Located in the chic, affluent suburb of Lonehill, Sequoias is undoubtedly one of Johannesburg's hottest openings of the year. Owner Shelley Chadwick, a South African ex-pat now living in Washington, USA, conceptualised the new venue by drawing inspiration from the likes of legendary clubs worldwide such as PURE in Las Vegas, Red Square in Russia, and Tangerine in the UK. The result is the ultimate cocktail and dining experience enhanced by a state-of-the-art EAW audio system installed by the area's premier pro audio specialist, Surgesound.

The architecture and design concept of the new venue is nothing short of stunning, including a bar counter made of solid ice, which keeps the cocktails cool while patrons enjoy the spectacular views across Johannesburg. Chadwick was determined to install an audio system that would do her new venture justice. "Whilst living in the US, I had the occasion to hear several EAW systems, and knew that when I came to South Africa, EAW would be my first choice for audio," stated Chadwick. "I wanted only the best products for my new venue, especially in the audio department. From what I'd heard in the States, I was fairly confident that EAW could deliver on my expectations. I selected locally-based audio distribution company, Surgesound, to carry out the installation, and they've done a great job. I'm thoroughly impressed with the performance and quality of the new system."

Surgesound installed four LA212 two-way, full range cabinets into the bar and dance floor area. Each cabinet comprised a 12-inch woofer and 3-inch voice coil compression driver. Completing the system was an FR250z dual 15-inch sub in a vented enclosure installed under the DJ booth. EAW Commercial products were selected for the restaurant, balcony and VIP area in a combination of four SMS4 compact trapezoidal high output loudspeakers; two CIS50 twin cone ceiling speakers with 70/100V transformer taps; and finally no less than thirteen CIS400 ceiling speakers reputed for their studio monitor-like sound quality. The entire system is powered by Lab Gruppen C Series amplifiers with processing courtesy of an EAW MX8750 2-in 8-out digital processor.

Surgesound's Andrew Rowan is extremely pleased with the outcome. "The system we configured for Sequoias was carefully planned to the last detail according to the venue's specific requirements," noted Rowan. "We had to create powerful, yet crystal clear sound for the dance floor and bar areas, so EAW components offered us the ideal solution. The priority for the restaurant, balcony and VIP areas was less power but impeccable audio quality, for which EAW Commercial was the obvious choice. The result is a world class audio system which is perfectly suited to the high class surroundings and atmosphere of Sequoias."

Links to Additional Information:
Lighting & Sound America