A retro-themed nightclub in Washington DC, Decades offers four floors of entertainment each influenced by a different era of music. The venue takes its inspiration from owner/operator Antonis Karagounis’ four decades spent promoting many of DC’s most storied nightspots – among them, Echostage, Ultrabar, the Mayflower Club, Barcode, Soundcheck and FUR.
As part of an extensive facility remodel, Decades recently upgraded its sound reinforcement capabilities with a new audio system supplied by Randy White of the Washington Music Center using E11even Sound loudspeaker systems from DAS Audio.
Guillermo ‘Willy’ Rodriguez, owner/operator of A/V system integration services firm Willy-Tech Services worked with DAS Audio’s John Fiorito, who designed, managed, and commissioned the installation. DAS Audio Applications Engineer and certified Rational Acoustic SMAART engineer Geovanni Ortiz was also involved in the project, handling loudspeaker optimisation.
‘The Rooftop is, without question, one of the most unique areas at Decades,’ Fiorito says. ‘With a rooftop that can be fully retracted or closed, the space can be configured for exclusive private events ranging from 50 to as many as 1,000 people. Here, we deployed new E11even Sound loudspeakers that are weatherised for use in outdoor environments. This includes 12 ES-26DX-W boxes configured as two-way systems that incorporate twin 6B woofers and a 1-inch diaphragm HF driver. Low frequency support is provided by three E11even Sound ES-218SDX-W weather resistant subwoofers.
‘Power amplification for these speakers are provided by E11even Sound EP-10K4 amplifier and EP-14K2 amplifiers,’ he continues. ‘Signal processing for the system includes a BSS Audio Blu-100 signal processor and a Blu-Bob1 Break-Out Box output expander. This was coordinated by Santiago Ruiz, a third-party contractor we work with that is certified for BSS and Creston installations for all E11even Sound projects that require programming.’
The Hip-Hop floor also underwent a significant upgrade using four DAS Audio Artec-308 two-way passive loudspeakers and six E11even Sound ES-10 two-way point source enclosures. Low frequency support is provided by four DAS Audio Action-S218 passive subwoofers and an Action-S18 passive subwoofer. Power amplification for these enclosures comes from two E11even Sound EP-14K2 and two EP-6K4 amplifiers.
‘The ’90s area and 2000s floor is another space that benefits from E11even Sound systems,’ Fiorito says. ‘Here, we deployed four DAS Artec-308 loudspeakers along with six E11even Sound ES-10 enclosures in each floor. As with the Hip-Hop area, low frequency support is provided by four DAS Action-S218 and an Action-S18 sub. Power amplification for these come from two EP-14K2 and two EP-6K4 amps.’
Rodriguez was also impressed by the technical support received: ‘The DAS team is always ready to assist,’ he says. ‘John Fiorito is an integral part of the company’s E11even Sound projects, so it’s easy to get the information I might need. The DAS team and Washington Music Center are always quick to respond, and that makes everything much easier.’
Since commissioning, both customers and owner Karagounis report being impressed: ‘I can’t emphasise how important clear and natural sound is to nightclub and fine dining environments,’ Karagounis says. ‘The music must be appealing, as this is a major part of the ‘vibe’. Without quality sound – at appropriate levels – it’s too easy to alienate your customers. Equally, speech intelligibility is crucial because, if an announcement can’t be understood, people get frustrated and start looking elsewhere. John Fiorito, Randy White, and Willy Rodriguez were all very hands-on throughout the process, and the results speak for themselves. Decades is the result of many years in this industry, and it is my passion project. There’s a reason I don’t trust anyone else to do this for me.’
