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Best? Klipsch speaker setup for a Bar lounge


habinger808

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Interesting concept for a music bar!  Keep me in the loop as your plans take shape,

I built 36 nightclub systems 1977-80 in Minneapolis and the upper midwest as Dr. Disco & Associates

We flew ALTEC 421/802/32B sealed wedges over the dance floor, triamped w/EVM-18B's tuned to 23Hz - WOW!

Distributed 8" ceiling speakers in the bar, restaurant, restrooms 4-zoned to control levels.  Seamless integration.

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1 hour ago, HiFi Heaven said:

Interesting concept for a music bar!  Keep me in the loop as your plans take shape,

I built 36 nightclub systems 1977-80 in Minneapolis and the upper midwest as Dr. Disco & Associates

We flew ALTEC 421/802/32B sealed wedges over the dance floor, triamped w/EVB-18B's tuned to 23Hz - WOW!

Distributed 8" ceiling speakers in the bar, restaurant, restrooms 4-zoned to control levels.  Seamless integration.

 

My stepfather managed a hotel in the early 80's and Ray Kimber (yes, that Ray Kimber) did the audio install.  I was a kid in a candy store.  They had a Klipsch folded horn woofer in the corner of the dance floor and girls used to dance on them. 

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19 hours ago, habinger808 said:

Let's assume that a Bar lounge was being built, what Klipsch speaker setup would be "ideal" for patrons to listen to a wide variety of music. mostly from a streamer and vinyl.

Assumption being the room itself has a relatively rectangular shape and about 40' x 60' dimensions.

 

You would want to give the artillery a shout.  @Trey Cannon

 

https://www.klipsch.com/blog/category/install-stories/p2

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  • 3 weeks later...

If this is a lounge/pub type place, several of the RP 600m wall mounted would be fine. I have seen the larger model indoor/outdoor models used in a couple pubs and stores in Edmonton. People want background music not their faces blasted off. 

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6 hours ago, YK Thom said:

If this is a lounge/pub type place, several of the RP 600m wall mounted would be fine. I have seen the larger model indoor/outdoor models used in a couple pubs and stores in Edmonton. People want background music not their faces blasted off. 

Lots of people in lounges need their faces blasted off.

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4 hours ago, oldtimer said:

Lots of people in lounges need their faces blasted off.

Perhaps, but we take our dollars elsewhere. There is a time and a place for a dance-hall and and a time and place for a public house. Occasionally the two meet, and that is at 8:pm on a Saturday night where upon a PA system is utilized.

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  • 2 months later...

sorry been busy taking care of my little one... stay at home dad and all.

my idea is basically a "listening bar". being half japanese and spending time in these in my 20's makes me want to open up one now that im thinking what do i want to do once my girl starts kindergarten. i want to try it out even if it fails. as least i tried right?

every bar/lounge/pub is all tv's with sports or news playing. most sound systems are a complete after thought here. i want to create a space to just have a coffee or drink, light pupus and music to listen to. no phones, no business deals and sure as heck no instagramming and loud talking :)

 

ive read so much about jubilees being better than khorns so was thinking along those lines. assuming i had the abililty to have any size/dimension space, what would be ideal for a set of jubilees?

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On 10/14/2019 at 11:25 PM, YK Thom said:

Perhaps, but we take our dollars elsewhere. There is a time and a place for a dance-hall and and a time and place for a public house. Occasionally the two meet, and that is at 8:pm on a Saturday night where upon a PA system is utilized.

LOL.  Missed that response.  You seemed to have missed my humor as well.

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I agree with JWC and his choice, for a relatively small speaker the 396 could easily fill that size room. I have heard a pair in a room/building a little bigger than that with plenty people making noise and they can easily control the room.

 

There is always bigger choices, or just add a sub for some extra bass, but with any decent volume the 396 has really nice solid bass. 

 

3 hours ago, habinger808 said:

ive read so much about jubilees being better than khorns so was thinking along those lines. assuming i had the abililty to have any size/dimension space, what would be ideal for a set of jubilees?

From a normal living room to a Ballroom, that's not a joke, I'm serious.

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On 9/26/2019 at 4:23 PM, MyOwn said:

One of my dreams, have a bar named Good Tunes....

M-F different Genre playing in an acoustically designed room separated from the main bar...

When live bands aren't playing....

Maybe have a tubes night with only vinyl

Maybe have a night with all digital

Maybe have a mix, digital audio with tube pre and power

All playing on Klipsch 😁🍻

 

similar to what i envision minus the live performances... at least in the beginning :) 

i want to be able to showcase klipsch "sound" on both tubes and ss for everyone to listen to depending on the day and what is happening. i dont want the loud get drunk crowd, just a place to enjoy and appreciate music that people know and perhaps never knew they even liked. of course alcohol is involved... just with in reason ;)

 

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1 hour ago, habinger808 said:

similar to what i envision minus the live performances... at least in the beginning :) 

i want to be able to showcase klipsch "sound" on both tubes and ss for everyone to listen to depending on the day and what is happening. i dont want the loud get drunk crowd, just a place to enjoy and appreciate music that people know and perhaps never knew they even liked. of course alcohol is involved... just with in reason ;)

 

 

Having been in the bar/lounge business (D5 License) for a short time I wish you a lot of success. Two of the areas in that venue that are very difficult to make money are food and live entertainment. You actually start to think better of those drunken sots after the years roll by. At another place and time we had a Seeburg remote telephone dial 25 LP juke box system hooked into AR speakers that worked very well for the inebriated crowd. The album covers were fastened to the walls with large numbers glued to each album. Not much sophistication involved there however but it worked flawlessly.

JJK

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On 1/13/2020 at 1:03 PM, habinger808 said:

my idea is basically a "listening bar"...i want to try it out even if it fails. as least i tried right?  every bar/lounge/pub is all tv's with sports or news playing. most sound systems are a complete after thought here. i want to create a space to just have a coffee or drink, light pupus and music to listen to. no phones, no business deals and sure as heck no instagramming and loud talking :) ...ive read so much about jubilees being better than khorns so was thinking along those lines. assuming i had the ability to have any size/dimension space, what would be ideal for a set of jubilees?

I think that your questions are a good ones.  There are a few factors that I think some of the guys here are trying to make in terms of having a business that can turn a small profit.  But your questions first...

 

Jubilees can do very well in a very small room, but they breath well in a room with about 15 feet laterally and perhaps 20 or more feet longitudinally.  Ceiling height is not really an issue (unlike Khorns and other Klipsch Heritage).  They sound like the music in the recordings that you put on.  If you put on very poor recordings, you're going to hear it, but if you put on an excellent recording, you're going to hear that--like no other loudspeaker (if the Jubilees and the room are dialed in). 

 

The other factors are the ones I think that need to be addressed:

  • What is the rent on the property that has to be recovered each month? 
  • Insurance (usually the next largest fixed expense)?
  • Wages of the employees?  Waiters, cooks, busing tables and washing dishes, DJing
  • Cost of the music titles being played, and the sources of where you're going to get them (a very important factor for patrons that like what they like to hear, not necessarily what you like to hear)
  • How many drinks must be sold in a week to simply recover those expenses? 
  • How much food (and what type)?  Selling expensive food and drinks is a big deal, and you can't ignore those factors. If you know a sushi chef or two that have some credibility, that would probably help (not that I'm picking a Japanese food because of your heritage, but that it's more expensive from a pricing standpoint). 
  • How much money will you have to put away each year to go toward periodic renovations in order to either move locations or renovate the current space?  This is important for the clientele to keep coming back year after year (and secure your investment in time and money, even if you decide to sell in the future). 
  • How much time away from your little one are you prepared to spend.  Sixty hour weeks?  Not unheard of, especially when launching.

 

If you go to Iain's web site, you can see for yourself if the Tokyo listening bar translates to where you live: https://www.itishifi.com/archives//2019/11/japans-hidden-listening-bar.html

 

 

 

 

 

Notice that the above loudspeakers have direct radiating woofers (except Brilliant Corners, which is clearly using Khorns--which I certainly wouldn't recommend over Jubilees after having recently dialed in a pair).  This means that the clientele basically doesn't really care about high fidelity that you will get with Jubilees--rather they are usually looking for nostalgic loudspeakers (usually name brand JBL and Altec from the 1970s, but also Klipsch, too) and old tube electronics (that must be serviced yearly if used for commercial establishments). 

 

Jubilees have full-range directivity.  The problem with direct radiating woofers is that they all lose their directivity below 650 Hz (unless they're 30 inches in diameter or arrayed together in groups vertically and horizontally (like the KPT-942-4 bass bin).  Why does this matter?  Hearing clean midrange and midbass, that's what.  Some of the clientele want to hear and feel tactile bass distortion (no kidding) and being able to see the woofers move.  Many are looking for "thump-thump, ching-ching" of splashy electronica, chill-out, or similar genres that cater to the tastes of the customers (not necessarily the owners). The concept of hi-fi begins to lose its meaning in these instances.  Trendy playlists are a big, big thing, and the retro feel of vinyl usually is a factor for some patrons to keep showing up.  Where are you going to get your esoteric vinyl records?  Where are you going to find them at reasonable prices?  Inside connections in this area are a big thing.  Knowing some pro DJs would be a good thing.

 

You need to be spot on about the targeted clientele and their tastes in food, drinks, music, location, and overall aesthetic and need for exclusivity/identity.  They need to come often and spend a lot for you to stay in business.  Exclusivity is usually a big factor, i.e., an atmosphere of some people being able to get in while excluding others (unfortunately) or even people knowing about the place is apparently a factor.  This also takes "location, location, location..."

 

You can probably tell that I've though about this subject before...

 

Good luck.

 

Chris

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I've been to sHelter a handful of times and its exactly the type of small intimate place I would want to redo in my own style. Mahalo for the videos to watch!
I'm not overly worried about the business side if I move forward, more the sound system. I'm about having a place for people to come and listen and mingle. I strongly believe that there is room for theses type of "bars". I know I'm the type of person that likes a place thats not filled with TV screens and loud conversations drowned out by overly loud music. I wouldn't mind being forward with rules and enforcing them (drunks) and not allowing these types of individuals in. It's definitely a niche market style of bar but I'm betting if done right with the right vibe it could be place to make some decent money. I don't need to be a millionaire or even make 6 figures again. I'll be happy with 30-40K :) That's why my wife kept her career and brings home the bacon.

 

Besides speaker choice, I'm currently looking into Accuphase, Luxman and Yamaha for amplification duties. I know some may not agree with these brands. My friends back in Osaka are willing to purchase these brands for me if need be. 

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