-and-play, no drama. Users love the control simplicity too.
AV.technology: Other manufacturers now offer IP loudspeakers. What makes Genelec’s approach different?
Anthony: Several things. First, we deliver full performance on PoE+ – and still get impressive SPL even on standard PoE. We carry across 40+ years of pro audio expertise: tonal accuracy, detail, and exceptional longevity. Our range is growing out as well – three on-wall sizes, in-ceiling, pendant, plus the 3440A PoE+ subwoofer that hits 106dB. You can build serious systems from one coherent family.
Genelec’s Smart IP range of PoE+ powered installation loudspeakers are favoured by many exhibition spaces (such as Portlantis in the Netherlands, pictured) for their flexibility and reconfigurability.
Swanky hospitality projects are another sweetspot for Genelec’s installation range, such as Miru in New York (pictured).
AV.technology: What were the real engineering challenges – and any painful trade-offs?
Anthony: Surprisingly few compromises. SPL and acoustic performance stay virtually identical to our 4000 Series analogue predecessors. The subwoofer is the standout – it uses a bandpass design (an old-school technique that’s fiendishly complicated to get right, which is why almost nobody does it anymore) along with our best-in-class capacitor banks that store the energy for when it’s required.
AV.technology: Were there genuine ‘we’ve cracked it’ moments back at the factory?
Anthony: Definitely around the power management. People weren’t sure we could maintain output on PoE. Interestingly, one of our engineers built the very first networked prototype back in 2017, took it to the ISE show, mounted it on a wall… and nobody really paid much attention to it, so he put it back in a drawer. When Dante conversations really started ramping up in 2019, he pulled it out again: “Actually, I’ve already done this.”
AV.technology: How important is the software layer for installers?
Anthony: Critical. Smart IP Manager handles initial configuration – zoning, 20-band parametric EQ, source selection, gain trim – plus a full open API for integration with Q-SYS, Crestron, AMX, Lua controllers, and now dedicated NetgearAV profiles for dead-simple Dante/AES67 deployment.
AV.technology: Genelec is a primo brand, so I’m guessing the Smart IP range is a premium product as well.
Anthony: Unit by unit, yes. But factor in onboard DSP (often eliminating external processors), the ubiquity of network cabling, superb off-axis performance that frequently means fewer speakers, and 15-20-year lifecycles… the total cost picture changes dramatically.
AV.technology: The press shots are full of beautiful Nordic hospitality projects. Is that a Smart IP sweetspot or just irresistible eye candy?
Patrick: Those bar and restaurant projects do look amazing and the marketing department love them but Smart IP loudspeakers are increasingly finding a home in boardrooms, classrooms, background music, museums, you name it.
Anthony: When I was still an AV integrator, my first Smart IP project was a six-level office hotel in Stockholm with 300+ companies sharing the space. Background music, events, meeting rooms – all running on the same networked system. Hundreds of speakers turned up on site; the ease of installation and flexibility blew me away.
AV.technology: What’s the day-to-day win for integrators?
Anthony: True ‘infinite configurability’. Change zones with a Dante route, no new cabling, no extra amps. Save and recall presets – Monday mornings gentle, Friday evenings punchier. In larger systems the Manager does initial setup; then the main control platform can take over.
Monitoring is another plus. Large retail chains spot offline speakers before store staff do – usually a network change, but it’s an excellent early-warning system.
AV.technology: In Australia, Genelec isn’t yet an automatic AV integration name the way it is in Scando countries…
Patrick: Which is exactly what we heard in Finland and Sweden 10 or 15 years ago. Early adopters tried them, discovered the reliability, and realised Genelec’s offering stacks up.
We’re not the cheapest but quality, sustainability (recycled aluminium, manufactured in Finland under strict environmental controls) and decades-long service life make the maths work for many clients.
Anthony: In Sweden it’s already the go-to for many of the largest SIs: one cable, exceptional sound, commissioning that doesn’t take all day. For those companies, Genelec isn’t a boutique option it’s a mainstay.
RESPONSES