Optimal Audio Serves Up Superlative Sound

Situated close to the O2 Arena and Excel Exhibition centre in London, Crowne Plaza Docklands is a 210-bedroom hotel featuring the brand's new Fremantle Bar & Restaurant concept.

Creating the Australasian-inspired all-day restaurant involved a significant recent upgrade to existing audio infrastructure, a project tasked to Uxbridge-based AV specialist Middlesex Sound.

Briefed to deliver a high-quality, zoned audio system that met the hotel’s specific aesthetic requirements, Middlesex Sound supplied and installed a turnkey solution from Optimal Audio, as company director Darrel Olivier explains…

"There were four separate zones we needed to cater for," he said. "The main bar, the restaurant, a private dining area and terrace. It was very important to deliver consistent, high-quality audio across the spaces, so we employed 16 Optimal Audio Cuboid 6 speakers which ensured the coverage we needed.

"The Cuboid 6 was an ideal fit for this project because it represents excellent value, allows for very flexible mounting and positioning options with the included flying hardware and sounds extremely good. The fact that the speaker is available in white as well as black meant they fit with the Fremantle design aesthetic too."

Alongside the Cuboid 6 speakers, a pair of Cuboid 6TX models (featuring the same two-way, full range, 6.5" driver/1" silk dome tweeter design as the Cuboid 6, with additional 60w transformer for use on 70 or 100v taps) and two Cuboid 5 speakers also featured in the installation.

A Zone 4 audio controller manages the speakers across each of the zones, its onboard DSP, flexible routing and programmability providing versatile but straightforward control for inputs that include "two music players and a BT Sports TV package," according to Olivier. "It's a great solution, with built-in presets for the Cuboid speakers, so it makes set-up and day-to-day use extremely simple.

"To give staff hands-on access we also installed a ZonePad 4 wall controller in the master position in the bar, so any of the four zones can be adjusted from here. It’s a very intuitive, unobtrusive panel that any member of staff can operate – the private dining area also features the even simpler ZonePad 1 panel."