Big Street is big on audio
Published: ASIA
SINGAPORE: Serving up delicious local Singaporean cuisine, Big Street is a newly opened heritage style restaurant located on the edge of Little India. The shop house corner unit is located in a heritage building at 102 Jalan Basar, where guests are entertained once the serving staff have cleared their tables with drinks from the well apportioned bar. Comfortable seating, entertaining music and interesting furnishing combine to create a welcoming atmosphere for dining in and chilling out.
Opening at 5pm for the 12-hour shift, the audio system – installed by SKM Auto – delivers the big music desired by Big Street’s owners. ‘Audio was a major criteria for this restaurant and bar,’ explains SKM Auto sales manager Daniel Tan. ‘Whilst they wanted a reliable system that would run 12 hours a day, seven days a week, they also wanted something that would sound good whether jazz, chill-out, seasonal or pop music is played.’
A wall-mounted Ecler loudspeaker system comprising of eight Audeo 108 and four SB110P subwoofers are fixed into position at a height of 3.5m and orientated towards the tables and bar area. ‘The ceiling rises to a dome around 5.5m above, where there is another open plan floor, so this has been acoustically treated to dampen any reverberation,’ continues Mr Tan. Canare 2S7F cabling discretely connects the speakers to the rack mounted Ecler two LPA10000 and LPA6000 amplifiers, which draw the sources from a MIMO54 four zone matrix. An ALMA26 2-input / 6-output digital processor provides loudspeaker management for a number of scenarios.
A rack mounted Soundcraft EDM8 mixing console together with a Sennheiser wireless microphone system provide further flexibility, allowing the venue to host live performances and private parties.
A further zone has been equipped with two Ambit 106 speakers serving as A/V monitors for a video presentation area, which can be controlled from a wall mounted volume controller.
‘As this is a heritage listed building, there were many constraints as to where we could locate the speakers and cabling,’ explains Mr Tan. ‘During the 11 week refit, the room plans changed and we had to adapt accordingly. Although we weren’t allowed much access whilst other contractors were on site, we were only here for about a total of three days in total. Ultimately, we installed an audio system that surpassed the client’s expectations on a fairly tight budget. Big Street’s customers don’t just come to eat and drink – they actually come here for the music now.’