AV Install Case Study: Kam’s Bar, Urbana-Champaign, IL
If you’re ever in the Urbana-Champaign area visiting the University of Illinois, stop in at Kam’s Bar – where history and tradition meet the latest amplifier technology. That’s right, you can now experience the power and clarity of our CONNECTSERIES amplifier in five fully integrated zones in the newly reinvented but longtime cherished establishment. Let’s take a closer look…
The Spec:
Venue: Kam’s Bar – Urbana-Champaign
Install Zones: 5 Zones – Beer Patio, Second Floor Deck & Terrace, Outdoor Patio & Upper Level, Lower Level, Side Bar
Product Used: Dante CONNECTSERIES CS704D (Qty. 6)
Total Wattage: 16,800 Watts
The Who & The Why
Originally founded in 1933, Kam’s Bar, newly relocated on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been a mainstay of the Illinois college experience for generations. Consistently named as one of the top college bars in the country, Kam’s — the home of the Drinking Illini — has been the go-to hangout for students, faculty, alumni, and the local community to meet and relax, share drinks, conversation and music for decades. In the evenings, Kam’s becomes quite the nightspot as well with live DJs, dancing, and the full college drinking experience.
In the fall of 2019, the original Kam’s location was closed to make way for new development. The Kam’s name and brand were purchased by a local developer and restaurateur, Scott Cochrane, who owns three other Campustown bars and several other club locations in Champaign-Urbana. Cochrane and his team had a vision for re-opening a larger, updated Kam’s that captured the charm of the original but could accommodate a range of events with a comprehensive, state-of-the-art sound system and audiovisual support.
The Integrator
Champaign-Urbana based C.V. Lloyde Audiovisual has been providing pro AV design, sales, and installation services throughout Illinois for more than 150 years. With a deep-rooted philosophy that the quality of a professional system must not be compromised by the actual installation, C.V. Lloyde counts many of the region’s universities, stadiums, houses of worship, school districts, and corporate facilities among their long list of clients.
Stephen Morris, President and CEO, C.V. Lloyde Audiovisual, worked with the Cochrane team to design and install the AV system for the new Kam’s using LEA Professional amplifiers. The new, larger, two-story version of Kam’s features a highly-integrated AV system, including a network-based, fully-distributed AV system with video displays, full-range sound systems, digital signage, DJ booth, device-based control apps, and remote monitoring tools.
We recently got the chance to talk with Stephen Morris about some of their install stories, motivations, and just geek out a little bit about audio gear. It was a blast! You can read some of that transaction here.
The Install
The C.V. Lloyde team put a lot of design work into the control system. The audio system as a whole is a Dante environment, with analog and Dante digital audio inputs available throughout the facility, so there would be easy Dante inputs and access at all points, including the DJ booth. When there is no DJ, the bar managers use the system’s Bluetooth access to easily play and control music playlists from a smartphone or tablet. There is also a color, touch panel master control, but the mobile device connectivity allows managers to walk around the bar and manage sound levels for the multiple indoor and outdoor zones.
“There’s a beer patio outside, a second-floor deck and terrace, an outdoor patio and upstairs, downstairs, and a side bar — all of these different zones have their own zone control and volume control,” said Morris. “They all operate independently with a mix of private and public events happening simultaneously, so each zone has an autonomous capability to completely choose their own inputs and manage their levels independent of each other.”
The Products
Behind the scenes, Morris selected a set of six, four-channel, 700-watt amplifiers, specifically our Connect 704D amplifier.
Like the rest of our CONNECTSERIES amplifiers, they all feature direct HiZ (70V or 100V) or LoZ selectable by channel. They are also designed with three ways to connect, you can engage the built-in Wi-Fi access point, connect to the venue’s Wi-Fi, or use the FAST Ethernet to connect to any local area network via Cat5 or Cat6 cable. PLUS, coming later this year, every CONNECTSERIES amplifier will be accessible through the CLOUD for control, monitoring, analytics, and more.
We love that our amps are now a part of the Kam’s legacy and it’s great to hear the positive feedback from the installation process:
“The overall sonic performance, responsiveness, and headroom of the amplifier have proven to be all that we hoped and then some,” added Morris. “We’re pushing a good-sized, full-range set of JBL Control 28s, Control 31s, and AC115S subwoofers, which all take a lot of power, and the LEA amps are taking it all in stride.”
The Conclusion
We’d like to thank Stephen Morris and C.V. Lloyde for giving our CONNECTSERIES a chance in this project and we hope that Kam’s continues to bring together families for a good time for years to come.
If you are interested in learning more about how LEA Professional products can provide solutions to your AV installation projects or have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below or reach out to us on our social media channels.
