Lifetime Audio Design install JBL and Crown into Longrain
 After more than a decade at the top of Australia's dining and drinking scene, Longrain has welcomed the addition of a new cocktail bar. The previously occupied downstairs space has been taken over by the Longrain team who have converted the basement into a separate cocktail bar area and daytime tuck-shop "Shortgrain" offering Longrain's distinct fare as a quick lunchtime option for busy city professionals.
In the new level everything is pared back - polished render, concrete, block-work, brick work, steel and brass - it's simple and raw. Longrain's cocktail bar is a chic, sexy space that oozes a Manhattan-style warehouse vibe.
The bar is home to resident DJs who create the perfect mood for lounging back and sipping cocktails and so the audio system was of great importance. Dave Carnovale, managing director of Lifetime Audio Design, was given the task - an ideal choice seeing as he has been a resident DJ at the venue for many years!
“I have a great relationship with the owners who know that I also have an installation company,” he explained. “The owners had a couple of sub woofers that they wanted to re-use and they’re not particularly high-powered but I’ve given them a lot of amplification. I needed a speaker that would complement them and the JBL Control25AV was perfect. There are enough of the Control25AV boxes to give the coverage required.”
A total of eight Control25AV boxes are used: six in the bar area and two near the bar area in the corridor to the toilets. Dave describes the Control25AV boxes as spot on for this type of application.
“It’s not a club situation,” he commented. “They need to deliver background music most of the time but be able to crank up the volume on a Friday and Saturday night.”
Four Crown XLS amplifiers drive the PA system and Dave is delighted by their features and performance.
“They can’t be beaten for value as they are so well priced for what they offer,” he said. “From an installers point of view I would definitely use them again. They have DSP onboard which means that you can change the frequency at the output stage actually on the amplifier. That used to require a separate processor so it’s brilliant not to have to buy the extra components.”
Dave utilized a Jands ReadyRack which is designed specifically for AV installers to reduce time and save money. The ReadyRack is as the name implies, ready to go. It arrives on-site boxed ready to go with all the necessary accessories required for a quick, neat and efficient install. The adjustable equipment supports make it ready for one person to install heavy equipment easily.
“It’s a brilliant product as it makes doing the install incredibly easy,” he remarked. “You basically take it out of the box, put it in its location and just start loading it up with your components and plug it in. You don’t have to worry about running or securing a power strip as it has one built in. They’ve done the thinking for you and done it really nicely. It’s also a paintable surface so you can make it any colour you desire.”
As there are quite a few vinyl-centric DJ’s that play in the venue Dave specified Shure M44-7 cartridges explaining that while newer vinyl is quite loud, older vinyl LP’s can have a noticeably lower output so a high quality, high output cartridge caters for all eras of vinyl pressings.
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