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DBX® ZONEPRO™ GOES THE XTRA DISTANCE IN AMSTERDAM ICEBAR
Amsterdam, Holland, October 2006 … dbx®
Professional Products, a Salt Lake City-based manufacturer of professional
signal processing products and a division of Harman International (NYSE-HAR),
has found itself operating in sub-zero temperatures in Northern Europe.
For when Ditems Entertainment Group BV were planning their XtraCold
Amsterdam Ice Bar on the banks of the Dutch capital’s Amstel River,
careful consideration was given to the quality of the sound waves that
would be wafting through the Arctic temperatures.
As the name suggests, everything in the bar is made out of ice — the
walls, the bar itself, the seats and even the cocktail glasses are frozen.
A temperature of –8°C is maintained and to endure these temperatures every
visitor receives special thermal clothing including gloves before entering
the Ice Bar.
To create the ‘Ultimate Ice Xperience’ Ditems Entertainment Group brought
in ice artists from all over the world to produce beautiful sculptures.
They also called on audio-visual specialists Vasco Showtechniek, who
proposed a Harman Pro sound reinforcement solution — from the icebed up.
The company designed the XtraCold Amsterdam complex into three separate
zones — the Ice Bar itself (dubbed ‘Some Like It Cold’), the XtraCold
Lounge (‘Some Like It Hot’) and the toilets, using the dbx® ZonePro™ 1260
to route the signal sources accordingly.
In addition to zone control the DSP processor is used for loudspeaker
management, system EQ and automatic volume control — optimising the
performance of the eight white JBL® Control 25AV’s mounted on the Ice Bar
ceiling and powered by two Crown® XLSD 402 amps. While space precluded the
inclusion of a sub in the Ice Bar, the same wasn’t true in the Lounge,
where a pair of JBL SB210’s provide low-end reinforcement to the eight
white Control 25AV’s (hooked up to three Crown XLSD402 amps).
The whole system is controlled by the ZonePro 1260 in combination with two
ZC8 remote wall panels — one in the Lounge and one in the Ice Bar,
confirms Vasco de Almeida, whose company has previously worked with the
owners on other projects.
“The ZonePro was the only practical solution — and it did the job
perfectly,” he said. “The flexible routing and possibility of changing
just about any parameter were essential in this instance, because some
decisions were taken during the installation itself.”
In addition, says Vasco, the five inputs were important because the DVD
player and show control computer are connected to the synchronised audio,
video and lightshow in the Ice Bar. The Digitenne (delivering digital
radio and terrestrial television signals) as well as the standard DVD
player are also connected to the ZonePro 1260, along with further feeds
from a crew mixer in the Lounge and a laptop computer.
All of which is aimed at giving the visitor a sense of wellbeing in the
classy interior, which was conceived by the famous Dutch designer Jan des
Bouvrie. Hot and cold drinks are served — including contemporary cocktails
— as well as a full menu. The venue was even chosen by Heineken to launch
its new Extra Cold Beer.
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