Pioneer Pro Audio worked with Bierfabriek's installation partner Discovery Sound & Vision to specify a sound system and EQ settings that overcame these challenges and delivered a warm, clean sound throughout the venue.
"The sound is amazing. Unlike other places, we can cater for people who want to talk and relax, and people who want to dance and party. With the Pioneer system, we can deliver the highest-quality sound in both environments - so everyone's happy," says Andrea Possa, co-owner Bierfabriek.
Bierfabriek Delft opened in 2014, mixing the best elements of a brewery, grand café, restaurant and nightspot. The management team was looking for a speaker system that could deliver an even sound throughout the venue. It needed to be versatile enough to create a warm, comfortable atmosphere during dinner, yet deliver a powerful club-quality sound in the main room later on.
As Bierfabriek co-owner Ronald Bolhuis explains, "The idea is that you can have a good meal in a laid-back atmosphere and then stay to talk or party until late; the sound system is central to creating the different energies as the night goes on."
In addition, the sound system needed to overcome the challenge of the many reflective surfaces in the venue. Blue and white Delft tiles, wooden tables, metallic brew kettles and industrial lamps all meant the room EQ settings had to be tailored not just to the time of day, but the acoustics of the zones.
The Bierfabriek team asked partner Discovery Sound & Vision to source and install a sound system for the Delft venue. Having recently experienced Pioneer Pro Audio's versatile new speaker range, Discovery Sound & Vision recommended working together to specify a tailored solution.
Pioneer Pro Audio manager Alex Barrand worked closely with Discovery Sound & Vision to build a new sound system from the ground up. Based on his recommendations, the team installed six Pioneer XY-81 8-inch two-way speakers and an XY-215S quasi-bandpass subwoofer with twin 15-inch drivers in the main room, plus a further fourteen XY-81 speakers throughout the restaurant and bar. To suit Bierfabriek's design scheme, all speakers were in classic black.
Discovery Sound & Vision's sales manager Piet Berkhout explains the choice: "We selected the 8-inch speakers for their clean sound and because they are compact yet powerful enough to handle the louder volumes when DJs play. Plus the rotatable, 60 x 90 degree constant directivity horn meant we could mount the speakers horizontally and deliver a wide, even dispersion."
The entire system is powered by four Powersoft amplifiers - two K2s and two M30s - with built-in DSP. Barrand used RTA software to load three pre-sets that let Bierfabriek effortlessly control the sound for daytime, early evening and DJ modes.
"The RTA software lets us tailor the room EQ and also set limiter levels for each zone. So, as the volume is pushed up throughout the night, the output is matched to the area's needs: quieter in the lounge and more powerful in the bar, but always with a clean, warm sound," explains Pioneer Pro Audio's Barrand.
Bierfabriek's Possa concludes, "Pioneer and Discovery provided a great service from the beginning. We knew we were working with quality and felt safe. Now we have the proof: a clear, energetic sound; happy guests; and a connection with Pioneer DJ equipment that means all the DJs want to play here. It's a beautiful system."
(Jim Evans)
