Newly Opened Coppers Craft Bar & Grill Stuns with Optimal Audio Solution

Paying homage to South Africa’s diverse craft beer legacy, Coppers Craft Bar & Grill at Bel Air Shopping Centre recently opened their doors to craft beer and gin enthusiasts, offering an unforgettable experience that seamlessly weaves together the art of brewing and distilling with the rich tapestry of South African culture. The entire venue was fitted out with an incredible Optimal Audio Loudspeaker & Control System fitted and supplied by Lynx Solutions.

The space is fitted with 24 Optimal Audio Cuboid 5TXs. These two-way, full range, passive, 5” loudspeakers appear small but with a max SPL of 105dB (continuous) and 111dB (peak) with 130° horizontal x 120° vertical coverage they pack a meaty punch. A weatherproof terminal cover is available, upping the rating to IP54 making it suitable for outdoor use. Having 24 loudspeakers spread across the Main Area, Balcony and the VIP area offers great coverage and clarity across the entire venue.

To complement the speakers, 3 Optimal Audio Sub 10s were installed for bass reinforcement. 2 are positioned in the Main Area with one adding some warmth to the VIP Area. The Sub 10 is a passive 10” subwoofer designed for applications that call for increased impact and low frequency performance from the smaller Optimal Audio loudspeaker range, so it is the ideal partner for the Cuboid 5TX. It features a 10” (250mm) driver with a generously sized low frequency port for reduced air noise with a peak SPL of around 127dB.

For control, the Optimal Audio Zone 8 controller offers up a world of possibilities with custom control of each zone using WebApp. Complete configuration can be built to achieve refined sound in every room. With the ability to control each assigned zone in the venue, you can control which sources are playing where, at what time and at what level. David Tripa had the following to say about Optimal Audio: “I was tasked with creating a solution that was both cost-effective as well as practical to use. Optimal Audio was the perfect choice as it is easy to use, set up, and budget-friendly. The punchy rich high fidelity sound that this small loudspeaker packs within is truly remarkable. The management team is very happy with the end product as it’s fully automated, with no user intervention required as everything is programmed to run according to strict routines and presets, which is great because it leaves the restaurant with a consistent all-round customer experience.”

For this installation, the Zone 8 controlled all the different zones in the restaurant, including the ability to connect to the DJ booth which is crucial for their weekly gigs and feed audio through to all the speakers; it also gave them the ability to route DSTV making it possible to stream all the Arsenal games.

The General Manager at Coppers commented, “We are impressed with the Optimal Audio solution that is installed in our restaurant. The sound is clean and accurate, and the compatibility it offers with various sources is great. We have had a very positive customer response, including increased revenue. Thanks for the great sound Lynx Solutions has installed for us.”

Two Wharfedale Professional DP-4035 amplifiers were equipped to the rack for amplification from the Zone 8 Controller. Built for installation work, these fantastic 1U amplifiers drive four channels of power delivering up to 4 x 1010W down to 2 Ohms or 2 x 2020W in a 4 Ohm Bridge. They have a full set of protection circuits that include over and under load control, Thermal, DC, and Temperature Power Control.

The team at Coppers Craft Bar & Grill all received training on the system with everything programmed and configured for their staff so that every corner has great audio coverage and clarity. Special thanks to Lynx Solutions.