Located in the centre of Wollongong, New South Wales, the North Wollongong Hotel features a bar, bistro, beer garden and an upstairs function area that serves private events. Live music, DJ sets, televised sport and pool tables all play a part in this vibrant and busy setting.
Generally known as the North Gong Hotel, the management team recently decided replace the venue’s ageing audio system, and engaged Dan Chapman of Data Dan to deliver an upgrade. With support from Scott Angove of Audio Brands Australia, Chapman designed and installed a future-proof, high-quality system using loudspeakers from UK-based commercial audio brand, Optimal Audio.
‘Having good audio is crucial in creating atmosphere – it’s the basis of people having a good time,’ says Josh Hill, the venue’s manager. ‘The old system was installed in 2003 and we had a lot of dropout points and quiet areas where music would fluctuate in level, so key to our upgrade criteria was to obtain full coverage without pushing the music too hard – we’re in a residential area and we don’t want to impact our neighbours.’
Optimal Audio’s Cuboid 8 loudspeakers were chosen for the indoor spaces. This two-way, full range, passive 8-inch unit delivers is suited to short-to-medium throw use, outperforming its compact size.
In the bistro and bar areas of the North Gong, the loudspeakers were positioned fairly close together to run at a lower level for background music but still provide coverage in every area. When the party atmosphere ramps up, the Cuboid 8s have more than enough headroom to deliver the necessary punch.
In the function room, which caters for a wide range of events, the stage area was equipped with a pair of Cuboid 12s and a single Optimal Audio Sub 15 subwoofer, comfortably delivering the low-frequency response required for live music performances and DJ sets. The onstage system was augmented with a complement of Cuboid 8s distributed down the length of the room to ensure even coverage.
‘This is a big hotel with a large capacity which can get very loud,’ says Scott Angove of Audio Brands Australia. ‘It quickly became apparent that the Cuboid Series from Optimal Audio would be the best option, particularly the Cuboid 8. It fitted perfectly in the bistro and bar areas, as well as supplementing the larger Cuboid 12s in the function room to great effect.’
Ultimately, customer satisfaction is the measure of an installation’s success and Josh Hill is in no doubt that the North Gong has made the right choice: ‘Since installing Optimal Audio we’ve seen that the dropout zones are not there anymore – the quality of sound is really good without pushing it too hard. The coverage means that we now see people inside the venue dancing at their tables. It’s not just in one space where people can enjoy themselves like that – it’s everywhere throughout the whole place.’
More: www.optimal-audio.co.uk
