Washington, DC – January 2022… Established in 1933 at the end of this country’s Prohibition Era, the Mayflower Club’s history dates to the time when speakeasies were the only way people could consume alcohol. Located at 1223 Connecticut Avenue, the building’s fourth floor was home to one of DC’s most prominent speakeasies and included a 30-foot bar that served elegant cocktails to high-society clients. Fast forward eight-eight years and The Mayflower Club just completed an extensive renovation that includes a new sound reinforcement arsenal drawn for the E11EVEN Sound, Artec, Arco, and Vantec series catalogs of Valencia, Spain based DAS Audio.
These days, The Mayflower Club is owned by Antonis Karagounis. The venue’s marketing and promotion efforts are spearheaded by Panorama Productions, DC’s largest nightlife hospitality group since 1995. Karagounis recognized that The Mayflower Club’s renovation would have to include state-of-the-art sound reinforcement capabilities. On that note, he and his team worked closely with John Fiorito, DAS Audio’s Installed Sound, Technical-Design, and Project Management Specialist. Working closely with Karagounis, Fiorito penned the venue’s new sound system capabilities.
Karagounis described the venue, “The Mayflower Club channels 1930’s grandeur with a modern Mediterranean twist. The main room (first floor) is an upscale Mediterranean restaurant. At 11 PM, it turns into a night club featuring top 40, EDM, Hip-hop, and Latin music. Geared toward mingling and private events, the second floor (mezzanine area) overlooks the main floor and provides a more intimate dining experience and features two bars and ‘cocktail party’ vibes. The third floor is an indoor/outdoor rooftop lounge with a retractable roof dubbed Zebbie’s Garden, which pays homage to the original 1933’s-era speakeasy owner, Zachariah ‘Zebbie’ Goldsmith, who has a colorful history all his own.
Owner Antonis Karagounis wanted to create a spectacular lounge that provided the finest guest interaction for both amplified DJ music and live sound for bands—all with a heightened sensory experience. Upon entering the main dining / bar area, guests are greeted by a potent sound setup consisting of six DAS E11EVEN Sound ES-10 2-way point source loudspeakers, eight Artec-306 2-way enclosures, and four Arco-24 loudspeakers. Low frequency support is provided by a combination of eight Quantum series Q-10 compact subwoofers and three Vantec-218 bass reflex subwoofers. Completing the setup, there is also a pair of Artec-510A loudspeakers that are used as monitors for the DJ.
On the second-floor mezzanine area, sound is provided by a combination of four DAS Audio Artec-326 enclosures, one Vantec-218 bass reflex subwoofer, eight Artec-306 2-way loudspeakers, and four Q-10 compact subwoofers. Regardless of the area, DAS Audio’s Fiorito was focused on one very clear goal, “Each room is designed to provide the utmost clarity, ability to feel the music, and still be able to hold a conversation.”
Moving up to the third floor indoor/outdoor rooftop area, the indoor portion of the space is covered by twelve compact loudspeakers and six sub bass enclosures that were re-purposed from the prior installation. Similarly, the outside patio area also uses some additional enclosures like the ones on the inside area. However, the outside area also includes a pair of DAS E11EVEN Sound ESBR218 dual 18-inch, bass reflex subwoofers and four Quantec Q-10 compact subwoofers. Completing the setup, the DJ station includes two Artec-510A loudspeakers and a pair of Artec-S15A subwoofers.
Rounding out the installation, the equipment rack includes five DAS EP-2K4 4 channel Class D Power amplifiers, six EP-8K4 4 channel Class D Power amplifiers, one EP-10K4 4 channel Class D Power amplifier, and one EP-22K4 4 channel Class D Power amplifier—amounting to more than 100,000 watts of amplified music. Also in the equipment rack, there is a Furman PL-Plus series power conditioner, and both a BSS Audio BLU-100 signal processor and a BLU-BOB Break-Out Box output expander for signal management. System control is managed by an Apple iPad, which enables users to play any music source in every room simultaneously or by individual selection/zone.
The Mayflower Club installation was completed in August 2021while the venue construction was finished a month later. Since that time, all reports indicate that the new sound system is impressing all who encounter it. Club owner Antonis Karagounis offered these final thoughts, “All of us here at the Mayflower are very impressed. The painstaking attention to detail shows in every aspect of this installation. Most importantly, our customers are responding very favorably—and that’s what ultimately matters. To everyone involved, nicely done and thank you!”
To learn more about The Mayflower Club, visit www.mayflowerclubdc.com.
About DAS Audio
Headquartered in Valencia, Spain, DAS Audio is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of loudspeaker systems, power amplification, signal processing, and related components. DAS Audio products are found on tour with the world’s greatest performing artists and installed in many of the most prestigious facilities. For additional information about DAS Audio, visit the company online at www.dasaudio.com.
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