To that end, they imported a wood-fired pizza stove from Italy and hired New Jersey-based Essential Communications to design and install a music playback system that would avoid the indistinct mutterings typical of the average restaurant and replace them with solid, articulated sound that will set bodies in motion. Essential to Essential Communications' design are Ashly's new nX-8004 four-channel 800W amplifier and the four-channel nX-1.54 amplifier, which delivers a robust 1,500 watts of power to each channel. The nX family allows the integrator the flexibility to choose High-Z or Low-Z output on each channel.
The system is "beautiful in its simplicity". A DJ input or a house-provided music feed inputs to a straightforward Rane HAL processor, which outputs to the Ashly nX-8004 and nX-1.54 amplifiers. Their combined eight outputs power Community Veris loudspeakers and subwoofers across three separate zones: the dining area, the bar, and a downstairs area used for private events.
"This job went through a number of incarnations and variations," said David Schwartz, owner of Essential Communications. "Their original goals were best met with a 70-volt system, but as things moved along, we shifted those goals. The loudspeakers and subwoofers designs changed, but we were able to keep the Ashly nX-Series amplifiers because each output channel can drive any impedance. For the most part, the full-range boxes are running at 70-volt whereas the subs are running at Low-Z."
In addition to a powerful sound system, Adoro Lei's owners followed Schwartz' advice and installed comprehensive acoustic treatments. "It's a long, rectangular room, with a noisy open kitchen that backs into the bar," he said. "It could have been an acoustical nightmare. But with the acoustic treatments in place, it sounds like a recording studio. The reverb is minimal, and unless you know something about sound, you wouldn't notice it at all. It's quiet and warm, and the sound system is balanced and intimate. It's more like being in a cozy home than at a loud restaurant."
(Jim Evans)
