PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA – In a 7,500-square foot space with tall ceilings and sleek, hard surfaces, “echo” and “boom” seem inevitable. When Jose Suarez and his team opened Big Woods, a new microbrewery, bar and restaurant adjacent to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, they sought to channel the exhilarating atmosphere of the races. And to them, that required clear and controllable sound.
To overcome the space’s cavernous proportions, they called in local technology integrator Curt Edwards from Custom Audio Designs to install a multi-room audio solution with highly targeted speakers to direct sound exactly where it needs to go. In turn, Edwards built an entirely new system based around SpeakerCraft. “The concrete floors and wood ceilings create a natural ‘bouncing’ effect with sound,” Edwards explained. “That means we had two issues: overcoming customer noise and chatter, and avoiding audio echo. My team had to rely on high quality speakers to reliably aim the sound.”
The newly installed audio system includes 40 SpeakerCraft 5”OE5 Surface Mount speakers and 12 SpeakerCraft 8” Profile CRS8 In-Ceiling Speakers powered by three SpeakerCraft 16 channel SC1650 Power Amps, with three Yamaha R-S202 Stereo Receivers as sources. Suarez and his team enabled control of the system via an Apple iPad Mini, through which a select group of staffers can stream Pandora and iTunes playlists in different areas of the microbrewery.
Suarez helps to operate two other restaurants in the area, but Big Woods is by far the largest. When designing the space, he knew that the speakers he used in the past wouldn’t perform in this newest venture. “In our other locations, we have used smaller box speakers available at retail, but we knew that we needed the real deal to fill in this type of room,” he said. “We’re thrilled with SpeakerCraft and the system that Custom Audio Designs has developed. It’s easy-to-use for everyone, and it gets the job done.”
Throughout the facility, there are five unique entertainment spaces: two outside and three inside. As the bar’s general manager, Suarez emphasized the importance of incorporating different audio feeds into each environment to cultivate varying atmospheres. “It’s really important to select the right music for each unique space,” Suarez continued. “Inside, the music is a little more mellow since there is a restaurant where families are dining. On the outdoor patio and beer garden, the music has much more energy.”
In addition to the audio system, Custom Audio Designs installed a comprehensive security system to ensure that the property would remain safe after closing. Through a wall-mounted control panel, Suarez can monitor twelve Honeywell cameras, eight motion detectors, and more.
After its opening in May 2016, Big Woods has already proved to be a wild success. According to Suarez, he has been busy non-stop since opening day, and he attributes that success to every element in the new operation. “Our motto is ‘quaff,’ which means to drink heartily and with gusto,” Suarez said. “That’s the lifestyle that we live, and the culture that we try to cultivate. With that being said, it’s important that we utilize the best tools available to us to help us achieve that goal.”
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About SpeakerCraft
The choice of custom installers for its bold performance, SpeakerCraft combines premier audio with designer aesthetics to fill the home with music and audio enjoyment inside and out. Internationally recognized for innovation in architectural loudspeakers, SpeakerCraft is distributed through a comprehensive channel of select dealers throughout the United States, Canada and countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.speakercraft.com.
About Core Brands
Core Brands combines the product and marketing strengths of iconic and award-winning control, audio, power management, connectivity and video distribution brands including ELAN®, SpeakerCraft®, Gefen®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, Furman®, Sunfire® and Xantech® to deliver a portfolio of connected home and commercial solutions to its channel partners and end users. For further information, visit www.corebrands.com.
About Nortek, Inc.
Core Brands is a Nortek company. Nortek Inc. (Nasdaq: NTK) is a global diversified company with leading brands and innovative, technology-driven products and solutions for lifestyle improvement at home and at work. For further information, please visit www.nortek.com.
