Building a Fitness Experience Worthy of Music City
When ICONIX Fitness set out to create its flagship Nashville location, the goal was much more ambitious than building another fitness center. Located in the heart of Music City, the 25,000-square-foot facility was designed to deliver a premium member experience where architecture, lighting, technology and music work together seamlessly.
For JAG Warner Productions, the challenge was to create an audio system that complemented the building’s modern aesthetic while delivering the energy and clarity expected in a world-class fitness environment.
“The gym was being built in Music City and had to reflect that accordingly,” said Zac Bender of JAG Warner Productions. “The speakers needed to disappear into the architecture while delivering the kind of sound quality people expect in a premium fitness environment.”
The completed installation features 154 SoundTube loudspeakers deployed across 14 independently controlled audio zones, creating consistent, high-quality music and paging throughout the facility while allowing staff to route virtually any source to any space.
Today, the audio system quietly enhances every workout while providing an immersive listening experience without ever drawing attention to itself.
The Challenge
Premium fitness facilities present unique acoustic and architectural challenges.
Unlike entertainment venues where loudspeakers often become part of the visual experience, ICONIX Fitness required an audio system that blended into the architecture while delivering exceptional music reproduction and crystal-clear speech intelligibility.
The building’s nearly 360 degrees of exterior glass, combined with white treated ceilings and open workout areas, created a highly reflective environment where excessive playback levels could quickly reduce intelligibility and increase listener fatigue.
At the same time, the client established several non-negotiable objectives. The system needed to deliver consistent, high-quality music throughout the facility while maintaining excellent speech intelligibility for announcements and instructor communication. Just as important, the loudspeakers had to preserve the building’s clean architectural aesthetic, provide the flexibility to combine or separate workout spaces through independent audio zones, and deliver long-term reliability with minimal maintenance requirements.
Designing for Coverage Instead of Volume
Rather than relying on fewer high-output loudspeakers, JAG Warner Productions designed a densely distributed audio system that positioned each sound source closer to listeners.
This approach allowed the system to operate at lower overall volume while producing more uniform coverage throughout the facility. By reducing the distance between each loudspeaker and its listeners, reflections from the building’s extensive glass surfaces were minimized, resulting in improved intelligibility, lower ambient noise and a more comfortable listening experience.
“It might seem like a high speaker count,” Bender explained, “but every single one played an important role.”
“Projects like ICONIX Fitness demonstrate the value of designing the system before a single loudspeaker is installed,” said Sarah Chauvin, CTS, Director of Sales Engineering & Training at SoundTube. “Our complementary design services provides direct and relative SPL modeling that helps integrators select the right loudspeaker models, determine optimal placement and achieve consistent coverage throughout the space. By validating the design in advance, we remove guesswork and help ensure the finished system performs as intended.”
The final design strategically placed speakers throughout the building, ensuring balanced music coverage in every workout area while giving staff complete flexibility to combine or separate spaces as programming changes throughout the day.
The result is an audio experience that feels effortless. Members simply hear great sound everywhere they go.
Why SoundTube
JAG Warner Productions has specified SoundTube products since 2020 because of their combination of acoustic performance, installation efficiency and long-term reliability.
For ICONIX Fitness, SoundTube delivered a combination of performance, aesthetics and support that aligned perfectly with the project’s objectives. Patented BroadBeam® technology provided wide, uniform coverage with exceptional intelligibility for both music and spoken announcements, while the architecturally friendly loudspeaker designs blended seamlessly into the facility’s modern aesthetic. Installer-focused mounting hardware, dependable lead times and responsive technical support helped keep the project on schedule, and SoundTube’s comprehensive portfolio of pendant, ceiling, subwoofer and Dante®-enabled loudspeakers gave JAG Warner Productions the flexibility to specify the ideal solution for every space.
In addition, SoundTube Design Services provided access to application engineering, loudspeaker layout assistance and product selection support, helping optimize system performance from design through installation.
“Between the support, lead times, installation ease, product quality and acoustical performance, SoundTube continues to be the right product for quality dispersed invisible audio sources,” Bender said.
System Design & Product Selection
Rather than designing around the fewest possible loudspeakers, JAG Warner Productions engineered the system around coverage, intelligibility and aesthetics. Each SoundTube model was selected to meet the acoustic and architectural requirements of its specific space, creating a seamless listening experience throughout the 25,000-square-foot facility.
RS800i Open-Ceiling Pendant Speakers
The RS800i is an 8-inch coaxial pendant loudspeaker featuring SoundTube’s patented BroadBeam® Ring high-frequency technology, which provides exceptionally wide dispersion and remarkably consistent coverage. Unlike conventional pendant speakers that require tighter spacing, BroadBeam technology enables more uniform audio throughout open-ceiling environments while maintaining excellent intelligibility and musical detail.
Installed throughout ICONIX Fitness’ primary workout spaces, the RS800i allowed JAG Warner Productions to position sound closer to listeners, reducing overall playback levels while creating a more natural listening experience. Its contemporary pendant design blends seamlessly with exposed ceilings and modern architectural elements, making it an ideal solution for premium commercial environments.
Why It Was Selected: The RS800i was selected for its ability to deliver wide, uniform coverage using SoundTube’s patented BroadBeam® technology, allowing loudspeakers to be positioned closer to listeners for improved clarity and a more natural listening experience. Its clean pendant design blended seamlessly into the open-ceiling architecture while providing the excellent music reproduction and speech intelligibility required throughout the facility.
RS1201 Open-Ceiling Subwoofers
The RS1201 is a 12-inch open-ceiling subwoofer designed specifically for distributed commercial audio systems. It features SoundTube’s exclusive SuperT™ Low-Loss Transformer, allowing the subwoofer to operate efficiently on 70V/100V constant-voltage systems while preserving the low-frequency performance typically associated with low-impedance designs.
For designers and integrators, SuperT technology eliminates the need for separate low-impedance amplifier channels or complex system architecture. Instead, impactful bass can be distributed throughout the facility using the same distributed audio infrastructure, reducing installation complexity while delivering the energy expected in today’s premium fitness environments.
Strategically deployed throughout the workout areas, the RS1201 provides powerful, controlled bass reinforcement that enhances the member experience without visually dominating the exposed ceiling.
Why It Was Selected: The RS1201 was chosen because its SuperT™ Low-Loss Transformer delivers impressive low-frequency performance on a distributed 70V/100V system without requiring separate low-impedance amplification. This simplified the system design while providing the powerful, controlled bass expected in a premium fitness environment, all within an architectural form factor that virtually disappears into the exposed ceiling.
IPD-CM82-BGM Dante® In-Ceiling Speakers
Installed throughout offices, wellness areas and locker rooms, the IPD-CM82-BGM combines an 8-inch coaxial in-ceiling loudspeaker with integrated Dante® network audio, creating a complete endpoint for distributed audio systems.
By incorporating Dante directly into the loudspeaker, the IPD-CM82-BGM reduces infrastructure requirements while providing centralized routing, simplified commissioning and exceptional flexibility. Staff can easily route virtually any audio source to any of the facility’s 14 independently controlled zones.
Why It Was Selected: The IPD-CM82-BGM simplified the system architecture by combining premium loudspeaker performance with integrated Dante® networking. Native network audio supported the project’s requirement for flexible routing, allowing virtually any source to be assigned to any of the facility’s 14 independently controlled audio zones while reducing infrastructure and simplifying installation.
CM62 BAA/TAA Compliant Ceiling Speakers
Installed in the facility’s saunas and shower areas, the CM62 is a 6.5-inch weather-resistant coaxial ceiling speaker engineered for high-humidity commercial environments.
Manufactured in Lenexa, Kansas, the CM62 is BAA and TAA compliant, making it an excellent solution for government, military and other projects requiring U.S.-manufactured products. It features a polypropylene woofer with rubber surround, a 1-inch silk dome tweeter and SoundTube’s patented BroadBeam® Ring technology, delivering excellent midrange clarity and smooth off-axis performance.
A magnetic steel grille provides a refined appearance while simplifying installation and maintenance. The speaker also incorporates an easy-access multi-tap transformer, transformer bypass capability and a tuned bass port for enhanced musicality.
Installation Efficiency
SoundTube’s installer-focused design helped streamline one of the project’s largest phases.
Rigging hardware was shipped on top of each loudspeaker carton, allowing the JAG Warner Productions team to pre-rig every loudspeaker before construction reached its final stages. Approximately one week was spent preparing the suspension hardware before the loudspeakers were safely repacked and stored until installation.
“The pre-rig process made the final installation seamless. We spent about a week pre-rigging everything, then returned months later and mounted the entire system in less than three days.”
— Zac Bender, JAG Warner Productions
Combined with dependable lead times and responsive technical support, the installer-friendly design helped keep the project on schedule from start to finish.
Complete System
SoundTube
- 74 × RS800i Pendant Speakers
- 19 × RS1201 Open-Ceiling Subwoofers
- 56 × IPD-CM82-BGM Dante® In-Ceiling Speakers
- 5 × CM62 BAA/TAA Compliant Ceiling Speakers
Electronics
- Q-SYS Server Core X-20R
- Powersoft Unica Series Amplifiers
- Attero Tech I/O Interfaces
- Shure ANX Series RF Package
- Aurora Video Distribution
Additional Loudspeakers
- Void Acoustics Airten V3
- Void Acoustics Venu 212 V2
- Void Tri Motion
SoundTube Simple
Beyond innovative loudspeaker technology, SoundTube partners with consultants, designers and integrators throughout every stage of a project.
- AVNation Staff
- AVNation Staff
- AVNation Staff
- AVNation Staff
