Avalon Hollywood owner John Lyons recently teamed back up with EAW engineers to createAvalon by EAW loudspeakers. Custom versions of the new loudspeakers were installed in Avalon Hollywood earlier this year.

The new design was driven by advances in the technology used in loudspeaker design. For all intents and purposes, Lyons was still looking for the same features as the original loudspeaker series – tremendous SPL with enough clarity to hear the nuances of the music – but in a smaller footprint and capable of a higher SPL.

“The new Avalon by EAW loudspeakers provide exactly that,” Lyons explains. “Advances in transducer design enabled EAW to create a system that was half the size with twice the output, so we have a much better mousetrap.”

The loudspeaker series, Avalon by EAW, consists of four full-range loudspeakers (CLUB.two, CLUB.three, CLUB.four, CLUB.five) and a subwoofer (SUB.two). In addition, Lyons was interested in the development of an extreme version of the CLUB.two loudspeaker and SUB.two subwoofer specifically for Avalon Hollywood. EAW created these one-of-a-kind loudspeakers – the CLUB.one-JL and SUB.one-JL – at his request.

With the design complete, Lyons renovated the main PA at Avalon Hollywood with the new Avalon by EAW loudspeakers and made a number of physical upgrades to the venue at the same time. The entrance and lobby to the club was transformed while the original 1927 features throughout the club were restored to their former glory.

The main room, with a capacity of 2,000, features an extended balcony with great views and new VIP booths. More VIP seating is available in tiered levels surrounding the dance floor, with two exclusive VIP booths located backstage.

Six CLUB.one-JL loudspeakers were installed in the main room. The loudspeakers are mounted roughly 14 feet off the ground and placed in each of the four corners of the dance floor with two additional enclosures located in the middle of the side walls. The CLUB.one-JL is loaded with four 15-inch LF cones arranged in a symmetrical pattern behind two 10-inch midrange cones and a coaxial mid-high compression driver that produces peak output of around 136 dB. The design creates unbelievable sound levels on the dance floor while minimizing spill onto walls and ceilings. The loudspeakers – with black enclosures, red grills and black horns – blend into the red velvet and black décor nicely.

Six SUB.one-JL subwoofers are positioned under the stage and in front of the dance floor. Each of the subwoofers incorporates a 40-inch cone and three horn-loaded 12-inch woofers into independent subsystems that are powered and processed separately. By creating a hybrid subwoofer that combines direct-radiating and horn-loaded sections together, the enclosures deliver the perfect blend of impact and extension. The end result is absolutely earth-crushing sub bass.

“The subs are clean and powerful – they absolutely blow people away,” he continues. “It is amazing what a 40-inch cone can produce. The combination of the horn-loaded and direct radiating sections together really allows me to dial in the tonality to get the best of both worlds. We are nowhere close to maxxing them out. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure we can max them out.”

Disc jockey, producer, and record label owner Erick Morillo, is a stickler for high quality audio systems. As one of the godfathers of the musical genre, he performs regularly at Avalon Hollywood considering the venue a “home away from home”.

Once the new system was installed at Avalon Hollywood, Morillo was one of the first performers to put it through its paces. “The new Avalon by EAW boxes are unbelievable, it was loud and clean and they weren’t even close to being tapped out,” he explains. “The new bass bottom? The sheer size is crazy. The box itself sounds phenomenal. I was blown away by the design and quality of the entire system. Avalon is easily my favorite club in LA and the new system makes it even more so.”

The entire system is capable of generating in excess of 140 dB SPL on the dance floor. However, on a typical night the systems sits around 115-120 dB, delivered by more than 200,000 watts of amplifier power.

Two CLUB.two loudspeakers along with two SUB.two subwoofers are in place backstage to cover the exclusive VIP booths. The CLUB.two uses four 12-inch low-frequency woofers arranged in a symmetrical pattern behind the mid/high section. The drivers sum to product the output of larger drivers without suffering from the slow response usually associated with big cones. Two Sub.two subwoofers drive the low end of the backstage system. A hybrid subwoofer similar to the SUB.one-JL, the SUB.two delivers extreme extension and the physical impact required by high-end night club like Avalon.

The DJ booth, front and center on stage, is equipped with three CLUB.three loudspeakers. The CLUB.three combines a coaxial MF/HF design with a vented woofer directly behind it for optimal alignment making them truly world-class DJ monitors.

When asked about the monitor system Morillo adds, “So many systems don’t include enough bass – I need to feel what the audience is feeling – if I can’t, then what is the point? If you feel what they are feeling then you can create a good mood. Avalon pays attention to that. Using the Avalon by EAW CLUB.three loudspeakers as monitors is amazing, absolutely brilliant.“

Lyons has a team of people that are constantly pushing the envelope to repeatedly amaze club-goers. Every few weeks they take it all down and build something new and different to keep it fresh and vibrant.

“It’s all about providing club goers with the extreme audio experience – something different than what they get everywhere else,” Lyons adds. “It’s loud, almost body shaking loud, but with accuracy and pleasing sounds like you would get out of a great set of headphones. That is what we provide at Avalon.”