Las Vegas’ brand new MGM Grand nightclub Hakkasan
is rocking the famous strip with high performance TURBOSOUND
loudspeaker systems throughout its five levels and main room.
At the
heart of Hakkasan is a 10,000 sq ft multi-tiered nightclub kitted out entirely
with the award-winning UK brand’s loudspeakers, comprising 24 TFA-600HW Flex
Array modules and 12 TFA-600L low
frequency loudspeakers, flown in four arrays of three low frequency cabinets
with six wide dispersion mid/highs. In addition, the dance floor system employs
six ground-stacked TFA-600B single
18” bass cabinets and three TFS-900Bi install-specific dual 18” subwoofers.
A total of 12 RACKDP-50
4-channel amplifiers power the 24 Flex
Array cabinets. 22 TCX-8
compact passive two-way loudspeakers, and eight NuQ-6
ultra-compact passive loudspeakers supply under-balcony fill. Upstairs, a
further 21 TCX-8 speakers have been deployed for above the balcony.
Audiotek’s Frank Murray — who has been designing
audio, lighting and video technology solutions for more than three decades,
specified the incredible array of top-notch TURBOSOUND speakers at the
mega-venue.
This is without exception the biggest installation
Murray has ever been responsible for. “Hakkasan is a completely different twist
to the standard, conventional nightclub format,” he explains. “It had to be
treated as five different venues, because none of the areas were to be ranked
as secondary. All of them have to excel and perform in their own right. That
was the client’s absolute aim — to ensure that every guest, no matter where
they are in the building, feels like they’re having the absolute
experience.\”
“We are motivated primarily by the music,” explains
Murray. “With TURBOSOUND here, as in many other landmark projects, we’ve had
the use of their resources to spend time ensuring we retain all the musicality
while creating the massive, powerful presence demanded by these events. Our aim
was to create a dynamic, uplifting and immersive environment to captivate the
club’s customers.”
The TFA-600HW is a compact trapezoidal wide
dispersion three-way mid-high enclosure, consisting of a 1-inch high frequency
compression driver on a Dendritic horn, a 6.5-inch high-mid frequency driver on
a patented Polyhorn device, and two Turbo-loaded 10-inch low-mid frequency drivers.
It combines a Dendritic HF waveguide and a midrange
Polyhorn together in a single physically-aligned, equal path length waveguide
with 100° horizontal dispersion, ensuring a phase-coherent wavefront at the
horn mouth. In addition, the drive units are symmetrically arranged within the
enclosure, which contributes to the smooth and consistent horizontal and
vertical coverage.
The TFA-600L is a compact horn-loaded bass
enclosure that consists of a single 18-inch neodymium low frequency driver
loaded with a TurboBass device. The integrated flying system allows it to be
flown at the top of the Flex Array column using a simple conversion frame
between the three bass enclosures and the mid/highs.
These work in collaboration with the ground-stacked
TFA-600Bi install-specific subwoofers to deliver lower frequencies to the main
room, using an identical single 18-inch neodymium low frequency driver loaded
with a TurboBass device to maintain consistency with the flown subs.
Finally, the TFS-900B dual
18-inch subwoofers employ hybrid loading techniques, combining the efficiency
of a folded horn with reflex loading\’s extension, to provide the all-important
sub-bass frequencies that contribute so critically to the ultimate emotional
experience.
Adjacent to the main nightclub is the Pavilion — an
indoor space with an outdoor feel. In terms of the specified equipment, the
Pavilion mirrors many of the choices made in the main space. Four hangs of four
TFA-600HW Flex Array wide dispersion modules and two TFA-600L low frequency
cabinets cover the main space. Further low frequency reinforcement comes from
six ground-stacked TFA-600B bass enclosures. Six TCS-122 two-way loudspeakers
address the peripheral areas and numerous TCS-C50T
ceiling speakers cover the corridors and bathroom areas.
“The goal has been, and always will be, to create
benchmark venues, combining world beating technology and effects with the best
sound reinforcement. We want to leave people with a lasting set of experiences,
which they will carry with them long after their visit is over,” emphasises
Murray.
