MIAMI – Davel Rodriguez, Principal at DRVCS, has been using K-array’s compact speaker systems for various projects including Casa Madera Miami, pictured here.
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For Miami’s booming hospitality market, where lively nightlife and excellent gastronomic experiences are the order of the day, the expectations for atmosphere have never been higher. For venues where every detail counts, from the plating to the playlist, sound quality plays a crucial role in shaping guest experiences. Miami-based integrator Davel Rodriguez, Principal at DRVCS, has turned to K-array, an Italian manufacturer known for its ultra-compact, architecturally elegant professional audio solutions, to solve the challenges of balancing audio quality with aesthetics. DRVCS has been at the forefront of integrating these solutions across some of the most design-forward venues, not just in Miami, but nationwide, including the top-rated restaurant in New York City of 2024, Mēdüzā Mediterrania.
Rodriguez and his team at DRVCS have been integrating K-array solutions into a diverse range of premium hospitality environments in and around Miami, from high-energy nightclubs to refined restaurant spaces and luxurious hotel rooftops. “Miami is growing up to another level,” explains Rodriguez. “Restaurants and bars are opening every day, and the design standards just keep on rising. Everyone wants to create something exceptional. K-array helps us get there, not just with sound, but with the way their loudspeakers fit into a space.”
One of the defining features that makes K-array a successful solution in this market is the blend of elegant design and high-performance audio inherent in their products. In a city where aesthetics are paramount, Rodriguez says that K-array’s minimalist form factor is a game-changer. “The number one complaint I hear from designers is, ‘We don’t want to see the speakers.’ And honestly, I get it. You’re spending millions to build out a restaurant, you want every detail to be perfect. K-array gives us that clean look, and the sound is just phenomenal.”
This philosophy has led to successful installations in some of the most talked-about venues in the city. At John Martin’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, K-array systems elevate the traditional pub experience with a polished, modern twist. Casa Madera Miami and Sparrow Italia, both dining destinations inside the Moxy Hotel, use K-array to create distinct sonic environments that match their sophisticated décor and cuisine. The same is true at Kiki on the River, BOHO House Miami and the Peruvian concept restaurant CVI.CHE 105, which now features K-array across several of its Miami locations.
“When opening his first restaurant, Juan Chipoco, who owns CVI.CHE 105, told me that sound was one of the last parts of the restaurant design, but now it plays an essential role in crafting the guest experience,” recalls Rodriguez. “Once he saw what K-array could do with clean, powerful sound that blends into the design, he wanted it in every location.”
With a total of six locations across Miami, CVI.CHE 105 required a solution that could balance high-impact audio for nightly DJ performances with ambient background audio needs, without taking away from the over-dinner conversations of its patrons. Systems based on K-array’s Python and Kayman passive line array loudspeakers enable discreet integration thanks to their sleek stainless-steel enclosures, whilst still packing a punch. When combined with K-array’s Thunder subwoofers, the result is an audio system with enough headroom to elegantly switch between background music and DJ performances.
At the recently completed Moxy Miami Wynwood hotel, Rodriguez and his team delivered a full-scale, multi-level integration across the lobby, rooftop and various dining and lounge spaces. It was a complex project that demanded both technical performance and design sensitivity. “We’re still finishing some final details, but it’s already turning heads,” confirms Rodriguez. “Every level sounds amazing, and you hardly notice where the sound is coming from with K-array.”
From a systems integration perspective, K-array provides technical advantages that simplify installations. Rodriguez finds value from across K-array’s product ecosystem of loudspeakers and amplifiers. “It’s reliable, it’s efficient, and it just works,” he says. “Straight out of the box, the clarity is incredible. Once you set up the amplifiers, it becomes plug-and-play for any integrator. Minimal tuning with great results, plus, everything ties in perfectly across systems, which gives versatility and scalability.”
This consistency of audio quality is key when scaling up across multiple locations or venues. DRVCS has also deployed K-array at Pier 5 in Bayside Marketplace and at high-end concepts in Palm Beach, such as Italian restaurant, Le Bar, which uses versatile GH4 units from K-array’s KGEAR brand, alongside K-array subwoofers. Whether the brief is ambient background music or the ability to switch into party mode with a live DJ, the K-array ecosystem offers the performance and flexibility to handle both. “It crosses that bridge,” says Rodriguez. “For background music, it’s flawless, but if you want to crank it, it delivers at that level too.”
What also stands out to Rodriguez is the support and structure behind the K-array brand. “It feels like a family business. That support has been there since day one,” he shares. “They give you the tools, the educational assets, the software, making the systems simple to understand and easy to install in the right way. I’ve found that once customers experience K-array, they stick with it.”
As Miami’s hospitality spaces continue to evolve, the DRVCS team sees K-array playing a central role in that transformation. “When people are paying a lot of money to eat or stay somewhere, everything needs to feel perfect, including the sound experience,” continues Rodriguez. “The form factor of K-array makes the designers happy, the architects happy, and most importantly, it makes the customers happy. I try to give my customers the best of the best, so I’m sticking with K-array to ensure all my venues are pristine.”
