The myriad hotels of Miami’s South Beach offer a range of luxurious beachfront accommodations for an international coterie of vacationers, but the new Nautilus Hotel South Beach offers something special that separates it from the pack: a unique emphasis on art and music.
With a first class fine art collection and superior Powersoft-driven sound systems, the Nautilus Hotel South Beach is a feast for the eyes and ears of its visitors. To achieve unparalleled sound in its rooftop lounge as well as its top-floor penthouse, the hotel turned to specialist All Things Integrated (ATI). ATI president Robert Athey and his team knew right away that the hotel’s aspirations could only be met by the clarity, efficiency, and performance of Powersoft’s Ottocanali series amplifiers.
It was clear from Athey’s early conversations with hotel management that first class audio was a must for their open-air rooftop lounge and penthouse.
Robert commented: “Music and sound are a big part of their brand, and one way that they wanted to stand apart from the crowd was with a sound system that’s truly high fidelity. The rooftop sound system would need to be reliable and efficient enough to cover background music night after night, while having the power and headroom to pump up the volume for DJ nights and special events. With that in mind, Athey selected a Powersoft Ottocanali 8k4 amplifier driving a system that includes 12 QSC S8T weather-proof loudspeakers and two QSC AD-S112sw subwoofers.
“We had one circuit for the whole space, so the incredible efficiency of the Powersoft amplifier was key. We also had to be sure we had an amp we could crank up for DJs without it overheating and the 8k4 runs very cool. We can crank it way up and that thing will really take it.”
Because the roof lounge floor was decked above the actual rooftop, Robert and his team had to customise a mounting solution of which they drilled holes through the deck and had poles mounted to the roof below coming up through them. Each pole came about up at about 18” above the deck, which was then affixed to the speakers with custom brackets so that they would point slightly up at the guests on the deck. This not only prevents them from being an eyesore, but also works to keep the sound contained within the space and minimises reflections off of other residential buildings.
The Ottocanali 8k4’s diminutive 2 RU rack footprint was another key attribute, fitting easily in a small rack placed in a utility room one floor below the roof lounge, and a dedicated AV room in the pentouse.
Many South Beach hotels offer penthouse suites of various stripes, but the penthouse at the Nautilus Hotel South Beach might be the only one with a true high fidelity sound system built in.
Robert stated this regarding the hotel’s sound system installation: “They wanted the best equipment available for the penthouse’s built-in sound because of the kind of music-minded clientele they expect. With a penthouse install like this, channel count is the biggest challenge because of how many different zones there are.”
Accounting for separate zones for the kitchen, den, lobby, living room, dining room, bedroom, bathrooms, and more, Athey selected a Powersoft Ottocanali 4k4 as the primary amplifier, turning to a Powersoft M30D to provide the last two channels he needed for complete zone coverage. He chose Martin Audio C6.8T in-ceiling speakers for every room. The choice of speaker is important of course, but using the right power amplifier is just as important and often overlooked. Robert explained that many of the staff at ATI are real hi-fi home audio buffs, so it was appreciated how important it was to have the best possible components along the entire signal chain.
Topping the system off with an easy-to-use touch-screen interface, the penthouse installation delivers on its promise of an unprecedented in-room audio experience for anyone who has the opportunity to stay there. Meanwhile the roof lounge allows guests to immerse themselves in a memorable sensory experience as they are enveloped in uncompromising sound while enjoying beautiful views of the shore. The penthouse and roof deck opened this month to accolades from guests, many impressed by the pristine sound delivered by the hotel’s Powersoft amplifiers.
