The theme at the posh bar and cocktail lounge Campbell Apartment, located in Grand Central Terminal in New York City is centralised on the history of its landmark status. The space was once the office of American financier John W. Campbell, a member of the New York Central Railroad’s board of directors.
Later used for office space, as a studio by CBS Radio and as a jail by Metro-North Railroad, the space was restored to its original opulence following renovations totaling nearly $2 million in 1999 and 2007. The walls and ceiling were brought back to their former glory, a new bar was constructed using the same quatrefoil mahogany as the balcony and the original steel safe, once hidden behind a wall, now sits in the massive fireplace as a reminder of Campbell’s wealth.
Temporarily closing its door for a year for leasing issues, Campbell Apartment reopened in June 2017 under the new ownership of hospitality vanguard, Gerber Group. One of the first orders from the company’s principal and CEO, Scott Gerber was to update the bar’s acoustics for a better distributed audio with one that matches the prestige of the structure. Global Audio Systems was tasked with this responsibility given that its owner, Jason Ojeda had previously worked with the Gerber Group at several of their properties and entrusted him with such an important project. Ojeda had first-hand experience using K-array in several projects prior and according to him, “It was simply the right fit for this job at Grand Central and would sound amazing.”
With help from distributors K-array America, Ojeda arranged six Kayman-KY102 and 1 Kobra-KK52 loudspeaker line arrays for the Campbell Apartment installation, utilising the Kayman for its frequency response down to 90Hz. The system was designed to have an even and consistent coverage throughout the venue distributing audio without any dead zones and was installed into custom wall sconces that were designed around the line arrays.
“We knew we had to have amazing sound without having bulky speakers or losing audio quality. Scott and his team are ecstatic about the install. The design fits the venue and its aesthetic needs without sacrificing sound quality. In short, K-array is simply amazing.”
