NEWLY-FUNKTIONAL COVEN CLUB
COOL DANCE VENUE GETS THE RESOLUTION SYSTEM
Specialising in the design, hire and installation of quality kick-ass dance audio systems, Beat Audio has installed the first Funktion One Resolution system in the Thames Valley at Oxford's Coven Club.
The Coven Ð now a clubbing phenomena for 30 years - is Oxford's coolest and most successful independent dance venue. Peter Zerecky originally opened it in 1974 and over the last two years, the venue has been run by his son Jan, whose mission is to bring the very best of dance music and vibes to the City via the Coven.
This quest for excellence, and the desire to create sonic perfection for both their audiences and DJs led the Zereckys to look at options for new sound technology, which also happened to coincide with the Coven's 30th anniversary.
After careful research they approached Funktion One, whose reputation among dance aficionados is unsurpassed, and were put in touch with Mark Kelly from Beat Audio, the local Funktion One hire and sales dealer. Kelly took the Zereckys to Oxford Brookes University to check out the installation work he had carried out for the SU in their 1,100 capacity venue and to listen to Kelly's F1 Res 4 system, which is based there. Kelly was highly recommended by the Brookes crew to project manage the Coven installation.
Kelly, by his own admission a complete Funktion One fan, is dedicated to specifying and completing audio installations to the highest possible standard in all respects. Jan was impressed by the clarity and phenomenal bass response of Beat Audio's Res 4 system while Peter loved the neat, versatile yet idiot-proof industrial standard cabling system. Kelly visited the Coven, an intimate 450 capacity space with a cosy sunken main dance floor - a club where dancing is the primary raison d'etre.
The Coven system is based on four silver Resolution 4 skeletal cabinets, flown horizontally due to the low ceiling height Ð their appearance in keeping with the industrial aesthetics of the environment. They're passively crossed over between the 1" and 8" drivers.
Kelly decided on a mono sub-bass configuration, because the Coven plays a lot of drum 'n' bass and other hardcore dance. This is composed of three Funktion One 218s, stacked horizontally on the ground, against one wall of the dancefloor, for the lowest possible, thundering bass frequency response. To bring some bass up into the balcony and bar level of the Coven, Kelly installed an additional two Funktion One F118s on the balcony either side of the flown Resolution 4s.
Coven is also one of the first installations utilising the new MC2-manufactured Funktion One amplifiers to drive the subs; two E25s drive the low mids and high mid/highs. The crossover is a 2-in/6-out Function One's X01 controller.
Kelly, a self-confessed "cable fetishist" designed the Coven's cabling system in conjunction with Giles Copeman at VDC. For total sonicality and full maximisation of the signal path between amplifier and speaker, every driver has its own dedicated pair of 4mm cables of the highest quality.
Jan Zerecky commented: "It's been great working with Mark Kelly for his enthusiasm and true appreciation of quintessential sound system design and great dance music."