Bangkok is hardly lacking in fashionable bar and restaurant venues which appeal to the young, backpacker crowd, but in truth the quality of audio can be the subject of considerable variation. One of those operations emphatically making a stand for top-flight sound, however, is the newly-opened Superflow – and it has made Symetrix SymNet DSP technology an integral part of its infrastructure.
Fuzion Far East was enlisted to devise and supply audio for the new venue, which is situated on Bangkok’s popular Khaosan Road. Superflow represents the vision of Ceto Mind, and as Fuzion product specialist Benjamin Walters recalls, the audio brief contained several primary requirements: “There needed to be separate control for the main (outdoor) dancefloor area, the terrace, swing seating area and beach zone, but also the ability to combine the main dancefloor and terrace; the latter is sometimes used as an overflow when the main area is busy. There also needed to be a capability for easy adjustment and control.”
A long-time Symetrix system aficionado, Walters has frequently specified the manufacturer’s SymNet Solus line of open-architecture standalone processors for bar/club-type projects, but in this instance determined that a single SymNet Radius 12×8 EX Dante-scalable DSP would provide the desired expansion capacity to accommodate future requirements. Accordingly, the SymNet Radius unit is equipped with a single SymNet xOut 4 expander, whilst convenient system control is furnished by four ARC-2e Adaptive Remote Control wall-panels. One of these controllers, located in the DJ booth, has been configured to enable an instantaneous ‘bass cut’ to the main subs of 6dB.
“Superflow is very much regarded as a growing project, so it was important that we had the ability to add additional outputs,” says Walters. “The SymNet Radius 12×8 EX provided that, along with the rock solid reliability that we have come to expect from the Symetrix processors. We’ve used their DSPs successfully across a wide range of DSPs including, at present, a series of installations at Hooters and Hard Rock Café venues in the region.”
Back at Superflow, Walters focused his loudspeaker and amplifier configuration around a sizeable contingent of Quest Audio technology – Ceto Mind having been wowed by Fuzion’s deployment of a Quest-based design at another local venue. Quest QM 700 loudspeakers, HPI18LP compact speakers and QA 4004 amplifiers were among the specific models chosen for the Superflow fit-out. The elaborate configuration has been adjusted since initial installation in order to address noise concerns.
“The Quest and Symetrix are absolutely two of our ‘go to’ brands, and once again provided an ideal complement to a project of this kind,” says Walters. “The expandable nature of the Symetrix DSP also means that the venue is well-positioned for the future, so the end-result is a set-up that has greatly pleased Ceto and the staff.”