Smart home installer Modus Vivendi has transformed a residential client's newly completed pool room into a party audio experience with the installation of a discreet K-array speaker system.
The client, a homeowner with a passion for music and entertainment, wanted a sound system capable of turning the pool room into a viable party space. Chris Bethel, director of Modus Vivendi, said: “Our brief was to deliver high quality audio in the pool room, but our client didn’t have a clear idea exactly how to achieve that. We had worked on several projects around the property, including the network, CCTV, audio distribution, and a golf simulator which with its integrated bar was currently doubling as a party space, and so he called me in once he decided to construct an indoor swimming pool with a focus on use as a dedicated entertainment space.”
With the help of Matt Holland from K-array’s UK distributor, 2B Heard, the Modus Vivendi team offered to set up an audio demonstration while the pool room was as yet unfinished. The objective was to fill the room with even sound coverage with clarity and precision, offering the potential for high SPL when required, while keeping the coverage focused and away from the reflective surfaces. In addition, the speakers should blend into the room’s interior design without compromising on sound quality. 2B Heard director Dave Wooster’s K-Framework simulation showed that a pair of Vyper-KV102 slim line arrays mounted on the short wall at either side of the 2m by 2m Samsung video screen in a stereo configuration at one end of the pool room would give optimum coverage.
Bethel noted: “We quickly realised that the low end of the frequency spectrum would require some creative thinking, as our client was not only expecting a big powerful punch but also factoring in the potential for the water and areas created by the huge sliding doors on both sides of the substantially large space to suck out low frequencies. With limited possibilities to position subwoofers in the same plane as the line arrays, we decided to locate two Rumble-KU212 subs at the opposite end of the room, one flush mounted within wall panelling and another behind a curtain, and delay them back to the line arrays, which worked really well.”
Power for the speaker system is provided by a single Kommander-KA34 multi-channel DSP amplifier located in the gym upstairs, which feeds both the line arrays and the subs as well as offering control over the loudspeakers with a suite of digital signal processing from one compact unit in 2U of rack space.
The K-array line arrays blend into the room’s overall concept, it was decided to retain the contrasting black finish creating a strong and slim visual accent, a feature which was then adopted and mirrored by the lighting designer’s vertical fixtures that line the long wall. Bethell said: “Initially I was all for RAL colour matching the line arrays to the wall to make them disappear, but our client had the idea to make them visible and have the tall, slim light fittings complement the speakers. It works really well and everyone’s super pleased with the result.”