MARTIN AUDIO BRINGS DISCRETE PUNCH TO LINA STORES IN SHOREDITCH AND MANCHESTER
Lina Stores, the Italian delicatessen founded in 1944 on Brewer Street in London’s Soho, was established “to offer the finest Italian produce to hungry Londoners and homesick Italians.” Now boasting twelve locations, the estate today encompasses ten restaurants and, inspired by Italy’s bar culture, most recently introduced the Bar Lina concept to four select sites.
Tasked with installing sound systems in two such openings in Shoreditch and Manchester, integrator Evolve AV specified Martin Audio solutions to deliver high-quality, discrete audio, also capable of providing real impact when the occasion calls for it.
Located on Shoreditch High Street, Lina Stores Shoreditch occupies a Grade II listed building originally built in 1868 as a bank. Elliot Patterson of Evolve AV was introduced to the project following a recommendation.
Recalling his original brief, Patterson begins, “Showing me around they explained they wanted good coverage and something that was really compact, but could pack a bit of a punch for parties and DJs.”
The nature of the interior space shaped many of his decisions. “It’s quite a big space with very low ceilings and we weren’t really in a position to put things in corners.” he continues. “I needed to be careful where I put speakers so they didn’t take over.”
Patterson specified Martin Audio CDD6 speakers from the outset. “Honestly I didn’t look at any other options,” he says. “I knew the CDD6 would give me the excellent coverage and quality sound from the exposed wall positions.”
Honestly I didn’t look at any other options"
With a listed building and a strong design aesthetic to protect, visual integration was also key. “Some walls are bare brick, some stone concrete. The CDD6 actually works really well against that - it blends in really well.” he adds.
Upstairs in the Shoreditch restaurant, the system comprises six CDD6, while downstairs in Bar Lina the main cocktail bar area features four CDD5, reinforced by an SX210 subwoofer. “The CDD6 plus SX210 combination gave the space a discrete solution, and really great output - they’re a classic match,” notes Patterson.
Adjacent to the bar, the former bank vaults now provide seating cubicles and a lounge area. “All the doors and gates are still there,” he describes. For this lounge area six Martin Audio ADORN A55 speakers were selected, while ADORN A40 are deployed in upstairs private dining areas as well as in ancillary corridors and entrances.
System processing is handled by an Optimal AudioZone 8—the ideal companion for control in distributed install applications from Martin Audio’s sister brand within the Focusrite group.
Music sources include dedicated audio players for both the restaurant and bar, plus DJ inputs. “Each area has a local on-wall Optimal Audio ZonePad, but most of the time they’re able to simply use iPads for control,” says Patterson.
The benefit of the Optimal Audio ZonePad’s additional local and Bluetooth inputs comes into its own in the vault areas. “Guests can just Bluetooth or plug in their phone directly to it,” he explains. “They’ve got their own room, they can play their own music, it’s super simple.”
Following a Shoreditch launch evening - impressed by both the audio quality and Evolve AV’s work - Lina Stores asked Patterson to support its upcoming Lina Stores Manchester opening located on Quay Street.
Once again Martin Audio CDD6 formed the backbone of the solution, with eight installed in the restaurant area, this time ceiling-mounted. “It’s quite a big room so we needed to get a lot of coverage and again, the CDD6 does it so well,” says Patterson. “As opposed to Shoreditch where they’re all wall mounted, in Manchester they’re ceiling mounted. We rotated the driver inside and they are all mounted in landscape orientation.”
In the Bar Lina area, six CDD6s are installed around the perimeter, supplemented by five Martin Audio Blackline X8 speakers, and with considerable low-end punch provided bya pair of Martin Audio SX212 2 x 12” subwoofers.
Patterson concludes, “The Martin Audio system provides a fantastic discrete background music system for the very beautiful cocktail bar, capable of turning into a powerful club system for their weekend DJs.”
Photos: Adam Firman/Lina Stores