Pioneer Pro Audio has created a sound system based around horizontally mounted loudspeakers and rotated horns at The Jane restaurant on the site of a previously rundown church.
The venue was set up by chefs Sergio Herman and Nick Bril who wanted to fuse fine dining, music and cocktails. “It’s really nice to see that even in a big space like this you can create an intense, musical experience without pushing the volume limits. It’s created through the quality of the speakers, and how they are located. It balances perfectly,” said chef and co-owner Nick Bril.
The Jane was opened in 2014 and consists of a high-end restaurant downstairs and a bar area upstairs with special events and DJs playing to the whole venue.
“We wanted the music to be like a waterfall with more intensity upstairs, yet diners downstairs still being able to appreciate the full range of the sound flowing into the restaurant,” explained Bril. The team also needed a system that could be turned up later in the evening, and pushed even harder during special events.
The vast old church posed a number of acoustic challenges with high ceilings and lots of reflective surfaces provided by the tiled floors and stained glass windows.
“With my love of art and design and Nick’s passion for DJing, we wanted to create a synergy between these worlds and the world of great food. To bring it all together and give people a complete experience,” commented Sergio Herman, chef and co-owner.
“We installed the speakers horizontally and rotated the horns to give a high SPL in the bar that was also very pleasant in the dining area,” said Alex Barrand, manager Pioneer Pro Audio.
Pioneer Pro Audio teamed up with The Jane’s local installation partner Discostore to create a system that could give full coverage throughout the venue.
The waterfall effect was achieved by installing six XY-81 two-way speakers, in white, and one XY-215S quasi-bandpass subwoofer, in black. All the speakers are installed in the upstairs area and positioned to take advantage of the building’s acoustics to help the sound cascade to diners below.
The compact XY-81s were installed horizontally in an array around the bar area, with the constant directivity horns rotated to ensure a wide, even dispersion. The speakers provide a subtle sound across the frequencies during the day and early evening, but they are powerful enough to create a pre-clubbing atmosphere in the bar area at night. The XY-215S, with its twin 15in low frequency drivers, provides a warm bass upstairs, with a comfortable low frequency sound in the restaurant.
The system is driven by two Powersoft amps, one K3 and one K2, both with built-in DSP and Pioneer pre-sets. The team used Armonía Pro Audio software, which gives the management and installers remote access to the amps.
“The room EQ options are set for The Jane’s unique acoustics, spreading the sound evenly while reducing noise and echo. And certain frequency ranges can be eliminated early in the daytime and early evening, to make it more comfortable for people in the restaurant and eating in the bar,” said Barrand.
The XY-81s’ constant directivity horns and array configuration deliver a smooth SPL without any hotspots and enable the music to travel to the dining area without loss of sound quality. The positioning of the XY-215S takes full advantage of the building’s unique acoustics, spreading the bass throughout the venue, even at low volumes.
“Downstairs there’s a nice glow throughout the restaurant. It feels smooth whether you are in the middle or the corners of the room. And it’s not disturbing to have a different vibe upstairs in the bar area. It’s perfectly in balance,” said Herman.
“In the upper room, you feel the music is all around you, it’s an intense sound but you can still speak with your friends. When we have our special events, we can push the limits a bit further, taking it up to a real pre-clubbing party vibe. It’s amazing,” concluded Bril.
