Across two locations, Germany’s Technik Museum features over 6,500 exhibits that explore military history, aviation, space travel, and marine mechanics. A U17 submarine has become a highlight attraction at the Sinsheim museum, inviting visitors to dive into a multisensory journey that explores life onboard the vessel, as Genelec loudspeakers recreate the sounds of daily operations for a new generation of passengers.
For several years Laboratonium Audioproduktionen e.K. has been creating multimedia audio projects, sound designs, and immersive audio installations for museums and exhibitions. To support Technik Museum Sinsheim, the team, led by managing director Marc Simon, audio engineer and project manager Jan Lipp, and sound designer Ksenia Cherkashina, set out to transform the U17 exhibit into an emotionally engaging, immersive experience through a custom-designed acoustic concept.
Full of narrow passageways and technology built for underwater use, the submarine presented a uniquely challenging environment to install an immersive AV system. “Metallic surfaces, narrow corridors, and many small compartments have specific acoustic characteristics,” Jan Lipp explained. “In order to integrate an impactful sound system, it required precise planning of loudspeaker positioning, discreet design, and a way to combat the complexities of technically sensitive spaces.”
Genelec loudspeakers were chosen to deliver the exhibition’s immersive soundscape. “We were committed to choosing Genelec loudspeakers from the outset because they match the installation’s requirements perfectly, both in terms of design and technology,” said Lipp. “A decisive factor that led to their selection was the robust, yet timelessly elegant form factor. They blend unobtrusively into the existing technical environment of the submarine, which was essential to the exhibit’s emotional impact. When loudspeakers are not consciously perceived, visitors are convinced that sound is emanating directly from the space itself.”
A total of 13 Genelec loudspeakers—including 11 compact 8010A studio monitors and two larger 8030C models—were supplied by Musikhaus Schlaile GmbH, all dark grey to correspond with the interior mechanics. As visitors explore the submarine, the hum of engines, metallic sounds of controls, sonar pings, and the oppressive sense of being underwater become increasingly apparent. With loudspeakers hidden discreetly in plain sight, the detailed soundscape adds an eerie atmosphere, while in some spaces, interactive sequences are triggered to heighten the experience.
For an exhibition where technology plays such a central role, the Genelec system integrates seamlessly into the environment while enhancing the emotional impact of the experience through sound. The result has proven to resonate with visitors, with some even describing the sensation of being onboard a moving and operational submarine.
“Sound design for a walk-through submarine is not an everyday scenario and required a high degree of creative flexibility and technical expertise, but this uniqueness was ultimately part of the project’s appeal,” Simon admitted. “We were very satisfied with the Genelec loudspeakers. In our own surround studio, we work with Genelec 8030 systems and are constantly impressed with their quality, precision, and flexibility; the same proved to be true in this installation."
