New audio systems have been installed throughout
Europe - Sergio Herman is a successful Michelin-starred Dutch chef. His restaurant, The Jane, in Antwerp, is internationally renowned for its food and carefully created ambience. At Strandhotel in Dutch Flanders, Herman is responsible for the hotel’s three restaurants, including the recently opened Blueness. In order to fully realise Herman’s vision for Blueness and breakfast restaurant Pine House, new audio systems were considered essential and his team were clear about what they wanted.
A Pioneer Pro Audio system had been installed at The Jane back in 2014 and had left an indelible mark on The Herman Group. At the Strandhotel, the team needed a system that could deliver a chilled experience for guests at the beginning of their day, maintain a relaxed output on weeknights and then inject some energy for weekend DJ sets.
A flexible system was essential given the diverse music policy that ranges from jazz to rock, live funk and house. After making an assessment of the spaces, Erwin Nuyts of Belgian installer DiscoStore, concluded that Pioneer Pro Audio XY Series would be the right choice.
Working closely with Herman’s team, Nuyts recommended the use of XY-81 8-inch two-way loudspeakers, XY-115S 15-inch bass reflex subwoofers and XY215S dual 15-inch quasi-bandpass subwoofers to meet the requirements of the spaces. Nuyts explains the choice:
“The speakers are voiced flat for a natural sound, so they can accurately reproduce different genres of music. They are great at lower volume and give that warm sound we were looking for but despite their discreet size, there’s plenty of power when you crank the music up.”
In the Blueness restaurant, DiscoStore installed eight XY-81 and one XY-215S. In the Pinehouse ground floor area, eight XY-81 were supplemented by two XY-115S with a further four XY-81 deployed for Pinehouse’s basement floor. An additional four XY-81 and two XY-115S were placed into the lobby area of the hotel.
The project ran seamlessly, as Sergio Herman Group’s brand manager, Jacco La Gasse comments: “Working with DiscoStore and Pioneer Pro Audio was a smooth process. They listened carefully to our needs and were always in close contact with our hospitality team and the on-site project leader. When we undertake a renovation or a new project it’s always smart to have specialists on the floor as it helps to perfectly integrate the sound system with the interior design.”
(Jim Evans)

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