Situated in Ho Chi Minh City’s central entertainment area of District 1, the Arena Mix lounge is part of the high-end Khe Group businesses, founded by Tong Dong Khue.
After he finished studying in Singapore, Tong Dong returned to Vietnam to invest in the entertainment industry in general, and nightlife in particular. Arena Mix set out to focus on the customer experience, from food and drink, to quality sound.
To ensure an optimum audio solution Duc Proaudio (Martin Audio’s distribution partner in Vietnam), was chosen as the audio design consultant and installation contractor—masterminded by company director, Pham Duy Duc.
Martin Audio’s CDD series proved a popular choice, and Duc Proaudio specified 14 CDD15 full-range loudspeakers and four SX218 subwoofers for the main DJ room. Amplifiers consisted of iK42 Dante-compatible devices and VIA5004, with Martin Audio’s dedicated DX0.5 dedicated signal processors managing the system.
The DJ set-up included a Pioneer DJM-900NXS2 mixer, two DJ CDJ-2000NX2 players and a pair of ultra-compact, self-powered Martin Audio CDD-LIVE 8 reference monitors, along with the DX0.5 processor.
However, the installers were presented with a challenge in optimising the sound. As the venue’s interior design uses mainly LED, decorative lighting and reflective surfaces, the sound space was naturally both resonant and distorted, with the LF bass response neither tight nor clean, according to Pham Duy Duc.
To overcome these acoustics challenges, Duc Proaudio recommended that the investor contact specialists, HB Acoustic, to advise on acoustic treatment to improve the sound in the listening space. By adding diffuser and absorption materials in the main room, excessive reverberation was drastically reduced and the reflections controlled, along with the echo. In addition, the low frequency sub-bass is now tighter and the sound intelligibility greatly improved.
“More importantly,” Mr. Pham continued, “we had to try and retain the original interior design and decoration of Arena Mix. But this showed the effectiveness when the investor combines a high-performance sound system with a professional acoustic consultant.
“Both the investors and shareholders were surprised and delighted with the improved sound quality, which has enabled customers to enjoy the true value of high-performance sound systems.”
