Vaagh Sandton gets Premium Audio Solution in Martin Audio, Optimal Audio & Allen & Heath’s AHM

Brand new upmarket restaurant & nightclub Vaagh Sandton, opened its doors in October. The launch evening was an overwhelming success with Optimal Audio, Allen & Heath and Martin Audio gear all facilitating a smooth experience for this high-class venue on the night. This dual level venue is the epitome of opulence with an unparalleled fine dining experience that offers an exquisite culinary journey that then seamlessly transitions into a lavish lounge experience as the night matures, enticing patrons to move upstairs to a glamourous dance and entertainment area.

The venue installation utilizes the Allen & Heath AHM16 matrix to run multiple areas within the venue allowing control of the audio via a custom interface made up of Optimal Audio Sub 15s, Martin Audio Blackline X8s and X12s all powered by Wharfedale Pro’s fantastic DP amplifiers.

The Allen & Heath AHM 16 is core to the experience of efficiently running audio for the 2 main areas of Vaagh. AHM is a 16×16 audio matrix processor that features 8x mic/line inputs and 8x relay-protected line outputs via Phoenix connectors. Sound Management Tools such as Automatic Mic Mixer, Priority ducking, Ambient Noise Compensation, and other DSP tools allow integrators to quickly create systems that build from a single boardroom to running a complete campus. With a front panel screen and 4 x programmable SoftKeys, all the important features can be accessed such as intuitive volume control, source select, preset recall and so much more for each of the 2 main spaces. With AHM managing the speakers and sources the system is not only protected it is optimized for performance and longevity.

The restaurant area was fitted with two Optimal Audio Sub 15s. The Sub 15 is a high-performance, compact, passive 15” subwoofer designed for applications that call for increased impact and low-frequency performance, so it can be used on the ground or flown. The 15” (380mm) woofer is loaded into a plywood bass-reflex cabinet, with a peak SPL of 135dB. An attractive impact-resistant perforated steel grille protects the driver. 2 of these subs were placed in the restaurant area with eight Martin Audio Blackline X8s covering the mid-top audio field. The ultra-compact X8 features a frequency response of 70Hz-20kHz driving 200W AES, with an 800W peak rated power. User-rotatable 90° x 50° horns allow you to use them in either a vertical or horizontal position. There are a total of ten Blackline X8s installed across the venue.

To pair with the X8 tops Vaagh has opted for Blackline midtop boxes across the space, and you can find the larger X12s on the upstairs dancefloor.  These 12″ Passive Two-way Portable Loudspeakers, cover a wider frequency response of 62Hz-20kHz ± 3dB, and deliver more power with a 300W AES and 1200W peak rated power. The Blackline X12s were also partnered up with Optimal Audio Sub 15s in the dance area.

Three Wharfedale Pro DP-4100s amplifiers were selected to power the sound in the venue. These compact 1U Class D amplifiers pack 4 channels of power, each capable of delivering 1700 watts at 4 ohms!  With all the DSP and routing being managed by the AHM16 the amplifiers can focus on driving the sound.

Allen & Heath Product specialist Lesedi commented “The AHM (Allen & Heath) made this install a breeze. The system manager allows us to configure the system in the background without affecting the running of the venue. We can make changes on the fly.” He further added ‘Custom control is what we give the customer once we finish configuring the backend. The venue manager has been given an easy-to-use interface without any complicated controls.

The Audiosure Solutions team met with the Vaagh group representatives to get an understanding of the space and their goals for it. Once they had gathered the information the specialists team got to work on a tailored solution that fit those goals and budget. Let us do the same for you and your space. Call today!