CGA Integration has been working on the project design and installation for almost a year. A trusted supplier to Dorchester Collection hotels, Chris Gunton, MD of CGA, has specified EV components in almost all his designs, including the über-stylish bars and restaurants of the Dorchester Hotel in London.
Coworth Park boasts a total of nine discreet yet linkable systems, matrixed with custom cable and aerial distribution systems stretching over 90m back to central rack and processing centres. Four areas of the hotel complex rely heavily on background music and speech reinforcement systems, notably the public areas and event rooms in the Tower House, The Barn, the eco-luxury Spa at Coworth Park, and the main Mansion House. One of the jewels in the Coworth Park crown is the fine-dining restaurant, John Campbell at Coworth Park.
With the emphasis firmly on audio excellence the CGA Integration team prioritised the audio processing, using EV's Netmax devices to combine local and shared inputs, and distribute the sound via EviD 8" and 4" two-way ceiling systems. EV's dedicated ceiling speaker calculator was a useful tool. Audio can be merged across the 6 principal rooms for flexibility and to handle larger events, so it takes three Netmax units to handle the Main House systems.
For small-sized events and business functions, Coworth Park has the Tower House, a dedicated private events room. Providing the flexibility to match all the demands of creative event designers, CGA has designed another Netmax-controlled sound system, powered by an EV CPS8.5 amplifier, using EV S40 ultra-compact, two-way, 5.25" short-throw cabinets, finished in a custom colour to match the décor.
"CGA Integration was scheduled into the build of this new venue, but it was still a challenge to accomplish delicate installation alongside multiple construction services," says Chris Gunton. "The ranges of inputs, cross venue linking, custom link-ups and bespoke entertainment all stretch the specification of a system that has to be a quality benchmark in all situations."
(Jim Evans)
