Powersoft’s half-size install amplifier Mezzo has been installed to serve the multi-zone BGM system at Fig at Malcha, a new high-end dining experience in Malcha Marg, near Chanakyapuri, New Delhi’s diplomatic quarter.

Fig at Malcha, the second Fig restaurant, is an ‘eco-contemporary’ café, bakery and bar combines Japanese design with Nordic lifestyle, and offers a menu based on high-quality seasonal produce from local farms, GMO-free meat and cage-free eggs. It is also home to a Parisian-style bakehouse that offers breads, pastries and ‘farm-to-cup’ speciality coffee.

According to Gunbir Sing – founder and co-owner of BBW Distributors – the Fig team were looking for audio that was ‘more hi-fi than pro sound’ to complement the lighting, climate control and ventilation systems to offer patrons ‘a pleasurable aural experience while in the space.

‘Based on our experience within the food and beverage domain, we consulted with them and came up with a wish list of sorts – while they needed a multi-zone system with audio in all the public areas, they wanted equipment visibility to be minimal,’ he says.

For BBW, the solution was a Powersoft Dynamic Music Distribution (DMD) system, comprising two Mezzo amplifiers coupled with a WM Touch control panel. Designed to offer the same reliability, build quality and acoustic character of larger Powersoft amplifier platforms but in a half-size form factor, the flexibility offered by Mezzo means the amplifier has been the company’s ‘default choice for these applications for a while now’, Singh says.

Using DMD, which takes advantage of the convenient dynamic routing capabilities embedded in Powersoft amplifiers, users can drive up to four independent zones using a single four-channel amplifier. At Fig, the six audio zones are controlled using a single wall-mounted 4.3-inch Powersoft WM Touchscreen.

For the installation at Malcha Marg, two Mezzo 604 A amplifier platforms, offer advanced DSP for the 12 Amphion Argon0 and two Apart Kubo 3T loudspeakers they drive. Though the Mezzo 604 A also incorporates an integrated, DSP, BBW designed the system around the physical attributes of the space, choosing to apply acoustic treatment to the ceiling rather than rely solely on signal processing – while the use of a Roon server, which uses machine learning to automatically play music based on Fig’s preferences, is reckoned to be a first in the region.

Across Fig at Malcha’s two floors, BBW split the amplifiers into four zones each, for a total of eight audio zones – six dedicated to the ten Amphion speakers installed in the public areas, one serving the washrooms and common space, and one available for future expansion.

The Mezzo amps are installed out of sight in an equipment rack on the café’s ground floor, with the Amphion loudspeakers also contributing to keeping visibility of the sound system to a minimum. Singh reports that the local Powersoft team, represented by distributor Acoustic Arts, provided valuable assistance through the install phase, saving time by helping with the set up.

Manish Yadav, from Fig, says the new sound system ‘has completely exceeded our expectations, which were high to begin with. The sound quality is fantastic – we find ourselves listening to the system after hours a lot. It is also super easy to use; we have never had to call them for anything major, since it seems to run on auto-pilot’.

Yadav also has praise for the multi-zone DMD system, noting that restaurant staff now have the capability to control amplitude levels for zones individually. So if, for some reason, thay have to reduce or increase the levels for a particular zone, it is simply a few taps on a very accessible touchscreen.

‘At Fig we have always done things differently,’ Yadav says. ‘Music has been an integral part of the Fig experience, and we started exploring our options as soon as we finalised the new space. The system has been a success in the way that it almost completely blends in with the Fig vibe. It is substantial but balanced, nuanced yet enjoyable – much like our offerings. We expect nothing but the best from the BBW team and they have delivered in spades.’

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