Mach CI6 for The Strand, Preston

Forty-three of the new Martin Professional Mach CI6 in-fill loudspeakers have been installed into The Strand, Preston as part of a high quality background music system.

The Strand is the city’s newest and most exciting ‘must go’ venue, a contemporary new entertainment concept located off the High Street, aimed at a lively, stylish clientele with good tastes in  food, drink, design and music.

Preston is one of the fastest developing towns in the UK, with over 25,000 students, an ambitious urban regeneration scheme underway and a rich history in culture and commerce.

The Strand is independently owned by Dave Patterson and general manager Dave Jones. They spotted a gap for a stylish venue outside the city centre that would attract over 25s and those prepared to make an effort to go out. The Strand is also the first completely non smoking night venue in Preston.

The various social areas within the Strand include a large café bar and lounge area downstairs, complete with Ducatti superbike centrepiece, a club/dancefloor/bar and a live performance area upstairs, and a classy restaurant – also upstairs. Additionally, downstairs features a secluded cocktail bar at one end of the venue for those wishing to chill out from the main hubbub.

As well as being a diverse entertainment destination, The Strand is also becoming popular as an informal conference and meeting venue during the day.

The audio installation was specified and completed by Lee Engineering from Lancaster, and the supply was co-ordinated by Martin’s Benn Timbury. Excellent sound was absolutely fundamental to the whole Strand concept, and the requirement for the café bar downstairs was for a good even audio coverage for the background music system. The compact but powerful new CI6s seemed perfect for the job.

The speakers are located all around this area, and there are more in the VIP lounge and upstairs in the restaurant. Their aesthetically pleasing lines ensure they blend effortlessly into the background. Inside, there’s a 6" mid-woofer and ¾ soft dome tweeter, and the CI6 is designed with a conical horn delivering uniform dispersion, thus allowing full flexibility on the positioning and tight focusability.

The twist-cap fixing bracket is also a major plus. The CI6 is designed to be quickly and very easily installed. The speakers in The Strand are black, but they can be powder-coated in any Pan Tone colour.

Dave Jones, an experienced venue operator, says, ”I’m extremely pleased with the CI6’s. We initially chose a Martin system for the background sound areas because I’ve used Martin products for a long time and they are excellent. I know I can rely on Martin for good build quality and excellent service and back-up”. He loves their smooth sound and says that the 90 degree dispersion gives plenty of latitude in covering a lot of space. The sound areas are divided into several different zones.

The Strand’s musical policy encompasses a wide variety of styles from Motown to all types of jazz, from the sounds of Philadelphia to the latest Britpop renaissance.