What began as a simple trans-continental flight sitting next to EAW co-founder Ken Berger turned out to be the genesis of EAW's Avalon loudspeaker line.

John Lyons, venerable head of entertainment giant the Lyons Group, and Berger spent much of that flight talking about the need for a specific dance club loudspeaker line. Lyons was put in touch with EAW's engineering team and gave his input on how the new loudspeakers should be physically shaped, with characteristics like short-throw and near field but high output. The loudspeaker line was then named after Lyon's popular nightclub - Avalon.

Club Avalon, a fixture of the Boston night scene and nationally renowned superclub, recently welcomed two new sisters into the family: Avalon LA [see next issue of mondo*dr for full reveiw] and Avalon New York both of which were launched scarcely within a week of each other.

Avalon New York is the latest incarnation of the former Limelight nightclub and is housed in what was originally an Episcopal church dating back to the 1880s. The building remains a landmark in the city and its interior has been dramatically revamped, at no little cost, to create the Avalon experience.

Newly designed by Desigrippes Gobe Group (DGG), Avalon is an excellent example of how the fusion between classic and modern design elements can work in a nightclub space. The original neogothic aspects of the building have been juxtaposed with sleek modern minimalism, sweeping curves and bold statements. The club is a weave of individual spaces all of which have been used to their maximum in creating distinct spaces which will cater for differing moods and tastes. As such a visit to the club involves a journey through its many levels and rooms. Not that circulation is a problem here. In fact, much time has been taken to ensure that moving around the club is far simpler and that the venue's distinctive environments blend seamlessly together.

One thing which is common to Avalon as a whole is its sound system of course and little has been spared to ensure the club lives up to the name it has lent to the speaker system which now graces the club.

"My partner, Steve, used to work in New York as a director of several clubs," explains Avalon owner Lyons. "When Limelight became available, it was brought to our attention. It seemed like a good opportunity that we couldn't pass up. It wasn't our intention to do L.A. and New York concurrently, it just fell that way."

Avalon New York's main system includes eight EAW Avalon DC2 loudspeakers and sixteen Avalon DCS2 subwoofers. "It's worth noting that in both cases they were pretty dilapidated spaces that we redid cosmetically," says Lyons. "It wasn't our intention to bring the Avalon name into other cities. One of the reasons we decided to stay with the name Avalon is that Steve and I both decided that it was a good name. It had good recognition value in the Northeast as well. The second was because of the vested interest in the loudspeaker line." The partnership between the two is an ongoing and integral part of the EAW Avalon Series design process. Lyons still provides constant, real-world feedback to EAW's design and engineering teams.

Adding considerably to Avalon's technological package is a lighting installation which includes products from High End (Technobeams, Trackspots) and Martin Professional (Mac 250+) which cater for the main clubbing spaces within the venue. Elsewhere, in Avalon's exclusive VIP zone known as 'Spider Club', LED effects from Color Kinetics create the perfect mood alongside further EAW sound system equipment.

technical information

light
Main Room: 12 x High End Technobeam; 12 x Martin MAC250+; 8 x LWR AF1000 Strobe; 2 x Custom Motorized Trusses controlled by Motionlabs Server; 1 x Showcad Artist Controller; Chapel: 12 x ColorKinetics C200 LED fixtures; 6 x High End Trackspot; 1 x LWR Universal controller; Spider Club: 6 x Color Kinetics Colorblast 12; 6 x ColorKinetics C200 LED; 1 x ColorKinetics controller

sound
Main House System: 4 x Crown Macrotech 2400 Amplifier; 8 x Crown Macrotech 3600 Amplifier; 4 x Crown Macrotech 5002 Amplifier; 1 x BSS Soundweb Processor; 8 x EAW DC2 Speaker; 16 x EAW DCS2 Sub; Main DJ Booth: 1 x Ashley 8000 Amplifier; 1 x Ashley 2000 Amplifier; 1 x Crown Macrotech 3600 Amplifier; 3 x Technics 1200 MK III Turntable; 3 x Stanton 680 Cartridge; 1 x Denon 2600 CD Player; 1 x BSS Minidrive EQ Processor; 1 x Rane Rotary Mixer Mixer; 1 x Rane EQ Module Mixer EQ; 1 x Pioneer CDJ1000 CD Player; 2 x EAW DC4 Speaker; 1 x EAW SB250 Sub; Chapel Room: 3 x Ashley 8000 Amplifier; 3 x Ashley 2000 Amplifier; 3 x Crown Macrotech 3600 Amplifier; 6 x EAW DC4 Speaker; 6 x EAW SB250 Sub; 1 x BSS Minidrive Processor; Chapel DJ Booth: 1 x Crown Macrotech 2400 Amplifier; 2 x Technics 1200 MK III Turntable; 3 x Stanton 680 Cartridge; 1 x Rane MP44 Mixer; 2 x Pioneer CDJ1000 CD Player; 2 x EAW DC5 Speakers; Spider Club: 4 x EAW DC4 Speaker; 4 x EAW SB250 Sub; 2 x Ashley 8000 Amplifier; 2 x Ashley 2000 Amplifier; 2 x Crown Macrotech 3600 Amplifier; 1 x BSS Minidrive Processor; Spider DJ Booth: 1 x Crown Macrotech 2400 Amplifier; 2 x Technics 1200 MK III Turntable; 2 x Stanton 680 Cartridge; 1 x Rane MP44 Mixer; 2 x Pioneer CDJ1000 CD Player; 2 x EAW DC5 Speaker

links: www.nyavalon.com