EAW AVALON SYSTEM INSTALLED IN D.C. NIGHTCLUB
Feb 16, 2005 2:26 PM
Washington, D.C. is home to a number of universities and as a result, plenty of club-hungry young people starved for extracurricular nightlife activities. This is exactly the audience club owner Michael Romeo was targeting when he opened Fur, a new multi-level entertainment establishment that's been drawing record crowds since it's opening late last year.
Aesthetically, Fur features a sophisticated décor, with fine-crafted woodwork, granite countertops, exotic tropical fish tanks, grand 30-foot ceilings, exquisite oil paintings, stunning chandeliers, plush leather couches, and of course the trademark mink-covered walls. But when it comes to dancing all night, it's the state-of-the-art EAW Avalon sound system that plays one of the most important roles in keeping FUR's devoted patrons coming back for more.
Designed by John Fiorito, owner of OHM Productions, and installed by his associate Jeff Darby, the EAW Avalon system was conceived during the renovation stage of the classic 1890's building. "Because we entered the renovation stage early, we were able to design the floor plan around the Avalon system itself," explained Fiorito. "As a result, FUR's Avalon system is cleverly integrated into all areas of the club while not detracting from the meticulous décor."
The main floor, which hosts the stage and dance floor, is surrounded with an impressive array of EAW Avalon boxes including six Avalon DC1 full-range cabinets, 24 Avalon DCS2 subwoofers, as well as six Avalon DCT2 and two Avalon DCT1 supertweeter arrays.
Carefully configured for optimum performance, two Avalon DC1s and three Avalon DCS2 subwoofers are built into the upstage wall. An additional two Avalon DC1s are flown on opposite ends of the dance floor front and rear, while two more Avalon DC1s are flown on each side of the dance floor. To ensure plenty of high-end, each Avalon DC1 has a single Avalon DCT2 supertweeter and two Avalon DCT1 supertweeters attached.
At the front of the room, the stage was built to a custom height in order to accommodate the impressive nine Avalon DCS2 subwoofer cabinets that are positioned under its front lip. The tech platform at the opposite end of the room was built at the same height as the stage and houses and additional eight DCS2 subwoofers. Two dance platforms on each side of the dance floor accommodate four more Avalon DCS2 subwoofers, two for each platform. This configuration not only ensures ample low-end, but it also keeps maximum dance space available for club guests.
The Messina features two Avalon DCS2 subs and two Mackie PA152s for ambient music. The Mink VIP lounge and Martini Lounge are each equipped with four Mackie PA152s. The Mafia room, perhaps the most decorative room in the club, includes eight Mackie PA121s, four Mackie PA152s, and six EAW SB250s that provide coverage of the upper bar level and lower table service level.
Providing enough amplification horsepower for system of this scope is no small task either. Fiorito explains, "The Avalon system sounds absolutely unbeatable if you get enough power to it. The DC1s, for example, run pretty well off of as little as 400 watts, but if you give it closer to 1000 watts, it absolutely 'lights up', and there is nothing on the market that can touch it sonically."
Fur's entire system is powered by a combination of Crown ITech 4000s and ITech 8000s. Equalization and loudspeaker management processing is provided by a dbx DriveRack system and DriveWare software. Fiorito concluded, "EAW was there every step of the way during this project. They always make the extra effort to ensure that their product is being implemented properly and will stop at nothing to use all the tools available to get the job done. When it comes right down to it, we are only able to guarantee success by choosing the best gear and not allowing our clients to compromise. It's the only way to do business and that's why I choose EAW." For more information, go to www.eaw.com
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