NEW YORK — EL Media installed sound system components for Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen and Bar in New York’s Times Square that includes more than 100 Tannoy loudspeakers and 12 Lab.gruppen C Series amplifiers.
More details from Tannoy and Lab.gruppen (www.tcgroup-americas.com):
Anyone who’s seen Guy Fieri in action knows the chef, restaurateur, author and television host doesn’t do anything by half measure. The ‘culinary rock star’s latest restaurant, Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen and Bar in NYC’s Times Square, is no exception and boasts a decidedly rock and roll vibe, with a sound system comprised of over 100 Tannoy loudspeakers and 13 Lab.gruppen C Series amplifiers.
“It’s a high-powered system,” says Ernie Lake, Chief Creative Officer for EL Media, designers/installers of the system. “They wanted a user-friendly system and clear, highly intelligible sound that would actually be part of what the whole restaurant’s vibe was about.”
Located in the New York Times former printing facility, the 15,000-square-foot, 500-person capacity space posed some challenges acoustically. “It’s where the Times’ presses were,” Lake says. “It’s a big room with high ceilings and concrete slabs everywhere. We applied K-13 insulation to the ceiling and used a fair amount of untreated wood – so even though there are a lot of hard surfaces, that helped in terms of acoustics.”
Lake doesn’t mince words when explaining why he chose Tannoy and Lab.gruppen. “They’re my ‘go to’ products,” he states. “My background is in record production and, in the studio, Tannoy were my favourite speakers. Those full, silky highs – you don’t get them out of other speakers – and they have incredible separation, nothing else out there comes close. As for the Lab.gruppen amplifiers, they’re a great, clean sounding amplifier that can stand up to the needs of a place that runs 24/7. I don’t know any other amp that could that.”
Lake specified a variety of Tannoy lines for the twelve individually controlled audio zones and spaces in the restaurant in order to meet the sonic and aesthetic challenges in each. The ground floor’s intimate private dining areas are covered by twelve, in-ceiling Tannoy CMS 601DCs and one CMS 801 sub. The rear bar on the same floor is served by four Tannoy VX 8.2s. “These had to blend in with the restaurant’s décor,” Lake adds. “They’re up about 12’ high, above the lights, and because of the VX 8.2s dispersion pattern they were excellent for that location.”
Below that, on the cellar floor, Lake installed ten VX 8.2s and 4 VX 6s to cover the main dining area, and eight CMS 601DCs and an 801 sub for additional private dining areas. Two CMS 601s also provide audio for the rest rooms and two Di 6DCs are used outside the front entrance where a 10×17-foot LED screen shows clips of Fieri in action.
The lack of a dedicated equipment room presented a challenge in terms of where to place the amps – three Lab.gruppen C20:8s, three C10:8s and seven C16:4s – that power the system. But in a nod to Fieri’s rock and roll style, Lake says: “we decided to put them front and centre, in a cage that sits right at the host’s stand, so people can see the lights and electronics. It looks incredible.”
The result is a system that provides all the punch and volume necessary to creating a party atmosphere without detracting at all from the atmosphere at Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen and Bar or its customer’s ability to enjoy the company and conversation of others in equal measure.
“Most of the time, people don’t think about the acoustics of a restaurants,” Lake says, “but it’s a huge part of the atmosphere. I attended the grand opening in October and they’re thrilled. In fact, Guy came up to me that night and gave me major compliments. They’re absolutely, 100 percent happy.”
Established in 2008 in an effort to offer custom designed audio solutions to complement their existing music styling services, EL Media Group’s installation arm provides audio design/install services for a variety of high-end hotel, restaurant and retail applications across the United States.
