Historic bar and music venue Barmel, tucked away in the small city of Carmel-by-the-Sea on the Californian coast, recently upgraded its sound reinforcement approach to support its live music evenings with a new system incorporating Alcons Audio pro-ribbon loudspeakers.
Originally opened in the 1890s, the bar’s unique identity is maintained by the personal touches of owner Gabe Georis and his family’s musical roots. With development in Carmel tightly controlled to maintain its character and environment, Barmel is the city’s only bar with a performance stage and PA, helping ensure its thrice-weekly acoustic performances attract audiences from a wide area.
“We wanted a system which sounded musical, transparent and very pleasant to listen to, so we auditioned systems from many different manufacturers,” Georis says. “We chose an Alcons pro-ribbon solution for several reasons. One was that David Rahn of Alcons Audio USA brought a system to us, so we could hear it in our room. This was a big factor in feeling we were going to get a system that worked in our space.
“But a bigger reason was the sound quality, especially the high end,” he continues. “The Alcons sounded more open, airy and clear in the high frequencies without feeling harsh at all. The lower frequencies were as good as anything else we listened to.”
Barmel is now equipped with a system employing two VR12 two-way 12-inch loudspeakers with patented RBN601 pro-ribbon drivers as well as two BF151 15-inch compact subwoofers, all flown from the bar’s ceiling.
“The overall sound of the Alcons system is the best we’ve heard anywhere. The transparency, clarity and fidelity from a good audio source make the hairs on your arms stand up,” concludes Georis. “The high end is its biggest strength, nothing else we listened to sounds as open, clear and pleasant to listen to for long periods of time.”
