Gruppo Italiano’s latest restaurant venture in Stockholm, Ciccio’s is the fourth establishment of the award-winning, family-run group – and perhaps the most ambitious. Inspired by New York’s Little Italy district, Ciccio’s is designed to blur the boundaries between working, eating, drinking and socialising. To help create the right atmosphere, Gruppo Italiano turned to systems integrator Hages to supply and install a Genelec sound system.
Hages specialises in audio design for public spaces, and especially restaurants:. ‘Being involved so early in the construction process was a huge advantage as it enabled us to measure and calibrate the space very accurately and include the speakers in the blueprints,’ recalls Hages CEO, Thomas Axelsson. ‘As a result, we knew that once the speakers had been installed, we would achieve the same level of sound distribution throughout the entire space. Regardless of where you find yourself in the restaurant, you will enjoy the same audio
Axelsson opted for 16 Genelec 4030C loudspeakers from Genelec’s installation-specific 4000 Series. ‘We chose the 4030C because the sound is incredibly precise, and it has great range and power. In fact, the low end is powerful enough that it makes the need for an additional bass speaker almost redundant. We did add band-pass subwoofers in a few places because we had the budget to do it and it just fills out the sound a bit more at the bottom end, but it certainly wouldn’t have been a disaster if we couldn’t have done it. As it is, the subs are fully integrated into the interior and are completely invisible.’
Axelsson also appreciates the tonal balance of the 4030s: ‘As well as being precise, the sound is also incredibly natural and transparent. The highs are clear and musical without being aggressive and the mids and lows are present without being overwhelming. Genelec has a reputation for superlative sound quality, and the 4000 Series is no exception.’
However, in a restaurant environment like Ciccio’s Ciccio (affectionately ‘chubby’ in Italian) where the décor and atmosphere are of prime importance, the loudspeaker choice wasn’t solely about sound – it had to work visually as well. ‘Fortunately, the 4030Cs look as good as they sound with their pleasantly rounded form, and they also offer the possibility to customise the colours to blend seamlessly into the environment. We chose to paint the speakers using an oven lacquer so that the speaker colours match the interior perfectly. They look wonderful.’
‘The system sounds amazing – at low levels during dinner for unobtrusive background music and when it’s turned up for the late night/weekend crowd to party and dance on the tables,’ concludes Axelsson. ‘The owners are delighted with the results. Ciccio’s is already turning out to be a very popular nightspot in Stockholm.’
More: www.genelec.com
