Australian contractor Saltec Audio Visual and Electrical of Bankstown, New South Wales, has undertaken some significant Turbosound-based installs during 2006, including the Dome Bar at the Crown Hotel, which boasts eight Turbosound TCS35s to provide audio for background music, and Friday and Saturday night DJ slots.
Dome Bar
According to Saltec’s Stephen Askins, “The client wanted a good quality of sound with an even coverage throughout the venue. We had used [the TCS35s] in other venues with great success and knew they would provide the quality of sound we were after.”
One of the hotel’s exterior walls adjoins a residential site, so the system had to be volume-limited to comply with council regulations. This was done with the system’s DBX Zonepro front end. “Everyone has been very impressed with the sound,” says Askins. “As a direct result, we were awarded two further hotel contracts after they listened to the sound at the Dome Bar.”
Red Cow Hotel
One of those contracts was the Red Cow Hotel, where Saltec installed a number of Impact 50s in the two-level bar area. One of the challenges was that the hotel is a landmark building, so great care had to be taken with loudspeaker placement to make them as unobtrusive as possible and to limit any damage to the building’s facade. Used for background music, the speakers are also controlled by dbx Zonepro. The latter’s auto-warmth feature ensures that the Impact 50s sound perfect even at low volume. Due to enthusiastic feedback from the hotel’s owners, Saltec was called on again to design a sound system for one of their other hotels.
Aurora Bar
In complete contrast to the Red Cow is the Aurora Bar, a new, ultra-modern venue at the center of Sydney’s business district. As a bustling city center bar, it required a background music installation that could compete with constant loud conversation and would also be suitable for DJs on Friday nights.
“The client originally specified another brand of speaker,” says Askins, “but we took him to hear the sound at the Dome Bar and he immediately changed his mind, requesting Turbosound speakers instead!”
As with the Dome Bar, Saltec installed Turbosound TCS35s. Despite the modern décor of the Aurora Bar, which includes a lot of flat reflective surfaces, Askins reports that the installation went well “…no real dramas, although speaker placement was difficult given that the room is long and narrow.
“The clients are extremely happy with the sound from the Turbosound speakers,” Askins concludes. “All of these installations had their own particular challenges, but the Turbosound speakers consistently delivering high-quality audio. And that’s what’s most important!”
For more information, visit Turbosound at www.turbosound.com.
