The latest venue opened by the 0760 nightclub chain (Zhongshan's telephone area code), this new temple of entertainment is THE trendy new nightclub. Music is naturally at the heart of this establishment, which has chosen to equip its entire sound system with APG in order to satisfy its demanding clientele.
Hong Libo, one of the club's founders, details the history of this facility:
«When we renovated our historic nightclub – the 0760 Club – in 2016, we trusted TR Audio with the audiovisual integration. We were very impressed by their level of service on that project, so they naturally stood out as the best choice among the candidates for the 0760 Plus AV integration. Huang Zhao, General Manager of TR Audio, boasts over ten years of experience in the nightclub industry, and although TR Audio is a relatively young company, we knew they had the necessary expertise to achieve what we wanted. Ben Huang, the owner of TR Audio, was also very involved in this project, offering great availability and excellent after-sales service.»
Appointed as one of the two official APG distributors in China in March 2017, TR Audio specialises in entertainment and permanent installation projects.
Ben Huang explains the reasons that led him to want to work with the APG brand:
«I have been working with the brand's products for several years now, and as a historic French manufacturer of professional loudspeakers, APG is making a remarkable international breakthrough, which is notably the result of many years of R&D investment aimed at optimising cutting-edge technologies in their products. APG offers a pure, natural sound, and the performance across the entire sound spectrum is excellent. From my point of view, APG products have nothing to envy the best global brands in the pro audio industry.»
Despite the history of the relationship between TR Audio and Hong Libo, the latter nevertheless carried out thorough research in order to find the perfect sound for his new establishment, before returning to Huang Zhao, convinced that the APG brand offered the most appropriate solution.
«We were looking for a sound that was both powerful, dynamic and clean in order to best reproduce the different variations and levels of electronic music. The 0760 Plus venue is over 11 metres high and includes several structural challenges such as columns. We therefore needed a trusted supplier capable of providing uniform and consistent sound coverage to all four corners of the venue. The sound design took 8 months of work, but we are convinced that we now have unique sound quality.»
An investment of 80 million yuan renminbi was required to transform this former garage into a two-storey luxury nightclub: it is in the 800m2 ground-floor room that the APG audio system was installed by Ben Huang of TR Audio, who worked in close collaboration with Dominic Cho of ArcSource, the Hong Kong-based APG representative.
He explains: «Hong demanded high specifications for his audio design, and a speaker layout that doesn't interfere with the light and image show. Line Array systems are, in my view, a modern solution for nightclub projects, and APG offers a product range perfectly positioned to meet this type of scenario.»
Located on either side of the main stage, 3.3m off the ground, the APG Uniline system provides the main sound reinforcement: This line array comprises 6 APG loudspeakers UL210 (for long range), 4 APG UL210D (mid-range) and 4 bass speakers UL115B distributed on each side. The Uniline range stands out for its modularity, offering a large number of configuration possibilities to meet the specific needs of installations: For the 0760 Plus, it is used in extended mode, thus offering ideal performance for entertainment applications such as nightclubs. In addition to its advantages in terms of flexibility and modularity, the Uniline range offers an impressive size/power ratio, as well as excellent horizontal directivity, making it a discreet audio solution without compromising on sound quality.
To add even more impactful low-frequency response, Ben specifically requested 9 APG subs TB218S and 10 APG subs SB118, distributed across the dance floor. 15 APG coaxial loudspeakers DX15 cover the entire U-shaped VIP area spread over two floors, thus offering extended bandwidth, high precision and minimised distortion. Finally, 4 APG processors DMS48, 5 amplifiers SA20:2 and 10 SA30:2 power the entire sound system.
Hong justifies his choice of a single brand for the entire sound system by explaining that «this allows for maximum efficiency, given that the products have been designed and optimised to work in harmony.»
The system also had to offer sufficient flexibility not only to for DJ sets, but also for music bands and live shows. It was also essential for the end client that the sound system covered the entire venue in order to offer the same sound quality to the whole audience. This is what the APG system managed to achieve, while taking into consideration the aesthetic dimension sought by the end user.
Finally, an important consideration related to the club's proximity to residential areas. Avoiding noise pollution was of key importance, and Hong made a considerable investment in the venue's architectural acoustics to guarantee a high sound pressure level (SPL). Acoustic diffusion panels and insulation material were therefore also installed in the main room to prevent the sound build-up that could have been caused by the irregular surfaces and
venue decor. Management has paid particular attention to this matter, notably avoiding materials such as glass, mirrors and stainless steel in order to prevent sound reverberation.
Hong says he is absolutely thrilled with the final result:
«The entertainment industry is evolving very rapidly, and you have to know how to stay constantly up to date with the latest developments and trends. The APG sound system met all expectations, allowing the 0760 Club to offer some of the best sound in the city. He is joined by Huang, who adds: The 0760 Club is by far our most important project carried out with APG, and calling it a success is an understatement. The sound truly speaks for itself.»
In conclusion, Raymond Wong, managing director of APG North East Asia, comments:
«The partnership we have developed with TR Audio was aimed at helping APG with its development strategy in the entertainment sector, and in particular clubs, and better coverage in China. This project is the perfect illustration of this: Building on this new benchmark project in terms of sound quality in this type of environment, we have ambitious plans for the Chinese market and look forward to completing other equally exciting projects that are already underway.»
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