Las Vegas, NV – January 2009… Located on Freemont Street in the heart of downtown Las Vegas, The Las Vegas Country Saloon is a “good ole’ down and dirty country bar” that sports Jack Daniel’s barrel seating, kitschy western art, live music, and cowboy-hat-wearing, liquor-pouring waitresses who aren’t afraid to use the Saloon’s two best features—the stripper pole and the mechanical bull. When it’s time to party—and in Sin City, when isn’t it?—this is the place to be. And to keep the festivities loud and proud, the club recently installed a new sound system drawn from components in the D.A.S. Audio catalog.
Las Vegas-based BK Audio, a design/build firm that also handles acoustical consulting as well as live sound reinforcement for the special events market, was contracted to handle the sound system installation at The Las Vegas Country Saloon. According to Brian Klijanowicz, the firm’s owner, the room’s layout and physical construction made this project particularly challenging.
“This is a long and narrow (100ft x 50ft) space,� explained Klijanowicz, “and to further compound the intricacies of the project, the building is almost entirely made from concrete. As a result, this is a very live, reverberant room with almost no acoustical treatment. I needed a system that provided very controlled horizontal dispersion with just enough throw for the length of the room. In addition to being a big concrete box, one of the walls is glass, so that certainly doesn’t help with sound absorption. There is acoustical treatment at the rear of the stage and there is some carpeted floor space, but for the most part, the patrons become the sound absorbers.�
To address the requirements of this unique environment, Klijanowicz deployed eight D.A.S. Audio ST-1510 passive loudspeakers, flown in left and right clusters with four enclosures per side in a 2 x 2 (two wide and two high) configuration. The ST-1510 is a 3-way, mid-high loudspeaker system designed for use with external amplification. The ST-1510 is ideal in sound reinforcement applications where midrange presence and pattern control are desired. The trapezoidal cabinet houses a 15-inch low frequency transducer, a 10-inch mid-range transducer, and a D.A.S. ND-10 compression driver. Power for these loudspeakers came from Crest 9200 series power amps while an XDA 446 DSP unit handled loudspeaker management chores.
Augmenting the D.A.S. ST-1510s is a single D.A.S. Audio RF-12.85 passive, two-way loudspeaker that is used as a fill speaker to address a dead spot in a corner near the stage. Part of D.A.S. Audio’s Reference Series, this enclosure’s low frequencies chores are handled by a 12-inch transducer while high frequency reproduction is accomplished by means of D.A.S. Audio’s M-30 compression driver with a 2-inch titanium diaphragm coupled to a rotatable, 80 degree x 50 degree horn. Power is supplied by a Crest 9200 series power amplifier.
For the bands’ onstage monitoring, Klijanowicz selected four D.A.S. Audio SM-15A stage monitors. The SM-15A is a powered stage monitor that incorporates D.A.S. Audio’s 15L cone loudspeaker for bass reproduction. High frequencies are handled by an M-10N neodymium compression driver with a 1.5-inch exit, 3-inch titanium diaphragm and an edge-wound flat wire (EFW)) voice coil. The bi-amplified system uses a 500 watt Class “D� amplifier to power the low frequency section and a 100 watt Class “A/B� amp to power the highs.
Klijanowicz discussed his selection of the D.A.S. loudspeakers for this project. “The ST-1510’s medium throw characteristics were perfect for the length of this room,� said Klijanowicz. “The loudspeakers provide well focused, solid throw right up to the rear of the room, so coverage is clear and strong—without creating harsh reflections by bouncing off the back wall. Further, the system’s Ancra rigging hardware was very easy to use. The system makes it very easy to angle each loudspeaker enclosure individually and the result is a clean, uncluttered appearance. On the day I installed the system, the hang points were ready at 1:30 PM and I managed to complete the installation by 5 PM that same day. A band performed that evening! The system’s ease of use and the quality rigging hardware is what made this very quick installation possible.�
“Of equal importance,� continued Klijanowicz, “the SM-15A monitors—being self-powered—make it really easy for the musicians to arrange the wedges exactly how they need them and the single RF-12.85 enclosure was the perfect fit for the dead spot that I discovered while taking my initial measurements of the room.�
This project also exposed Klijanowicz to D.A.S. Audio’s customer service, which he described as first-rate. “I had questions about the rigging,� said Klijanowicz, “and the company promptly provided me with rigging illustrations, which were very helpful. Of equal importance, I discovered that a part had been damaged during shipment and here, too, the company was very responsive. They replaced the damaged part overnight, no questions asked. D.A.S. was a pleasure to deal with.�
With the system up and running since November, Klijanowicz reports receiving numerous compliments. “Patrons and staff alike have been very complimentary of the new sound system,� notes Klijanowicz. “Further, the musicians and DJs who perform through the system have really been enthusiastic. Many of the musicians regularly tell me this is the best system they’ve encountered.�
For additional information about BK Audio, visit the company online at www.bkaudio.com.
About D.A.S. Audio
Headquartered in Valencia, Spain, D.A.S. Audio is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of loudspeaker systems, power amplification, signal processing, and related components. For better than thirty years, D.A.S. Audio products have been found on tour with the world’s greatest performing artists and installed in many of the most prestigious facilities. For additional information about the company, visit them online at www.dasaudio.com.
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