Nicosia, Cyprus-October 2018… Located on a corner in the Aglantzia section of central Nicosia, the Box-T Sports Bar and Café offers sport programming and live music, along with a wide-ranging menu that includes seven types of burgers and a variety of unique cocktails. The 200 square meter (2,153 square feet) main space hosts an average of about 250 patrons, supplemented by outdoor spaces. Live entertainment at the Box-T ranges from classic rock to funk to jazz.
For customers to fully enjoy sports broadcasts, as well as diverse performing artists in multiple genres, the Box-T needed a high-quality sound system that could deliver clear sound throughout the main and outdoor spaces, while overcoming the ambient sound typical of a busy bar and café. To that end, the venue’s management called on V Hypersound & Light Ltd, who worked in collaboration with HyperSat Services Ltd.
“As always, our first step was to visit the place to understand the acoustics of the space, and to get the architectural drawings in order to have a detailed understanding of the construction,” recounts V Hypersound & Light Managing Director Vassos Mouzouras. After a thorough analysis, Mouzouras designed a sound system for the Box-T based on Renkus-Heinz C-series point-source loudspeakers.
Several windows open onto the main space, which normally would cause issues with audio reflections. “Fortunately the low ceiling balanced that unwanted effect,” Mouzouras reports. “We decided that four Renkus-Heinz CX62 full-range point-source loudspeakers would be perfect for the main area because of the C Series’ cutting-edge driver technology and unique innovations, which perfectly deliver natural sounding music and intelligible speech.”
The Renkus-Heinz CX62 features dual 6.5-inch, heavy-duty low-frequency drivers with carbon fiber cones and a 1-inch, extended range, titanium high-frequency driver. Its wide-angle 150° by 60° coverage makes it an excellent choice for a relatively open space like the Box-T’s main room. The externally powered CX models include a high-quality passive crossover network that can be easily bypassed with an internal jumper for biamplified operation.
For the outdoor spaces, Mouzouras specified 14 Renkus-Heinz CX61 loudspeakers, a more compact model from the same series as the CX62 that combines a single 6.5-inch low-frequency driver with a 1-inch high-frequency driver. Like the larger CX62, the CX61 provides 150° by 60° coverage. Although the CX61 can deliver up to 126 dB SPL peak, and its heavy-duty woofer can handle 120 watts of program power, Mouzouras added powered subwoofers to provide a bit more low-end support for the outdoor systems.
Given the overall size of the venue, Mouzouras created five independent audio zones. “We created zones for the main area, entrance, side area, back area, and first floor,” he details. “A 16-channel digital mixer, controlled wirelessly from an iPad, routes audio to the five zones. The iPad enables the Box-T’s manager to remotely control each zone’s sound individually from anywhere in the space.”
The new Renkus-Heinz system has been everything the Box-T management hoped for and more. “Renkus-Heinz C-series loudspeakers were definitely the right choice for the Box-T,” asserts Mouzouras. “Every type of music sounds natural and full, and spoken word is clear and intelligible, and the wide horizontal dispersion pattern provides excellent coverage throughout the space, including outdoors. The client is very happy with their Renkus-Heinz system, as we knew they would be.”