Hilton's Iconic Marble Bar Chooses Nexo

One of Australia's most iconic bars is Sydney's Marble Bar. Originally opened in 1893, it was named after its builder George Adams as the George Adams Marble Bar. Funding for the venue was raised from NSW horse racing sweeps which were extremely profitable at the time and the venue cost some 32,000 pounds to build; a mind staggering figure back in 1893. To explain the aesthetic of the Marble Bar is a real challenge as seeing it in person is an experience in itself. It was built with love, largely by the hands of stone masons and builders who were artists in their own right. The decor screams Italian Renaissance throughout with extravagance being the overall theme. The Marble Bar is said to possess over 100 tonnes of the finest marble from Belgium and Africa – not something you'd see every day. Amidst this tomb of marble, Corinthian columns stand proud accompanied by cedar joinery and ornamental stained glass; all fused together with the highest workmanship.

There is a truly opulent ambience throughout the bar with its marble laden fireplaces, decorative ceilings and Edwardian artwork. Before being demolished in 1972 to make way for the Hilton Hotel, the entire bar was meticulously taken apart then painstakingly re-constructed underneath the newly built Sydney Hilton where it was restored to its former glory. The venue also underwent a complete restorative overall in 2005 which has rejuvenated the bar in its entirety.

Hosting national and international artists constantly, Hilton's Marble Bar has become a local favourite as well as a tourist attraction to those venturing into Sydney's CBD. The sound system was recently upgraded by Bump Productions in Sydney who were eager to give the venue a system that was as pristine as the heartfelt labour that went into building, maintaining and restoring Marble Bar.

Due to the heritage status of the building, the owners were particular about keeping the sleek aesthetic whilst still having a very clean and powerful system with a very low profile. Keith Eisenhuth from Bump Productions was asked to come in and assess the venue according to this specification. He felt Nexo was the perfect solution as it would enable him to design a system that could deliver high output using point and shoot boxes which had a subtle footprint that wouldn't conflict with the surroundings.

Keith installed and commissioned 2 x Nexo PS15's, 2 x Nexo PS10's, 2 x Nexo RS15's and 2 x Quest MS601 speakers. To compliment the system, state of the art amplification was an expectation also so Camco QPower10 and DPower4 amplifiers were chosen as the boys in the background to power the kit.

The clients at Sydney's Marble Bar were extremely happy with the system as Keith reports. "The clients have never heard the room sound better and the venue deals with every type of live music that could possibly be booked."

Group Technologies