In the zone

Harley Davidson is one of those iconic brands that has become recognisable the world over. It has a dedicated following of loyal fans and something of a reputation. So when invited to view a recently completed dealership in Boksburg near Johannesburg, there was a great deal of intrigue to see the South African take on this unique brand.

As Pro Audio Middle East walked through the doors of the showroom on a warm and sunny high veldt winter’s morning, any preconceptions held about what was in store – both figuratively and literally – were instantly blown away. This dealership is not a typical motorbike showroom.

Far from the expected sterile environment favoured by most showrooms, the Gold Rand dealership has more in common with a high-end retail outlet. Where you would expect white walls there is exposed brickwork, and instead of a discrete ceiling speaker system gently playing bland low-level background music there is a powerful distributed system of wall-mounted cabinets pumping out the style of loud rock music the brand has become associated with.

As you enter the store, it is not the rows of beautiful bikes that grab your attention as much as everything else the place has to offer. While the motorbikes dominate the floor space, as would be expected, stacked high surrounding them are shelves and rails filled with clothing and other merchandise. But it doesn’t stop there, the retail section is just one part of this multi-zoned outlet. The venue also offers a service centre, owners’ club bar and themed restaurant.

The dealership has been gradually increasing its activities since it opened just over a year ago and has continued to add to its sound system as different sections have opened. The installations of the various areas were completed by two different systems integrators, but the same manufacturer was chosen to provide the audio system in each area – Belgian brand, Apart Audio.

Supplying the equipment for the installation, as well as the designs for the system was Apart’s local distributor, iLed. ‘I designed the sound system for Haramba Technologies. They were commissioned for the installation and I assisted with that,’ explains Justin Mamulis, sales director at iLed. ‘Another company, AV Projects, came in and did the restaurant and the workshop and fine tuned some of the different zones.’

The system itself can be split into four distinct zones, the retail space, the workshop, the H.O.G (Harley Owners Group) bar and the restaurant. The system was initially designed for each of these areas to be a separate zone, using an Apart Zone4 to control the four stereo zones. However, it was decided to make the restaurant a separate system, so this has its own Zone4 to control the dining space, terrace and kitchen as different zones.

The retail space itself has a relatively simple setup. Eight Apart Mask6 BL speakers have been fitted to its perimeter and provide the atmosphere. ‘They wanted a big sound atmosphere to be created playing rock music and Harley Davidson type stuff, it’s great and it really works,’ says Mr Mamulis. ‘On a Saturday morning when you come here and the place is full and you’ve got all the hogs humming outside and in here, you’ve got this system going and it creates such a vibe, it’s exactly what they wanted,’ he enthuses.

‘Originally I was going to take all these speakers here and hang them from W brackets and cluster four together,’ explains the sales director. ‘There would have been three clusters, so 12 of them all together in here. The problem was, by the time we got in here all the bikes were in so we couldn’t get the scaffold up.And we didn’t want to be responsible for breaking one of these bikes.’

Away from the main retail space there is a quieter area for ordering spares and this leads into the workshop. With the look and feel of a typical mechanic’s garage, this room is a stark contrast to the retail space outside. Initially this was not part of the system, and staff had to make do with a small radio as they worked on the bikes. However, the addition of an Apart Audio SPH20 pendant speaker to cover the whole area has proved advantageous for multiple reasons.

As a separate zone on the system, the staff can now select their source of BGM to be played out in the warehouse and everyone can hear what is being played. In addition to this, there is now the ability to page announcements into the zone via the Zone4 using an Apart Audio Micpat 4 desktop paging microphone. ‘They wanted to be able to page from the office and the spare centre to the H.O.G. Bar (which is only open on weekends) and to the workshop,’ explains Mr Mamulis. ‘That was the only thing we really had to adapt, which the Zone4 does brilliantly.’

With the dedicated fan base that Harley Davidson has, it shouldn’t be surprising that the facility equally offers a large owners’ bar. Accessed via a set of stairs outside the main shop, this traditional style biker pub exhibits the qualities the brand has come to represent. The H.O.G Bar feels like a place where people would come to unwind after working on their bike and the intrinsic link with the workshop it is located above feels thoroughly justified.

Building the atmosphere in the bar is an Apart Pubset 2000 system. ‘It has four 8-inch two-way Mask8 loudspeakers and two Sub2400 dual 10-inch subwoofers. From the bar they can select source and volume,’ explains Mr Mamulis. ‘It’s a Pubdrive 2000 amplifier driving the H.O.G bar.’

Just down a corridor from the pub, in the office space above the store is where the real brains of the system can be found. Hidden in a false cupboard in the server room is the rack that controls the three zones. Alongside the Zone4 preamplifier and the PUBDRIVE 2000 amp are the various sources for the system including a PCR3000R media player, USB, SD-Card and CD player, and an AM/FM tuner.

‘The Zone4 is being used to its full capabilities,’ says Mr Mamulis, ‘and it’s working well, the PUBSET is driving great to the hog bar. We’re using the system to its fullest capabilities.’

If the workshop and owners’ bar seem to share a common feeling, the same can be said for the store and restaurant. While the venue certainly has a Harley Davidson theme, it couldn’t feel more removed from the stylings of the Hog Bar.

Glass tables supported by polished engines and gleaming chrome exhausts doubling as light fittings means that there is no escaping the root of the venue, but the restaurant has been designed for a different clientele than the bar, it is a much more family friendly setting.

This is also reflected in the sound system installed. Attached to the walls alongside modern artwork and flat screen TVs are six Mask4-BL speakers to provide the BGM. Providing additional low end for the restaurant is a single Sub 2201. The installation continues outside with a further pair of Mask6-BL speakers fitted on the terrace. A second zone has been created for the kitchen covered with a single Mask6-BL so staff here can again change the music source of the BGM.

The restaurant system differs in one major way from the solution that covers the other zones. While the rack in the restaurant office above the kitchen features an iPod docking station, PC1000 media player plus the standard PM7400 dual zone single source preamplifier and Pubdrive 2000, there is also processing included from dbx ‘which gives us eq for extra warmth and dynamic processing for protection,’  explains Mr Mamulis.

Fitting out the various zones of the Gold Rand dealership has been a long process, but one that Mr Mamulis is ultimately happy with. ‘It’s been a nice project to be involved with. It’s been a long time in the running now,’ he reflects. ‘It’s morphed into what it is really today. It’s changed as the plans have changed. Originally it was all going to be retail space and the restaurant was going to be at the back. Everything has changed and we’ve adapted the system with it,’ he explains. ‘The system is so adaptable because we have the different zones and different inputs and outputs, so it was easy to do.’

And Mr Mamulis is not the only one pleased with the outcome of the installation, the manufacturer is equally happy to see its products proving their worth on such a varied project. ‘It’s a really nice project for us to be involved with. It’s an impressive complex,’ notes Ian Hodgkinson Middle East and Africa regional sales manager for Apart. ‘The system has got everything you would need in here.’

While praise from the manufacturer and the distributor is one thing, perhaps more significant is the regard the audio system is held in by the venue. To this regard, the store manager couldn’t be more wholehearted with her praise for the system. ‘It meets the needs we have in the store. The sound is equally distributed and the bass is fantastic. The quality is amazing,’ she enthuses. ‘The power is perfect, it does everything that you need it to do. The customers are happy, the vibe is definitely set. I couldn’t be happier with anything else. It’s not a sound system that scares people out of the door, you actually enjoy what you’re listening to.’

That has to be the key feature for the showroom. As Pro Audio Middle East leaves the venue it is with a sense of contentment about what has been achieved by iLed and the various integrators. The dealership did not match the preconceived stereotypical image, but it certainly captures the spirit of Harley Davidson. This complex, like the bikes it sells, offers far more than is expected and the audio system is a very significant part of this.

www.apart-audio.com

www.iled.co.za