The Client

Formerly a popular Mitchells & Butlers pub, the landmark Abercorn Arms in Stanmore was recently purchased by Red Klove. Following a comprehensive, multi-million-pound upgrade, it has now reopened as a beautifully designed bar/restaurant, offering superior cocktails, pan-Indian cuisine (with an African twist) and end-to-end, high-definition screen entertainment.

The new Abercorn opened its doors to reveal a spacious world of wooden floors, cream leather seats and magnolia and maroon walls. In addition to its comfortable lounge and circular bar, there is a 280-cover restaurant at the rear, a separate 120-seat banqueting area upstairs, and two glass encased private VIP dining areas for ten. With a large beer garden and terrace to the side and rear, these are perfect ingredients for a multiple-trading pattern.

Wander into any of the nine zoned lounge and dining areas and you will be met with a superior audiovisual media experience that would do any home cinema proud – designed and installed by the Sound Division Group.

Now under new ownership and management, it’s been renamed the Abercorn Everest.

Project Brief

This was the owners’ goal when they first trawled the internet to search for specialist technical services, and discovered the North London based solution providers. “I had intended getting several quotes, but was so comfortable with [Sound Division MD] David Graham that I didn’t see the need,” they say. “Aside from doing a first-class job they have responded very quickly any time we have needed it.”

The proprietors wanted cutting edge technology to route multiple sources, with 3D capability, so that it could operate as a more casual sports bar on weekends, showing a multiplicity of football matches and other sporting events, in addition to attracting the well-heeled Asian community to its formal dining facilities.

The Solution

Different feeds would be provided to seven new-generation, super-thin glass-fronted Samsung displays, with LED-backlit HD screens. These include one of the latest Samsung D8000 3D Smart TVs, installed in the VIP lounge area.

The four largest 55” displays are elegantly recessed into the walls, and placed strategically around the main bar lounges to create maximum impact, while a 46” screen has been deployed in the private bar, and 37” displays can be found in each of the two private dining rooms. All take Sky, Freeview and DVD inputs, which required Sound Division to design a cabling infrastructure around HDMI over Cat 6 for top end performance, and VGA for simple computer presentations.

But it is the two retractable large 16:9 format projection screens, measuring up to 11.5ft by 8.5ft, that dominate, providing large-format viewing theatres for patrons in both the downstairs dining room and the upstairs function suite. These display impressive picture quality from matching Optoma EH1020 full HD projectors.

With DJ plug-in facilities and a portable PA system for live entertainment in the upstairs banqueting suite, alongside various MP3 and CD formats, the audio switching and routing matrix needed to be as comprehensive as the video. Therefore, David Graham took the decision to bring in his networks specialist Dean Osborne to design an easy-to-operate GUI across the nine zones, and enlist BSS Audio and Kramer to provide technical support for their respective disciplines (and ensure that their devices interfaced with each other).

As Dean Osborne explains, “I had to integrate the two and make the A/V work as one system in the most cost-effective, and easy-to-navigate way possible. Kramer have excellent technical support, and they provided all serial codes for each command, and these we programmed in as a parameter preset in Soundweb.”

This high level of control is necessary in a multipurpose venue, and the giant Samsung 19” touch screen control panel – which even includes onscreen EQ adjustment – is duplicated on a second laptop PC in the manager’s office on the second floor, to enable the sound and visual sources being distributed throughout the premises to be closely monitored.

As a result, Sound Division have supplied two 6-way Kramer VS-66 HDMI 6 x 6 matrix switchers and two Soundweb London BLU-100 fixed 12-in/8-out digital DSPs, which provide all zoning, equalization, presets and system protection – with a series of cost-efficient BLU-BOB and BLU-BIB I/O output expanders to increase the capacity.

The installation is run in 1080p high-definition using Kramer HDMI, with each output converted via Cat 6 adapters, while the Kramer switcher interfaces via serial command with the BSS Soundweb environment to provide full AV integration.

The system being ‘protected’ consists largely of distributed JBL Control series ceiling speakers with over 60 speakers installed throughout the venue that are run in both low impedance and 100V Line configurations, dependent on the number of speakers in each zone. The brief to David Graham’s team was that the loudspeakers should be a great sound quality and unobtrusive – and recessed white grilles into a white background are about as invisible as you can get. These are powered by a combination of Cloud CXA850 and CXV225 power amplifiers.

In the front lounge, the sound reinforcement comprises largely of JBL Control 24CT Micro+ (8″) and 26CT (10″) speakers, with further multiples of Control 24CT Micro+ and Control 24CT speakers in the main restaurant, and a similar solution in the two private dining booths. The added bonus for private guests is they can have their own iPod playlists, while the local BLU-3 wall controller will provide them with their own local level control.

The first-floor function suite, which can be used by corporate and private clients alike, and the ancillary upstairs areas, including a self-contained private bar, take a similar approach with the larger JBL 24CTM model installed. Additional JBL Control 19CS 8” bass ceiling speakers provide low-frequency extension, warmth and depth of sound for private clients, at the same time allowing a louder party atmosphere to be created by DJs or live performers onstage. A BSS Soundweb London BLU-8 touch panel is located discreetly behind the food dispense station for local source select and level control for all of the upstairs areas.

The DJ/Live/iPod input point at the stage allows a nicely matched portable PA system for added sound reinforcement to be plugged in as necessary for meetings and corporate presentations. This comprises of a Yamaha EMX501C 12-channel powered audio mixer (with SPX FX), a pair of conference-standard EV ZX1 compact 200W portable speakers, a pair Shure wireless PGX24 hand held microphone systems, and a matching pair of wireless WL93 tie clip lavalier mics.

Thus hi-fi quality sound is perfectly distributed throughout the venue – from DJs playing largely Western music, and private clients bringing more ethnic Asian music. However, for the most part the music is supplied as digital background music files by 8track Music Solutions.

The Result

Mitul, the owner, is delighted with the impact this has created. “David Graham’s team has done an excellent job. I outlined what I wanted – the different sound zones, TV zones and signal sources – and his project designer worked out the system that I needed and what components were best fit for purpose.”

“The GUI is the most easy-to-operate there is, and a lot of work has clearly gone into designing it.”

“This proved to be one of the most challenging and rewarding contracts we have undertaken,” adds David Graham. “The importance of good teamwork, and a client that really understood what he wanted, was of paramount importance – and had a major impact on the delivery of this advanced AV solution.”