A new sound at Munich’s Amerikahaus

During the four years of construction work, the venue was equipped with new cinema and sound engineering equipment, and OBERMEYER was in charge of all aspects of planning on behalf of Munich 1’s state building authorities [Staatliches Bauamt].

After the Second World War, a string of Amerikahaus venues was opened across Germany, as ‘Dependencies’ of the United States Information Agency. The aim was to communicate the history of America to the Germans, and to impart a firm understanding of democracy. Since 1957, the Amerikahaus in Munich has been located in the same building as it is today, on the Karolinenplatz. Today it is a Bavarian cultural institution, an open house offering a wide range of events and dedicated to fostering good transatlantic relations and American research.

It is therefore not surprising that, during the complete refurbishment work conducted over the last four years, particular importance was attached to the technical equipment, especially new cinema technology and surround sound as well as an extended event sound system in the listed environment of the large theatre auditorium. 

The listed building status presented a particularly big challenge: Instead of the big speaker systems usually employed, the systems used here had to be as small as possible.

The Video, Audio & Broadcasting Technology department at OBERMEYER used new sound engineering equipment based on ‘Beam Steering’ technology that directs the sound and can adapt it when required to suit a given acoustic and sound-related situation: Powerful for cinema screenings, reticent but with clear and transparent sound for music and clear and readily comprehensible for voice presentations.

You will find a detailed press release on this subject here.