Working with regional distributor Pro Lab, Lou Agha’s Exacting Diseno Technical Services system integration company recently equipped Dubai’s Coco Grill & Lounge with an assortment of Martin Audio loudspeaker systems.
The aim – for Coco owner Naz Choudhury – was to integrate a Shisha Lounge with Dubai’s first Redemption Bar, and follows the operator’s launch of the Coco brand in London, overlooking Tower Bridge. All operations are alcohol-free, with upscale mocktail bars.
The project began after Exacting Diseno Technical Services founder Lou Agha had been introduced to via a consultant: ‘When the client asked what sound systems I used, he was pleased it was Martin Audio, as this was the brand he was using in London.’
Agha first arranged a demo at Pro Lab of various CDDs (up to 8-inch) and FlexPoint. ‘We started with the small FP, and he was amazed by the sound quality.’ He then quoted in various configurations, recommending CDD6 for the venue’s low-ceilinged interior and 14 punchy Blackline X8 for outdoors which combines Shisha Lounge with DJ and small combo live acoustic music, with vocalists, in a non-stop entertainment package. The 14 Blackline X8 are complemented by six Martin Audio SX112, while six pre-existing Adorn A55 have been refurbished and added – four on one side two on the other.
The Coco Grill lounge is divided into nine zones, networked using a Dante backbone. Routing is under the management of a Xilica FR1 DSP with modular I/O.
At the venue’s entrance, a further pair of Adorn A55 and single SX110 sub beckon customers in, and as they enter the Dome, they are greeted by six FlexPoint FP8 loudspeakers, with four SX112 subs.
‘Inside the client wanted high-quality music to be extended to the toilets, so we have Adorn ACS 40TS ultra-compact ceiling speakers running at 16Ω,’ Agha says ‘That way they sound really nice.’
The lounge features two non-smoking areas, one four CDD6 and two SX110, while the other has six CDD6 and two SX110. In Smoking Area 1, are a further four CDD6 and two SX110; Smoking Area 2 has two further CDD6 and a single SX110, and Smoking Area 3 – which can also be rented as a private space – is equipped with four CDD6 and two SX110.’
Agha says that in order not to intrude on the general aesthetic of the lounge, the subwoofers are placed discreetly: ‘I used the SX110 rather than the SX210 because of space constraints,’ he says. ‘For that reason I couldn’t put the SX210 on its side, so I separated them into pairs of the SX110.’
By day, the venue’s background music operates off a Spotify playlist, common to both London and Dubai and programmed by one of the venue’s DJs, with a theme heavily weighted towards the popular Afro Beats.
On Coco’s website, the venue boasts that ‘from 24-hour upscale dining to theatrical culinary experiences and late-night lounging, Coco redefines sophistication.’ And thanks to its sophisticated sound system, delivering a high-octane musical experience, it delivers on its promise.
See also:
Duo Gastrobar opens in Dubai