THA – Bangkok’s Japanish blends cultural precision with Spanish warmth in one kitchen, whilst the recently installed Optimal Audio ecosystem creates clever zoning control instead of fusion. This dynamic space operates from 5:30pm to four in the morning changing from dinner to drinks to dancefloor with each function separated into its respective zones. The DJ set exudes its power in one area, whilst the peaceful terrace chills to its own tunes. Meanwhile, the restrooms and a corner that exists to be photographed maintain subtle background music levels and clean lines of sight.
Central to the installation, designed and specified by Wasee Karnchawee of Optimal Audio distributor, ProPlugin, an Optimal Audio Zone 4 draws the lines. Four zones cover the space, each run as its own room with dedicated volume, EQ and source. The terrace maintains a conversational level while the dancefloor rocks its own level and a private party in one area leaves the rest of the building untouched.
Karnchawee explained, “The brief was really about separation. The client wanted the terrace and the indoor room to feel like different places, and that only works if you can treat them as different systems. Zone 4 lets us do that.”
Karnchawee added, “We specified Optimal Audio because it’s so simple to install as well as being easy for staff to use. The appeal of the ecosystem is that you are not making products from different manufacturers agree with each other. Zone, ZonePad and the loudspeakers were specified together, so the install was cabling and configuration rather than problem solving.”
With shifts changing across a service that runs into the small hours, control was specified so that anyone on the floor can operate it. Optimal Audio’s WebApp lets whoever is on shift change the volume in any zone from a phone or a tablet, wherever they happen to be standing. The ZonePad 4 located on the wall does the same from a single position, handling source and level across all four zones without anyone reaching for a device at all.
Indoors, the Optimal Audio loudspeakers meet the dual demands of the space. Eight-inch Cuboid 8 cabinets and 10-inch Sub 10 subwoofers are compact enough to sit quietly in a carefully considered room and capable enough to carry a full DJ set through to closing without the low end thinning out when the floor fills. The DJ area gets its output whilst the quieter areas are not disturbed.
Karnchawee impressed, “What the client noticed first was that the audio quality is the same across the venue. You can walk from the terrace to the dancefloor, and the sound character does not change, even though the levels and the sources do.”
In the restrooms, and in the photo corner where sightlines need to be clear, ceiling speakers sit flush to the surface creating a deliberately clean and unbroken visage. The results there are measured by what nobody notices according to Karnchawee, “You want people to hear the music and never once look up to find where it’s coming from.”
On the plate, Japanish brings two traditions together. In terms of its ambiance, the venue trusted Optimal Audio to keep pace with its dynamic nature to separate the zones and ensure easy intuitive control of each.
Photography: Daniel Dobrovszki, Armin Speil, Oliver Toth, MateLeblanc
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