Two new locations for Arizona-based Thirsty Lion Gastropub in North Texas (specifically in Dallas and The Colony) are both equipped with venue-wide sound systems incorporating Connect Series amplifiers from LEA Professional joining Crestron AV components implemented by Oregon-based custom integration firm Platinum AVL.
“I had heard a lot about LEA Professional, having seen them at Infocomm,” explains Paul Mar, system designer and engineer at Platinum AVL on selecting the amplifiers. “Once I understood the brain trust that exists within the company, it gave me a huge amount of confidence in the product and, as a result, the project. With multiple systems we install around the country, LEA amplifiers are perfect to meet that need with their reliability, feature set, technology, size, and weight.” Mar adds that ownership comes from a nightclub background and are aware of how important quality sound and music is to the dining experience.
Platinum AVL specified eight Connect Series amps for the The Colony location and six Connect Series amps for the Dallas facility. Designed for a range of installations, the two-, four-, and eight-channel amplifiers offer direct HiZ (70- or 100-volt) or LoZ that’s selectable by channel. With three ways to connect, system designers can engage the Connect Series’ built-in Wi-Fi access point, connect to the venue’s Wi-Fi, or use the Ethernet to connect to any local area network via Cat5 or Cat6 cable. Amps incorporated in the two projects are a combination of 702 and 354 Connect Series models.
The Colony location, the larger of the two, is split over two stories, with a bar and rooftop patio plus 6,500 square feet of outdoor seating. The audio system provides a lighter background music mix at a lower volume level during the day while building in the ability to go louder during higher-capacity happy hours and livelier special events.
Since the amps in Thirsty Lion are on 24/7, Platinum AVL and the team at the Thirsty Lion agreed that a platform with remote monitoring via the Cloud was a priority. “The Cloud has come to be crucial for us,” Mar states. “There have already been instances where a power cut occurred that I wasn’t aware of and the Cloud allowed us to see the issue and resolve it. Without this, we would have had to contact a local technician at an extra cost to try to get someone down there before opening time.”
For Mar and Platinum AVL, a Crestron integrator, the ability to integrate the Connect Series amplifiers into the AV system with the Crestron LEA Plugin was an added benefit. The Connect Series Crestron Control Module allows integrators to utilize the Crestron software platform to control and monitor functions and features within the Connect Series amplifiers.
“I will always spec LEA amps for my projects from now on; I am genuinely impressed with them,” Mar concludes.
