Hong Kong City’s owner, Mr Su, acquired the site - formerly a dusty old pub - and had it completely gutted and transformed it into a lively, bustling new venue seating 300-plus people. Packed to the gunnels throughout the week, Hong Kong City is capitalizing on the current community-wide trend for Asian fast food and haute cuisine.
A high quality sound system was an essential element of the mix: Su turned to Gordon Gapper from the Music Room to produce a system appropriate for the environment, in which karaoke is also a key element of the evening’s entertainment. Music Room’s Dean Watkin then produced the sound design and specification.
Hong Kong City is split into three audio zones for background sound, which is supplied via a hard drive system. The main room features 27 JBL Micro Control series ceiling speakers dotted all over the place, plus two Control subs secreted in the corners of the room. "The Micros were definitely the best speaker for the job," says Gapper. "Not only do they fit nicely below the false ceiling, but they sound excellent." JBL Control 24s ensure the sound quality is maintained in the toilets.
The karaoke system has two JBL MS28 speakers from the Marquis Series that kick out plenty of volume and punch, complete with one Control SB2 sub. With no available floor space for stashing the karaoke rig, again they sought an appropriate sounding, neatly profiled speaker that could be flown. Other considerations included the fact that they take their karaoke very seriously at Hong Kong City, so, Gapper explains: "They needed a robust system with plenty of headroom, capable of dealing with a massive range of vocal styles." The MS28 is a very elegantly styled long throw box. Arbiter also supplied Powersoft amplifiers which are used throughout the installation.
(Ruth Rossington)
