Berlin’s Café Luzia has installed a Genelec sound system ‘to enhance the music experience of a relaxed café by day and trendy lounge bar by night’.
Located in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, the bar’s weekend DJ spots bring an electronic edge to the candlelit atmosphere – attracting a crowd that expects excellent audio. Looking to install a studio-quality sound system and maintain his reputation as one of Berlin’s coolest café bars, Luzia turned to local acoustic specialist Studio SPC.
‘As soon as the client told me that he specifically wanted studio-grade sound quality in his bar, I recommended Genelec,’ says Kenan Jan Ibar, owner and founder of Studio SPC. ‘I come from a studio background myself and love working with Genelecs, so I’m always pleased when I get an opportunity to take them out of the studio and put them in front of a wider audience.’
Ibar specified five 8050B large-format active monitors supplemented by a 7071A subwoofer. The 8050s are the largest and most powerful monitors in the Genelec studio monitor range, and deliver a class-leading balance of extraordinary SPL output, expansive dynamic range and an intensely detailed, transparent performance.
‘I decided on Genelec for a number of reasons,’ Ibar continues. ‘Apart from being my personal favourite, they are very easy to operate – this is important for sound installations in public places where you can pretty much guarantee that the operators will have had little or no audio training. Other than sound quality, my number one priority is plug-and-play operation coupled with reliability.
‘As a long-time Genelec user, I know that Genelecs won’t disappoint over time. They are extremely robust and suitable for many hours of playback, and the automatic standby mode is a real winner for environments like these where operators are constantly forgetting to turn them off when not in use. The fact that they are active is also a big bonus as it eliminates the need for amplifiers and messy and/or complex wiring, so it saves space and avoids confusion for venue owners and operators.’
Ibar also appreciates the number of mounting options available, which give him freedom in installation: ‘Genelec have definitely thought beyond the studio when it comes to mounting options and accessories,’ he agrees. ‘It makes the speakers much easier to specify in commercial installations as a result. For example, in my view, one of the most important and effective solutions for PA installations in public places is decoupling the speakers from physical entities such as ceilings or walls. The aim is to minimise transition noise to neighbouring areas and other public areas next door. I always recommend my clients to have a decoupled system. In most cases I modify a Genelec speaker mount using a special spring and sylomer anti-vibration mounting system, which is really effective and looks pretty cool too! Café Luzia is a good example of this.
‘[Genelec systems] work both aesthetically for commercial A/V installations as they are very easy on the eye and look great in any environment, as well as acoustically. The Café Luzia installation looks good and sounds wonderful. Everyone is pleased with the results, from the owners to the café manager to the weekend DJs and guests.’
More: www.genelec.com
