With two dancefloors, multiple oversized bars, private catering facilities, including a private VIP room called the Vault, Rumor is the latest nightclub to appear on the Philadelphia scene. Music is provided by multiple sound systems, which include Meyer Sound loudspeaker systesms, and a variety of JBL loudspeakers powered by Crown amplifiers, and controlled with BSS processing and HiQnet London Architect software.

‘We needed to provide sound for a number of spaces that differed greatly in their sound reinforcement requirements,’ says Ian Hoffer of Aurora Sound and Light Design, which specialises in nightclub system design. ‘The Vault is an elegant, high-end room with velvet walls. One of the bar areas has a VIP cove at the end that needed audio. There’s an oval-shaped dance room that presented some challenges, and even the bathroom hallway had its particular acoustical requirements.’

A 20-year veteran of production, club design and integration, he chose an all-Meyer Sound array for Rumor’s main room, using four CQ-2 loudspeakers and six 600-HP subwoofers, and for DJ monitoring, two UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers and one UMS-1P subwoofer. The bar room features three more UPJ-1P VariO loudspeakers.

‘I knew that it would never run to full capacity in a club environment that would leave us all the headroom, all the fidelity, and still give people the sensation they were looking for, which was “feeling” the sound,’ says General Manager, Mark Marek. ‘Is it excessive? Absolutely. But many of those who walked in since we opened made a positive comment about the sound system.’

The system in the Vault, meanwhile, includes four JBL AC28 compact two-way loudspeakers and two ASB6115 15-inch subwoofers. ‘This combination gave us all the sound coverage we needed without overly intruding into the space,’ says Hoffer. ‘We used two Crown Macro-Tech i Series MA-5000i amplifiers to drive this system. The velvet walls in The Vault were put there as part of the room décor, not for acoustic reasons, but they actually provide a great acoustic environment.’

The Lev Room is an oval shaped dancefloor with a DJ booth at one end. ‘We found by installing two JBL AM7215 high-power, 15-inch, two-way, full-range speakers and two ASB6125 dual-15-inch subs gave us powerful sound with plenty of impact, yet without creating any acoustic problems that might have occurred considering the room’s oval shape,’ Hoffer says. ‘The DJ booth is equipped with two SRX712M two-way, 12-inch stage monitors, which happen to work perfectly in this application, along with an ASB6115 subwoofer. The combination of the SRX712M monitors and ASB6115 sub in the DJ booth work perfectly together.’

To avoid any dead spots in the club, Hoffer chose six JBL Control Contractor 322CT in-ceiling speakers and two ASB6125 subwoofers in the VIP cove at the end of the 40-ft long bar, and four Control 47LP in-ceiling speakers in the bathroom hallway. ‘We installed the Control 47LP speakers there so people could still hear what was going on in the main rooms while they were in the hallway,’ he says. ‘The bar is quite striking, by the way, because it’s illuminated and constantly changes colours.’ A Crown CTs Series CTs 3000 amplifier powers the VIP cove and hallway speakers.

‘We used the Control 47LP and 322C in-ceiling speakers because I feel you get a fuller sound from them than from competitive models,’ Hoffer adds. ‘They were easy to install with no mounting issues at all.’

All the audio signals for Rumor’s sound system are handled by a BSS Blu-160 signal processor with digital audio bus capability, augmented by four Blu-Bob2 breakout box output expanders. Control is provided by the BSS London Architect programming interface and Harman HiQnet software. ‘I had never used the JBL ASB subwoofers before this project – and I was very impressed with them,’ says Hoffer. ‘Thanks to the London Architect setup and configuration macro for the ASB subs, we were able to get a great sound from them.’

Along with the sound equipment, the nightclub features the MA Lighting grandMA2 ultra-light system.

‘Everyone at Rumor is happy with the project. The Vault is the newest and most popular Thursday night venue in Philadelphia and Rumor has been getting nothing but rave reviews.’

More: www.jblpro.com
More: www.crownaudio.com
More: www.bss.co.uk
More: www.meyersound.com