Night life
Apr 1, 1998 12:00 PM, Joe Kamenstein
In its heyday at its former location on Broadway at West 75th Street, New York's China Club was known as a late-night meeting place for celebrities and those who wanted to be around them. One of the main reasons the club attracted so many of Manhattan's beautiful people was its stature as one of the city's best sounding and most famous live rock music venues.
Reborn less than 30 blocks south of its former location, the China Club lives and thrives again, reopening in the newly restored Times Square area at 268 West 47th Street. The crowds have come back in droves to the new midtown locale, mainly because its owners have stayed true to the club's reputation as an energetic live music showcase.
In the midst of its third decade presenting live music in Manhattan, the club held on to the one time-tested tradition in its new environs that is the foundation of its frequently praised, permanently installed audio system-loudspeakers from JBL Professional.
"In a word, the sound is simply amazing," observed George Georgiades, president of Sound Communications Consulting, who not only oversaw the design and installation of the JBL system at the new China Club, but he was also the sound man at the 4,000 ft squared (374 meter squared) original location. Georgiades had installed a JBL system there as well, establishing the club's stellar reputation as a haven for quality sound by musicians and denizens alike.
The new China Club features components from the JBL Sound Power series. Like the rest of JBL's Installation Range, Sound Power systems incorporate a variety of unique features. On either side of the China Club's 18 foot (5.5 m) radius stage, which is a larger version of the previous one, reside two four-cabinet stacks of JBL Sound Power 225-9 double cabinets, each with a pair of 15 inch (381 mm) loudspeakers and a 4 inch (102 mm) compression driver. The SP229-9s provide a large amount of bandwidth and maximum SPL within its easily clustered trapezoidal enclosure. The SP-225-9s loudspeakers are equipped with a passive crossover that can be switched to bi-amplified use by an internal selector. By choosing the bi-amplified mode, optimum system performance is achieved through the use of JBL's DSC260 digital system controller for crossover, signal alignment and EQ functions. Additionally, four SP225 Sound Power loudspeakers are hung in a 90 degrees coverage configuration and work above the club's spacious dance floor.
Serving as rear fill loudspeakers on the decks where intimate booths and tables reside are four JBL SP212-A Single-12 cabinets. These loudspeakers feature JBL's proprietary optimized aperture symmetrical radiator (OASR), which is a new design in pattern control. The 1 inch (25 mm) exit 2426H compression driver features a pure titanium diaphragm and is the acoustic motor that runs the OASR, which provides dispersion control in each axis while maintaining low distortion and clear transient highs. The SP212-A loudspeakers also feature the 2206H cone transducer, which carries a power rating of 600 W with minimal power compression. Driven by a dozen of JBL's MPX 1200 power amps, the loudspeakers envelope the club's 16,000 ft squared (1,486 meter squared) area in sound with low noise and crystal-clear audio detail. A 48-input Soundcraft Series 5 mixing console handles FOH and monitor mixes via the submixes from the board.
"The Sound Power box is fantastic in its voicing and projection. Both the live bands and the recorded music are incredibly clear and articulate," said Georgiades.
Working with the club's in-house audio staff, some of the installation was specified by the noted New York-based outfit, See Factor Industries. The system was installed by a team of local audio pros including John Pernal, Harvey Strausser and Chris Snook.
The Sound Power series offers eight full-range loudspeaker systems in six configurations and two powerful sub-bass systems. The loudspeakers offer components that incorporate JBL's advanced network topology (ANT), which provides a smooth power response curve and a stable load on the output of the power amp.
Additionally, ANT negates the need for a power-draining resistive network for the high-frequency transducers. Sound Power components also use VGC low-frequency transducers, and key Sound Power models are available with 60 degrees or 90 degrees coverage angles. All Sound Power loudspeaker components feature two Neutrik Speakon connectors, which loop the signal through the system components.
The new club's acoustical design was formulated by Al Fierstein of Acoustilog in New York. While discussing the system's design, Georgiades noted an interesting circumstance that came up during the course of the installation.
"To counteract the diffusion of the low-frequencies, such as the kick drum, Al hung the entire sheetrock ceiling from isolators," explained Georgiades. "What that does is make the ceiling a resonator, part of the sound of the club. We put some spray-type acoustical treatment on it, and that made it complete. The amazing thing about this is that the system worked so well with this resonator approach right from the start. We didn't have to make any compensation, which means we didn't have to make any compromises.
For much of the China Club's glitzy clientele, price has never been a problem. The club kicked off its second incarnation with one of the all-star jams for which it became famous in the 1980s, featuring Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley and Leslie West of Mountain and "Mississippi Queen" fame.
Since the reopening, the celebrity and sports crowds have returned in force. For example, Oscar-winner Michael Douglas recently enjoyed the late-night set featuring a star-studded "jam" band fronted by Rolling Stones backup singer Bernard Fowler following the Stones' Madison Square Garden concert. Also, during this year's Gotham-hosted NBA All-Star weekend, rap master Puff Daddy and basketball Shaquille O'Neal (himself a rapper of some note) hit the China Club stage for a few numbers, much to the delight of the club's inhabitants.
Whoever decides to use their connections (or wait in the ridiculously long lines) to enter the new China club, one thing is assured, regardless of the crowd's fame quotient. "In a club like this," proclaimed Georgiades, "the sound here is as good as it gets."
