New York, NY (January 11, 2023)—The hottest spot in Manhattan might just be The Bar in the newly renovated Penn Station, where system integrator Osbee Industries has installed 10 Genelec 4430A Smart IP speakers.
According to The New York Times, the 70-seat bar, which launched this month in the food hall at the train station, which is adjacent to Madison Square Garden, has become as popular for its music as for its libations. “The music is louder and better than it should be: 1990s R&B hits, Motown classics and mid-aughts deep-cuts selected by a rotating cast of D.J.s that perform at the Bar Wednesdays through Fridays,” Times journalist Becky Hughes wrote.
The Genelec loudspeakers are soffited in the ceiling of the actual bar area, supporting the eight television displays that make The Bar an elegant sports-watching venue. The AV system, designed by Osbee, is fully networked, with Crestron control and Symetrix processing, and 4430As are connected to that network via Dante.
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The Bar is a centerpiece of the new Moynihan Train Hall’s food court, which is below the Beaux Arts-designed James A. Farley Post Office Building, and is the brainchild of Danny McDonald, one of America’s top pub business owners and one of New York City’s best-known restaurateurs. Starting in 1995 with the Swift Hibernian Lounge, which Crain’s New York contended “revolutionized the Irish Bar scene” in the city, McDonald’s portfolio grew to include Puck Fair, Ulysses’ Folkhouse, Pier A Harbor House and The Dead Rabbit.
McDonald knows hospitality, but he also knows it’s not limited to food and drink. “We’ll want the atmospheres in the restaurants and bars to reflect the times and places and people,” he says. “We’ll want them curated for the moment.” The Bar is across Eighth Avenue from Madison Square Garden, and the venue plans to play music and show videos that complement what many patrons have come to see, whether it’s a Rangers game or a Billy Joel concert.
“The Genelec loudspeakers, which Danny has used many times before in his restaurants, were the perfect choice here,” says Dave Raines, Osbee’s president. “They’re compact and fit into the wood soffit above the bar in such way that they’re practically invisible, yet still have plenty of output power. They’re compatible with Dante, as well as open streaming standards such as AES67, so they’re able to be networked, and they also have PoE functionality, which streamlines the system design. Plus, they sound fantastic, so they really check all the boxes.”
This was Osbee’s first Genelec installation, Raines noted: “It was our first time using Genelec, but I can assure you it won’t be our last.”
