CASE STUDY – Pro Audio BGM System – Auction Rooms Cafe

the initial problem/need

Unique to Melbourne and indeed Australia, Auction Rooms Cafe pride’s itself on excellent coffee, excellent food, a great atmosphere and, you guessed it – LOUD MUSIC. The ambience and atmosphere of Auction Rooms cafe is created by many factors, with the music being a major contributing factor. The volume levels liken the music to foreground applications, rather than the typical background music one might expect in standard cafes and restaurants. The incumbant system was proving inadequate and provided inadequate volume and uneven coverage to the facility. Furthermore, the owner wanted to simplify the operation of the system for the staff to ensure a more consistant musical experience for the patrons. A-COM Solutions were contracted to provide a new system which was specifically designed for the space which incorporate a beer garden courtyard, alfresco dining, and the cafe itself. The system volume needed to be able to be balanced across the entire facility for even coverage whilst providing a good sonic experience.

the challenges

• The proposed works required unheeded access to the cafe – ideally without patrons due to safety concerns with working at heights and ladder use

• The cafe could not close for the works to take place
• The cafe’s look and feel demanded a ‘retro’ style installation involving exposed cabling, steel conduits and out-of-sight-out-of-mind speaker systems
• Space was limited so the main equipment needed to be installed somewhere out of the way

the solution

Technically, the solution was based on a stereo configuration of a Turbosound Impact solution which incorporated a serious sub-woofer. Multiple speakers were used to ensure good and even coverage of the building. Stereo Left-Right pairs were installed so as to maintain good stero imaging throughout.

how the solution was implemented

The solution was executed over a period of two evenings from dusk to dawn during the normally closed period.  A team of technicians toiled through the night to ensure all installation work was carried out when no possible incidence could arise as may have happened with an extremely busy cafe such as Auction Rooms.

the outcomes

Excellent quality audio – crispy highs, solid lows, nice mids – all round great sound. Even coverage, and as loud as you can handle it!

The control equipment was installed back of house whilst still allowing the staff to be able to control the main system volume from their main work area.

customers’ feedback

A-COM Solutions were a clear choice from the beginning. Brenton Kelly readily understood our needs and started designing the appropriate solution without requiring tedious levels of detail from us. He provided good audio control access for the staff, fulfilled precisely our hi-fi requirements and also navigated important considerations such as the limited site access and the need for an aesthetically sympathetic solution.

The standouts of the solution A-COM Solutions provided come back to three things: the level of ready understanding of our problems and design of (future proofed) solutions for that; great tradesmanship and attention to detail in implementation and system-tuning; and transparency in the process from the beginning (design) to the end (implementation and invoicing).

Highly recommended.