Sabrage Ultra Lounge, Detroit


The Challenge:

The Detroit area has always been known for its resiliency, which was resoundingly evident at the Valentine’s Day opening of Bistro 82 in the suburb of Royal Oak, Michigan. Completely remodeled and renovated, the two-story establishment offers superlative French cuisine in its restaurant, while its Sabrage ultra lounge is a chic addition to the area’s nightclub scene. Bistro’s clean, contemporary design is accented by an open, spacious layout with splashes of color and plenty of natural lighting. While the building’s architecture plays a major role in the appeal of both venues, it is also a challenge. On each floor, one entire wall consists of all windows and in the nightclub, there is an unusually low ceiling.

The Solution:

Chadi Shaya, owner of Detroit systems integrator Intellitech Systems, set out to deliver an audio solution perfectly tailored to the restaurant on the first floor and the nightclub on the second. To minimize the effects of the windows’ hard reflective surfaces, Intellitech sprayed surfaces on both floors with soundproofing material that not only helped reduce the amount of reverberation but also helped to separate both floors from each other acoustically.

The Intellitech Systems team designed and deployed an audio system featuring HARMAN’s JBL, Crown and BSS Audio components that complement the world-class food and surroundings. Bistro 82’s main and VIP areas are served by JBL Control 65P/T full-range pendant speakers. Additional first-floor speakers include JBL ASB6112 single-12-inch subwoofers and JBL AC16 2-way dual-8-inch speakers. The speakers are powered by four Crown CDi 4000 amplifiers and networked using a BSS Audio Soundweb London BLU-100 signal processor with digital audio bus and a BLU-8v2 programmable zone controller.

Energy on Sabrage’s main dance floor area is fueled by JBL AM7212/26 high-power 2-way loudspeakers. The AM7212/26 loudspeakers are grouped to provide concentrated sound to the dance floor while not overpowering the rest of the nightclub. Additional components include ASB6125 and ASB6115 single-15-inch subwoofers and JBL AC28 dual-8-inch loudspeakers. The loudspeakers are driven by Crown Macro Tech 12000i and 9000i amplifiers, networked together with a separate BSS BLU-100 processor.

The Impact:

“I have to point out that the level of support we received from HARMAN Professional and the quality of their products helped make this project successful. The all-HARMAN system architecture ensured total compatibility all around, and the BSS Audio Soundweb London processors allowed us to easily integrate iPad and iPhone control, which adds to the ease and convenience of operating the system.” – Chadi Shaya, Intellitech Systems

HARMAN Products:

Speakers

  • JBL Control 65P/T Full-range Pedant Speakers
  • JBL ASB6112 Single 12-inch Subwoofers
  • JBL ASB6125 High Power Dual 15” Subwoofer
  • JBL ASB6115 High Power Single 15” Subwoofer
  • JBL AC16 Ultra Compact 2-way Loudspeaker
  • JBL AC28 Dual 8-inch Loudspeaker
  • JBL AM7212/26 High-power 2-way Loudspeakers

Amplifiers

  • Crown CDi 4000 Amplifiers
  • Crown Macro Tech 12000i Amplifiers
  • Crown Macro Tech 9000i Amplifiers

Mixer Consoles

  • Soundcraft Vi1 Digital Live Sound Console

Processing

  • BSS Audio Soundweb London BLU-100 Signal Processor
  • BLU-8v2 Programmable Zone Controller
Sabrage