German Gymnasium, London v3_0

Situated in between Kings Cross and StPancras railway stations, the GermanGymnasium when built in 1864 was the firstpurpose built gymnasium in England, andwas used as a venue for the first NationalOlympian Games held in London in 1866. Itceased to be a gymnasium before theSecond World War and has since been usedfor offices, storage and as an arts andexhibition space.

The site was acquired in January 2014 byD&D London, who operate a number ofprestigious restaurants around the world.They saw the potential for a Europeanbrasserie in the main hall with a restaurantoverlooking it, and wanted to retain as manyoriginal details such as the climbing ropehooks to invoke the building’s history.

SSE Audio Group, who has worked withD&D London on projects including theaward winning audio installation atQuaglino’s restaurant, were contracted todesign and install the audio system for thisproject.

SSE’s Installations Director Emma Bigg wasinvolved with the project from the beginning.“The audio for the restaurant is primarilythere to provide background music, howevereven at low levels intelligibility and audioquality are essential” explains Emma. “Thetwo storey building is open right up to theroof trusses, so it’s easy for the audio tobecome lost in the ambient noise.”

The audio design by SSE places multipleloudspeakers throughout the building,positioned so that the listener is never farfrom an audio source. This close proximitydelivers intelligibility without any individualspeaker being overly loud. The design team

opted to use Bose components for theinstallation, with the system split into twozones: the ground floor bar; and the upstairsdining area including private dining.

Behind the main bar, five Bose MA12column speakers are mounted, discreetlyhidden by a metal grill. Bose MB4 subs areintegrated into the central fixed seating unitin the main bar area. In addition, BoseDS40F and Freespace 3 Acoustimass subsare flush mounted within the ceiling spaces.

For the first floor areas, SSE opted to mounttwo K-Array KK102 column speakers eitherside of the bar area.

Bose Installation at German GymnasiumThe German Gymnasium is a restaurant recently opening by D&D Londoncomplete with a comprehensive yet subtle audio system from SSE Installations.G

erman G

ymnasium

, LondonAudio Installation

German Gymnasium, London v3_0

The requirement for the installation to be asvisually unobtrusive as possible meant theK-Array with its ultra-slim profile was theideal solution for this area, where themounting point is only a few centimetreswide.

Wall mounted Bose MA12s provide the infillfor the first floor and again each booth isfitted out with Freespace 3 Satellites andAcoustimass subs, ensuring a subtle andeven audio coverage throughout therestaurant.

There is outside seating along two sides ofthe building with large umbrellas to provideshelter from the elements. Housed in eachumbrella are two Freespace 3 satellites withAcoustimass subs mounted within theplanters.

All signal processing and amplification ishoused within a single 19" rack located inthe restaurant’s comms room. Allamplification units are Bose and SSEInstallations provided custom panelwork andpower distribution as part of the package.

Three Soundweb London BLU100s provideoverall system control throughout the venue.The BLU100 has both analogue inputs andoutputs and provides signal routing,equalisation and level control for eachconnected input source and loudspeaker.Staff at the venue can select the audiosource and set the volume for each zone viaone of two Soundweb London BLU8v2 wallcontrollers mounted behind each bar area.

The primary audio source is provided byMusic Concierge, a bespoke musicconsultancy service, via a hard disk playerwith internet connectivity, which meansplaylists are updated remotely on a regularbasis.

Commenting on the finished project, SSE’sEmma Bigg explains, “I believe we havedelivered on the brief to install a discreetaudio system that is capable of deliveringintelligibility even at low volumes. Workingwith D&D Purchasing Director Paul Jenkinswe were able to come up with a system that

integrates well with the building and itsacoustics. We’ve delivered a cost effectivepackage that is simple to use, unobtrusiveand most importantly sounds great.”

● Bose MA12speakers

● Bose Freespacespeakers

● Soundweb systemcontrol

SSE AUDIO GROUP HEAD OFFICE LONDON OFFICE NORTHERN OFFICEBurnt Meadow HouseNorth Moons MoatRedditch, B�� �PATel: ����� ������

Unit �Cumberland AvenuePark RoyalLondon, NW�� �RXTel: ��� ���� ����

Unit ���Phoenix Park Industrial EstatePhoenix CloseHeywood, OL�� �JGTel: ����� ������

Our brands include SSE Audio, Sigma Fabrications,Sigma Electronics, ETA Sound and Wigwam.All other brands and trademarks are the property oftheir respective owners.

SSE Audio Group Ltd, Registered in England No �������

To learn more, visit sseaudiogroup.com