K-array adds extra dimension to 3am Room at show home

An installation project at the WOW!house show home in London’s Chelsea Harbour deployed K-array’s miniature Lyzard loudspeakers to make it stand out.

The team behind the 3am Room decided to introduce an additional dimension – sound – to elevate the visitor experience beyond the space’s lighting, tactile textures and automated scenting systems, to trigger as many senses as possible.

The sound system comprises a Lyzard-KZ14 10cm line array speaker in each corner of the room, mounted on a custom gimbal bracket that allow optimum aiming angles to be easily set. The KZ14’s four high-efficiency drive units are housed in a milled aluminium enclosure measuring just 10cm by 2cm by 1.1cm and weighing 59g.

They cross over to a concealed Rumble-KU44 subwoofer at 500Hz, providing full-range audio over a dispersion pattern of 140° horizontally and 40° vertically. The speakers are powered by a Kommander-KA02 amplifier.

Jo leGleud, co-founder of Maddux Creative X Fromental, which oversaw the project, says the audio system was pivotal in bringing the space to life. “Despite the small size of the speakers, we were blown away by their audio performance and the sound quality they delivered,” he says.

“The attention to detail and precision in K-array’s design truly enhanced the immersive experience, creating a soundscape that enveloped visitors and elevated their journey. The meticulous engineering behind these speakers brought an unparalleled level of clarity, depth, and richness to the space, leaving visitors astounded by the sonic landscape.”

Ben Rodrick, design director at home cinema and audio specialist Cornflake, which undertook the installation, says: “K-array was a great choice for this project because of the full range capability from the satellite speakers matched with the subwoofer.

“The satellite speakers are incredibly compact, which gave us lots of flexibility within the design process – and that steered us towards K-array. In terms of audio quality and the distribution of sound, it just ticked so many boxes.

“If I was to pick out K-array’s outstanding feature, I would say it’s installer friendly – and by that I mean not only set up and commissioning, but also the installation of the speakers. There was a fair amount of flexibility in terms of where we could mount them, and the reassuring factor that we had the confidence they would sound great before we had set them up was overwhelmingly positive.

“In an environment you’re not sure about, it’s good to know that when you plug that speaker in, you already have a basic EQ that’s 95% of the way there, and the rest is just fine tuning.”