What Dante and AES67 actually do
Dante is Audinate’s widely used audio-over-IP ecosystem. AES67 is an interoperability standard for high-performance audio streaming over IP networks. A compatible loudspeaker can receive digital audio as a network stream rather than from an analogue or AES cable.
That changes the physical system architecture. Instead of a power amplifier rack feeding long runs of speaker cable, an active network loudspeaker can receive audio over Ethernet and, with PoE-capable products, receive operating power on the same cable.
The cinema signal chain still matters
The crucial step is number two. Many residential cinema processors are designed around analogue balanced outputs, not direct Dante loudspeaker feeds. A network-audio design therefore has to confirm how every decoded channel becomes a routable Dante or AES67 stream.
PoE is part of the amplifier design
With Genelec Smart IP, the Ethernet cable can also provide power. Genelec recommends PoE+ IEEE 802.3at for maximum performance on its Smart IP speakers. That turns the Ethernet switch into part of the loudspeaker power architecture.
The switch must therefore be chosen for both port capability and total PoE budget. A switch with enough ports but insufficient aggregate PoE power is not a complete design.
Switching, QoS and clocking
Genelec recommends Gigabit networking for high-channel-count applications and recommends QoS when the network carries traffic in addition to audio. Audio-over-IP also relies on precision clocking so that channels remain synchronised.
Genelec Smart IP is different from Genelec SAM / GLM
This distinction matters. Genelec’s 8351B and 8361A are SAM monitors managed and calibrated with GLM. The 4410A, 4420A, 4430A and 4435A are Smart IP installation loudspeakers managed with Smart IP Manager and designed to receive Dante/AES67 streams.
Both are active Genelec systems, but they solve infrastructure differently. The Smart IP route is especially interesting when the project is being designed from the outset around structured cabling and managed Ethernet.
What network audio does not solve
Dante does not determine loudspeaker size, coverage, seating geometry, reference-level headroom or the acoustics of the room. PoE does not make a small loudspeaker suitable for a long throw. DSP does not turn poor placement into good placement.
The network is simply another part of the cinema engineering stack. It can make a system exceptionally elegant — but only when audio design and IT design are done together.
Where this becomes compelling
- New-build cinemas where every speaker location can receive home-run CAT cabling.
- Active surround and height systems where reducing central amplifier channels is valuable.
- Projects that already have strong managed-network infrastructure and professional AoIP capability.
- Multi-room or mixed-use spaces where the same audio network can support cinema-adjacent zones.