The recently opened Club 8 is one of the largest and most lavish clubs in Dallas. Opened in November 2013 and billed as ‘The Ultimate Dallas Nightclub Venue”, Club 8 consists of 10,000 square feet, has 39 VIP tables, is connected to a 7000 square foot pool area that has 10 VIP cabanas with 6 circular lounge beds, as well as ballrooms that can be used for private events.
This property operates on a high level, so outfitting the venue with an equally impressive sound system was no small undertaking. That’s why Club 8 management ultimately selected a sizeable sound reinforcement system utilizing D.A.S. Audio loudspeakers.
Kevin Deal, an account manager with the Dallas office of GC Pro, was contracted to design and install Club 8’s sound reinforcement system.
Working in conjunction with Plano, TX-based DJSL, who served as the installation contractor, Deal’s goal was to deploy a ‘festival style’ sound system that was ultimately centered around a collection of D.A.S. Aero 12A powered line array elements and LX218-CA powered arrayable subwoofers.
“Club 8 has a wide range of musical entertainment,” Deal explains. “They primarily feature DJ acts that play electronic dance music, but they also have shows that include both regional and national acts. For this reason, it was imperative that we assemble a sound system capable of supporting high end musical performances.
“After several walkthroughs and revisions, we sent our design to Carlos Henao, D.A.S. Audio’s U.S. accounts manager, who fine-tuned the system. We ultimately arrived at a 4-point line array system with subwoofers on the ground to accommodate the main acts. With the assistance of EASE Focus modeling software, we were able to accurately check our design before hanging our first box.”
The main room at Club 8 is structured with a ceiling area that is 20 feet tall. The room is about 100 feet long and 65 feet wide. There are several tables and VIP booths in this space and the area’s capacity is 2300 people. To provide coverage for this area, a combination of twelve D.A.S. Aero 12A powered line array elements were flown—with two clusters (left and right), each with six enclosures.
Low frequency support is provided by eight LX-218CA subwoofers, positioned on the floor four enclosures per side. To service the back area of the club, there is a delay system comprised of two clusters, each with three D.A.S. Audio Convert 12A powered, 2-way line array elements.
For monitoring purposes, Club 8 has four D.A.S. Audio Avant 15A compact full range point source loudspeaker enclosures. These are dedicated to the main system. Additionally, there are another four D.A.S. Action 12A powered, 2-way enclosures that are intended to provide the flexibility to enable the house to make sound system adjustments as events mandate. These loudspeakers can be used with the main system when necessary, at the pool area, or with a portable system consisting of ground stacked Convert 12As and LX-218CAs.
Outside, there is a second zone that extends the main sound system to an outdoor pavilion with a pool area. Consisting of four D.A.S. Convert 18A powered subwoofers and six Convert 12 powered line array enclosures, this equipment creates a two point line array setup with flown subwoofers directly above the pool. This area can serve as a second stage when two acts are performing simultaneously.
“D.A.S. is among the best in the industry when it comes to technical and customer support,” Deal says. “Their involvement with the system’s design was very ‘hands on’, which shows that they were really invested in all aspects of the project. The equipment is performing beautifully.
“The clean sound of the mains and the punch of the subs were the characteristics our client loved the most. Many national and local acts have already performed on this system and we’ve receive 100% positive feedback. Our client has already informed us that they plan on opening additional properties in the near future and will be using D.A.S. in those locations as well.”
Ross Endinboro, the General Manager for the Night Hotel, where Club 8 resides, is equally enthusiastic. “This is, by far, the best sound in any Dallas club.”
