AV Case Study: 30 Pirie Street, Adelaide
High-quality Biamp BGM system elevates Quintessential’s 30 Pirie Street office tower in Adelaide.
11 May 2026
In the world of office fitouts, background music (BGM) often gets short shrift –Tandy-style loudspeakers that are ugly to look at and ugly to listen to. Not so at Quintessential’s redeveloped 30 Pirie Street offices in Adelaide’s CBD. Here, Professional Technology Partners (PTP) was brought in to deliver a BGM system that punches hard: crystal-clear audio in the public-facing foyer and atrium, plus an almost-lavish setup for back-of-house staff zones, including what might just be Adelaide’s best-sounding bike locker. It’s a reminder that great BGM isn’t just filler; it’s a subtle architect of a welcoming ambience.
Chad Penley, PTP’s General Manager, walks us through the project. “We were contacted by Quintessential’s facilities management after the project was completed,” he explains. “They asked us for a background music solution that would fit the building’s architecture and be really easy to use.”
BACKGROUND BRIEFING
The role of BGM here is pivotal, shaping first impressions in a multi-entry building. “As the saying goes, you only get one chance at a first impression – and that includes the music, the visuals, the sounds, even the smell of a venue,” says Penley. “When you’re greeted with music flowing through the whole foyer – loud enough to be heard but quiet enough not to interrupt conversations – it really shapes people’s perception of the space.”
Challenges abounded with multiple access points: the main Pirie Street entrance, a rear door off Rundle Mall, and the end-of-journey bike storage. “We had to consider all these varied areas, so we chose a solution we could zone and control individually,” Penley notes. “That way, if the foyer is busier, the concierge can easily adjust the volume up or down. In noisier spots like the bike storage, where building services create mundane background noise, they can bump the music up to mask it.”
Design priorities? Aesthetics and simplicity. “This is a beautiful building – the client invested a lot of time, effort, and money in the architecture to create a specific look and feel,” says Chad Penley. “We needed speakers and equipment that were technically up to the challenge but would blend seamlessly into the background rather than stand out.” Ease of operation was non-negotiable for the concierges. “The concierges at the front desk are masters of all trades but don’t have deep technical knowledge, so the system had to be reliable – music playing every day without fail – and dead simple to use.”
Biamp Desono in-ceiling and pendant loudspeakers provide high quality background music for the foyer and back of house areas of 30 Pirie Street.
BIAMP BUY LAW
Biamp emerged as the go-to. “My first thought was Biamp. Biamp offers speakers that look fantastic and integrate perfectly with a space like this,” Chad Penley explains. “In the end-of-journey area with the bike racks, we needed Biamp’s Desono P6 pendants. We were also working with minimal rack space, so the Biamp Voltera D-series amp/DSP combo was ideal. Pair that with a sleek Apprimo touch panel on the concierge desk, and Biamp became the obvious choice.”
The system is largely no-touch, automated via Biamp Workplace. “It became clear we’d be working with concierges of varying technical ability, plus there was a building management changeover during the project,” says Chad Penley. “We needed something effectively zero-touch, with backend monitoring. Biamp Workplace lets us automate it: the system turns on in the morning and off at night automatically. If they need to extend hours or switch it off, they just touch a button. We’ve kept controls simple – three preset volume sliders that reset every morning.”
MORE IS MORE
Scalability shines through the Voltera D-series. “One of the features we always prioritise is future-proofing,” Chad emphasises. “Often the first thing a client asks straight after commissioning a system is: ‘Can we add something?’ With AVB, Dante, and analogue I/O all built into the Voltera, we can integrate and expand however needed down the line.” The amp’s integrated Tesira DSP is a game-changer for PTP: “The standout features are a full integrated Tesira DSP, power sharing across output channels, AVB and Dante native support, and flexible programming options. It’s a single rack unit with various power outputs, which was perfect given our centralised rack space constraints.”
Acoustics were tricky in the high atrium with its hard surfaces. “The foyer has lots of hard surfaces – stone, glass, high ceilings – which create challenging acoustics,” says Chad. “We needed speakers that perform despite these challenges. Biamp’s Desono in-ceiling range handles up to 60W RMS when required – so it’s nice to have that power up your sleeve – while their voicing ensures accurate audio reproduction. The best way of combatting hostile acoustics is to start with a highly accurate source – which Desono does… Biamp’s speakers are some of the best sounding in the market. We added some room correction via the Voltera DSP, and the results are excellent.”
PTP: ptp.net.au
Biamp: biamp.com
A Biamp Apprimo touch panel provides the concierge with easy control of the BGM levels and zoning.
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