As well as serving the NBA’s Miami Heat basketball team, is a leading venue for live concerts and other events. Café 601 at AmericanAirlines Arena (previously Bongos) recently completed a substantial facility upgrade. Providing sound for the new area are DAS Audio WR, Artec 300 and Artec 500 loudspeakers.
‘Café 601 at AmericanAirlines Arena measures approximately 11,000-sq-ft between both levels and the adjacent outdoor lounge area – called Cabana 601 – that adds capacity for roughly another 500 patrons,’ explains Jorge Arronte, the venue’s Manager of Sound, and who is responsible for the various installed fixed and portable audio systems at AmericanAirlines Arena, including systems for control and equalisation.
‘This combined area is extremely versatile and is able to accommodate most any type of event. In the short time since we re-opened this area, we’ve already had a few private parties with a DJ, corporate meetings, and some company presentations. Cabana 601 is a “very Miami” outdoor area that gives our guests that outdoor South Beach atmosphere right here in Downtown Miami. There’s plenty of good food, good drinks, and good sound with a relaxing groove about this area.
‘Café 601 has the capability of doing it all – from DJs to live bands,’ he continues. ‘Using our Dante audio network, we can connect a band or DJ with a sound system outside and pipe it into the space – providing an even wave of clean, robust sound with the help of our new DAS loudspeakers. For this project, we installed ten WR-6412DX loudspeakers, 15 Artec 508, 12 Artec 310.64, eight Artec 510, and three Artec 526 systems. Low frequency support is handled by four Artec 322S bass reflex subwoofers.’
Along with an Artec 322S subwoofer, 12 of the Artec 310.64 enclosures are installed in the upstairs Tumbler Bar using adjustable wall mounts. Adjacent to that area is the Decanter Bar. Here, Arronte and his crew installed seven Artec 508 loudspeakers on U brackets plus an Artec 322S subwoofer.
‘In the South Meeting main room we have two flavours of DAS loudspeakers – eight Artec-510s mounted on the wall and three Artec 526 enclosures in a small extension area adjacent to the main room. And in the Cabana 601 area, we have eight Artec 508s with two Artec 322S subwoofers to really give some feel to the open area. Outside we have ten WR-6412DX all weather enclosures installed to cover the outside patio area’
While he has used DAS Audio loudspeaker on previous projects at AmericanAirlines Arena, Arronte was particularly impressed with the Artec 508 for this job: ‘I love the clarity and full sound of the DAS Artec 508 loudspeaker,’ he reports. ‘There’s not much tweaking of the sound necessary to achieve smooth, intelligible vocals for both meetings and music reproduction. This is true of all the DAS loudspeakers, but that little guy, in particular, is one clean, powerful loudspeaker.’
Since their opening, the systems at Café 601 and Cabana 601 have seen extensive use. ‘Now that everything is in place, we are very happy with our decision to include DAS Audio in our project,’ Arronte says. ‘The sound is excellent, the facility is enjoying the audio, and the arena has received numerous compliments; both via email and straight from guests attending various functions. The AmericanAirlines Arena and our Miami Heat fans are enjoying the space completely.’
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