Categories
Optimal Audio

Optimal Audio Proves Good Fit for King’s Head

UK: The King’s Head is popular pub in the village of Bwlchgwyn, not far from Wrexham in North Wales. As well as serving high-quality food and drink, the pub stages a variety of events, ranging through karaoke, live performance, bingo, televised sport and quiz nights. Providing a valuable focus for the community, owners Eddie and Abbie always strive to deliver the best customer experience possible, and recently took the decision to upgrade the pub’s sound system, which they no longer considered fit for purpose.

Specialists Pivotal Sound & Lighting of Wrexham were engaged to design and supply a solution for The King’s Head. Pivotal cover every facet of audio for live events, hire and installation, and their vastly experienced team has a reputation for excellence across the region. Pivotal recommended an Optimal Audio system to meet the pub’s varied programme.

Darren Hughes, Director at Pivotal Sound & Lighting describes the brief:

“The existing system comprised a number of loudspeakers driven by a home cinema amplifier which was running as a single zone, including in the outside area. Given the range of events that the pub hosts, a zoned system was essential. This would allow for example, a ‘loud zone’ around the bar area, a ‘quieter zone’ in the snug, or perhaps keep the outside area audio-free during karaoke or DJ sets. They also wanted the facility to input audio from their TV screens.  Ultimately, it was about having better quality audio and better control.”

Pivotal have worked on many projects supplied by distributor Audio-Technica, and were aware of the Optimal Audio ecosystem. Darren immediately settled on the Zone 8 controller for the new system because of its flexibility, internal DSP, HDMI in/through (for the local TV input) and WebApp for easy operation on staff members’ phones. He continues:

“I chose the Optimal Audio Zone 8 controller straight away, but to be honest I’d looked at using another speaker brand we regularly use for this kind of job. As it turned out, there was an availability problem with those, so I went back to Audio-Technica and they suggested Optimal Audio speakers which came in right on budget. Now I’ve used them, they will definitely be my commercial install speaker of choice moving forward.”

For complete coverage of the pub, including its outside covered area, Pivotal installed two Cuboid 3, four Cuboid 5 and three Cuboid 8, two-way, full range loudspeakers (3”, 5” and 8” respectively) as well as a single Sub 10 low-profile sub-bass unit. A Zone 8 8-zone audio controller completed the picture, with the pub’s staff confident in its operation via smartphone and tablet.

Co-owner Eddie is pleased with the new system:

“The Optimal Audio system that we’ve had installed has been fantastic. It was really noticeable during the Christmas period when we had lots of different events going on. We’re extremely happy – the sound quality is unbelievable, and the install does Pivotal great credit.”

Darren concludes:

“The system sounds great and actually surpassed my expectations. Optimal Audio will definitely be my first thought when it comes to installations of this kind!”

 

Click here for the original article : https://optimal-audio.co.uk/news/optimal-audio-proves-good-fit-for-kings-head/

Categories
Martin Audio

BRAND INTEGRATION AND KEY LOCATION DRIVES ISE TRAFFIC TO MARTIN AUDIO

Martin Audio took full advantage of their new stand location at the Fira de Barcelona, ensuing they would drive heavy traffic to their booth at the recent ISE 2024.

By taking up a position front and centre of Hall 7 they were able to place major focus, not only on themselves, but brands across the Focusrite Group—thereby helping to demonstrate synergies and opportunities. Equally, in Martin Audio’s celebrated demo room, the integration of recent Focusrite acquisition, TiMax immersive sound, was showcased as well as localisation with stage tracking, helping to enhance the specific Martin Audio presentations.

According to Marketing Director, James King, “This was a deliberate strategy and one that really paid off. We have a wealth of expertise and product solutions for the pro audio industry within the Group now, and the with the recent addition of TiMax it made perfect sense to help shine a light on them too, while also helping to augment Martin Audio’s own showcase.

“The stand’s location helped enormously to bring fresh interest while our audio demonstrations gave a tour de force review of key product lines from our strongest ever line-up.

While it was too late in the day to fully integrate TiMax to the wider Focusrite Group stand in time for ISE 2024, all the promotional activity and cooperation undoubtedly helped drive increased interest to TiMax, who had a stand towards the back of Hall 7.

James King also noted that the week had been a near record one for Martin Audio’s website traffic. “It showed conclusively how favourably offline and online activity can intersect.”

Meanwhile, he promises that the Group will return to ISE 2025 with “an even bigger and better stand in the same location … and this time it will be with full TiMax integration.”

Categories
LEA Professional

LEA Amps For Coffee Shop Chain | Barista Parlor

LEA Amps For Coffee Shop Chain | Barista Parlor

When Barista Parlor needed an audio system to match its unique method of entertainment — a record player — they chose LEA Professional to carry the tune. ☕

Let’s dive in! 🦈

THE SPEC

LEA Amps For Coffee Shop Chain | Barista Parlor

🏢 Venue: Barista Parlor | Indiana & Tennessee Locations

👷‍♂️ Integrators: Hazelwood Laboratories

🎶 Audio Spaces: Dining Areas

🦈 Product Used: Connect Series 702 (2) One Each Location, Connect Series 354 (2) One Each Location

THE VENUE

The Stutz is a world-renowned, reimagined factory that originally served as the headquarters for luxury car manufacturer, Stutz. Always favorable to the finest designs, The Stutz has become an adaptive reuse home for makers, artists, and small businesses, where all can embody the Stutz Motor Company’s legacy of hard work, artistry, and innovation.

THE INSTALL

Hazelwood turned to LEA Professional for the audio technology that fits the unique set of needs of Barista Parlor. Since Hazelwood performs lots of custom work, he looked for a solution that was flexible and that he could adapt to his own specific needs. LEA Professional has an open API where he could develop equipment around its platform, allowing Hazelwood to build a system that perfectly fits his and Barista Parlor’s needs.

“I worked with the LEA team directly, and they were extremely accommodating in answering my questions about development,” said Hazelwood. “They were just really supportive throughout the process, and I found LEA’s products to be amazing and effortless to use but still flexible for my needs. The adaptability truly pushes the LEA amplifiers ahead. No matter how specific my needs are, I know they’ll live up to the task.”

Hazelwood specified the Network Connect Series 702 and worked with the LEA Cloud to deliver impeccable quality that can be controlled from near or far. The CS702 is a 2-channel amplifier with 700 watts per channel. As part of the Connect Series, the world’s first Internet of Things- (IoT) enabled professional-grade amplifiers, the CS702 features the flexibility and power needed for this installation.

“The LEA Cloud service is a huge benefit to me and Barista Parlor. The fact that I can log in from here in Nashville and troubleshoot issues or make adjustments for them if they need, it’s game-changing,” said Hazelwood. “There’s very little that we can’t access remotely, and it saves our customer money in the long run because we don’t have to dispatch the local technician, or we don’t have to drive up there.”

THE CONCLUSION

Hazelwood has specified LEA Professional amplifiers in four Barista Parlor installations, including the CS702 in Indianapolis and Sylvan Supply in Nashville, as well as the CS354 in Hillsboro Village in Nashville and 500W in Louisville. The adaptability and accessibility of LEA Professional amplifiers have led Hazelwood to standardize on them in these past installations, with plans to continue using them in future projects.

“Barista Parlor is a wonderfully unique coffee chain that requires a sound system just as special. Our amplifiers allow each store to customize their audio experience however they need to, ensuring every song is heard beautifully from those record players,” said Scott Robins, VP of Sales at LEA Professional. “This installation reflects our goal to provide the perfect audio system for every customer, no matter their needs, and we hope every Barista Parlor customer enjoys how perfectly the music will pair with their cup of coffee.”

A special thanks to the teams at Hazelwood Laboratories and Barista Parlor for choosing our amps for this installation. We look forward to delivering top-notch sound quality for years to come.