Covo di Nord-Est (the North-East Lair), a club on the Gulf of Portofino coast, in Santa Margherita, Italy, has had an extensive audio upgrade. Built in 1934 as a private residence, the venue rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s as a popular club. Storms ravaged the venue in late 2018, prompting a comprehensive overhaul.
“After the storm in 2018, we undertook a complete rebuild of the entire venue,” said Stefano Lo Sardo, owner of Vibra Service and project manager for this build. “But we didn’t just want to rebuild, we wanted to upgrade, and that meant a new audio system that would rise up to the challenge.”
Together with Italian distributor Audiosales, they designed a completely new sound system. Featuring both Martin Audio speakers and subwoofers, the system was supported by Powersoft’s fixed-install-dedicated Quattrocanali 1204 and Ottocanali 4K4 amplifier platforms, with onboard DSP.
“Our focus was to provide coverage throughout the entire venue, especially in the centre, as it’s where the bar and most guest seating are,” said Lo Sardo. “We also needed to consider the buildings around us, making sure that we avoided undesirable coverage near the surrounding buildings.”
System configuration
The system was designed with six Martin Audio CDD10B speakers situated in the centre of the venue, suspended from the ceiling. These speakers, along with the other 12 speakers and subwoofers placed throughout the venue, are fed directly into an Audac preamplifier and Powersoft’s Ottocanali and Quattrocanali amplifiers.
“We needed powerful amplifier platforms providing the best sonic performance and protection for this project, as the speakers are performing at a high level for hours on end,” said Lo Sardo. “Powersoft’s Quattrocanali and Ottocanali were exactly what we were looking for. They are exceptionally powerful, and the built-in DSP was a big advantage for us.”
Named after their number of channels, the Quattrocanali (four-channel) and Ottocanali (eight-channel) amplifier platforms have been designed for high efficiency and power at a low operational cost.
Protective features
The amplifiers are intended to not only amplify and support an audio system, but to protect it. Features include a clip limiter for loudspeakers, short-circuit protection, long-term limiters against steady non-audio signals that can minimise output, and general thermal protection.
“We also used the ArmoníaPlus software for this project, and it gave us complete control over every aspect of this system,” said Lo Sardo. “It’s extremely intuitive and easy to use.”
Powersoft unveiled ArmoníaPlus 2.0 recently. It is designed to give system integrators and users a new definition of what Powersoft amplifiers are capable of in fixed installation projects. Among the new features are customisable user interfaces, passive controls and an app dedicated to controlling the new customisable interfaces: Powersoft System Control.
“The design of the amplifiers is something I was impressed by,” said Lo Sardo. “On top of their robustness and power-to-size ratio, you can see that the terminal blocks on the back of the amplifier have been designed for ease of use, making installing the cables a simple task.”
“The outcome was a success,” continued Lo Sardo. “The Audiosales team supported us every step of the way and helped us create this incredible installation.”
Images: Vibra Service
