Inviting Dining Sound - High Quality Background Music at Chan-Chi Hot Pot

When popular Taiwanese chain Chan-Chi Hot Pot opened a new restaurant in Taipei’s Ximen district, the structure of the building presented systems integrator Spectrum Audio with a challenge to deliver high quality background music throughout the restaurant’s different areas. Yamaha’s flexible range of professional speakers provided the solution.

Chan-Chi Hot Pot offers customisable hot pot dishes made with high-quality meats, seafood, and vegetables. Its third outlet is located in the basement of the Ximen World Commercial Building, with the 990m2 space the largest of the chain’s restaurants, capable of seating hundreds of customers. Blending traditional Taiwanese decor with modern touches, a bespoke background music (BGM) system was essential to creating a cosy, inviting atmosphere.

Systems integrator Spectrum Audio was involved in designing the BGM system from the restaurant’s early planning stages, using the site layout plans to create a solution which would complement the restaurant’s distinctive aesthetic, while delivering high quality sound and being simple to use and maintain.

“The restaurant wanted a BGM system which would deliver a comfortable sound environment for diners, while minimizing any impact on the visual design,” says Spectrum Audio CEO Cheung Yuk Chin.

“This presented several challenges. Ambient noise levels of customer conversations and staff activity were projected to exceed 70dB, while there is no suspended ceiling in the dining area, which made using ceiling speakers impossible. Meanwhile, the BGM would need to be audible and clear, without overpowering customers’ conversations or negatively affecting their dining experience.”

He continues, “Another challenge was that, as well as the dining area, the system had to seamlessly cover into areas like the entrance, waiting areas, rest rooms and office. These had different ceiling structures and therefore needed different solutions, with all areas needing speakers which would blend with the decor, while maintaining consistent sound quality and distribution.”

Spectrum Audio proposed using Yamaha VXS5 surface mount speakers for the dining area, which would avoid interfering with the visual aesthetics, while delivering effective sound coverage.

Using the restaurant plans, the team used acoustic simulation software to model speaker placement, based on the actual floor plan and projected listening areas. The results indicated that in the main dining area, at a seated customer height of 1.1 metres, the average sound pressure level would be 84.5dB (direct SPL, A-weight).

In the entrance stairs, reception desk, waiting area, private dining rooms and restrooms, which have suspended ceilings, Yamaha VXC series speakers were installed. For the office, which has an exposed ceiling, Yamaha VXH series pendant speakers were specified.

Four PA2120 energy-saving power amplifiers were installed to drive the system, with a rack mounted MG12X, 12 channel compact mixer used to mix the input sources and provide extra inputs, if needed.

“By selecting the appropriate Yamaha speakers for each area and using advanced simulation tools, we balanced the aesthetic and acoustic needs of the space to deliver a high quality solution,” concludes Cheung Yuk Chin.