SAINT MARTIN, Caribbean – The exclusive Waikiki bar/restaurant and private beach in Orient Bay, Saint Martin, has attracted worldwide customers year-round since its opening in 1993. At the end of 2014 Waikiki Beach was seriously damaged by the Gonzalo hurricane. At this point the ownership decided to collaborate with an audio/visual consultant for the sound reinforcement system of the renovated venue — a familiar spot for live jazz and Cuban bands, as well as electro house DJs. Working with Waikiki’s proprietors, the new sound system was designed with a double goal: optimize acoustic performances and get an excellent visual integration. RCF’s product portfolio came into play.
More details from RCF (www.rcf-usa.com):
From RCF’s product portfolio, the choice fell upon the TT+ and V-Max Series for the main system, composed of eight TT22-WP weatherproof active high-output two way speakers and two V218-S passive bass reflex dual 18’’ subwoofers located under the DJ booth. The large bar and restaurant zone is covered by 10 MQ-80P two-way speakers for indoors and outdoors and a single S8015-LP band-pass ultra-compact subwoofer in order to improve low frequency response. The whole system is powered by five DPS3000 and UP2162 amplifiers. It’s managed by two DX4008 four-input, 8-output digital processors with special input presets for live bands and orchestras.
The project was not free from difficulty due to technical and environmental factors, such as the proximity of several hotels that impose limitations in terms of sound emissions, making it a paramount issue. Waikiki Club is partly situated outdoors, in the open air under a steel truss. Therefore, speakers had to be placed in multi-diffusion design to get clarity and punch everywhere.
The constant humidity, wind and hot salt air also played a role in the choice of the equipment: The TT22-WP is a totally weatherproof loudspeaker, as are the MQ80-P. As for the subwoofers, they opted for the V-Max Series that comes with a weather-resistant polyurea finish, to guarantee the products’ endurance in harsh weather conditions. The owners of Waikiki were greatly satisfied and have stated that this is probably one of the best sound systems on the island.
The new sound system at Waikiki covers the restaurant, bar and club. An extension on the private beach area is being currently installed with four V35 full-range passive two-way speakers, to ensure powerful and clear sound to guests who prefer to keep their feet in the sand. The speakers will be placed directly on palm trees with a special enclosure that ensures protection and a good aesthetic result.
